schwinn traveler quirk

[Jon Frosch]

I have a 12-speed schwinn traveler of uncertain vintage. Now, today I
got hit by a car, so I had to buy a new front wheel. The old wheel had
two arms on it that fit over two screws in the fork. The new wheel
(bought it assembled) does not have these. Are these arms important?
What do they do? What are they even called? They are between the wheel
and the fork and are about 2-1/2 inches long. Can anyone help me?
(Both wheels are quick-release front wheels)

 

[[email protected]]

On 29 Aug 2004 18:14:52 -0700, [email protected] (Jon
Frosch) wrote:

>I have a 12-speed schwinn traveler of uncertain vintage. Now, today I
>got hit by a car, so I had to buy a new front wheel. The old wheel had
>two arms on it that fit over two screws in the fork. The new wheel
>(bought it assembled) does not have these. Are these arms important?
>What do they do? What are they even called? They are between the wheel
>and the fork and are about 2-1/2 inches long. Can anyone help me?
>(Both wheels are quick-release front wheels)

Dear Jon,

They're often called lawyer lips, devices to keep the front
wheel from falling out if your quick-release somehow fails.

They've largely vanished and are generally viewed with
exaggerated loathing on rec.bicycles.tech as hideously
unnecessary.

My 1998 Schwinn Le Tour sports them and gives me an
ineffable sense of security.

Carl Fogel

 

[A Muzi]

Jon Frosch wrote:

> I have a 12-speed schwinn traveler of uncertain vintage. Now, today I
> got hit by a car, so I had to buy a new front wheel. The old wheel had
> two arms on it that fit over two screws in the fork. The new wheel
> (bought it assembled) does not have these. Are these arms important?
> What do they do? What are they even called? They are between the wheel
> and the fork and are about 2-1/2 inches long. Can anyone help me?
> (Both wheels are quick-release front wheels)

That's a PRD. Positive Retention Device as required by the
US Gov't's CPSC since 1974. It is pretty straightforward
to move your little arms and special locknuts from a Schwinn
front wheel to another replacement in most cases if you
liked them. Technically, your mechanic is remiss in that
your bicycle now does not conform to the minimum safety
requirement for a Q/R front wheel.

With that system (or the more common insets or 'lips'), a
wheel cannot fall out of the bicycle merely from an
inadvertent flip of the release lever, a second purposeful
motion being required.

I have no problem removing these systems by request from
informed and attentive riders. But I think that a rider who
asks "what is a PRD?" oughta have them. See if the shop can
reinstall the old ones on your new wheel.
--
Andrew Muzi
www.yellowjersey.org
Open every day since 1 April, 1971