> I think it is another example of parents not checking the bicycle out
> frequently to ensure it is OK to ride.
> They just assumed it was setup from the store, no one checked any of the
> fasteners or QR's or nuts and bolts to
> make sure they were tight. So they blame some company with deep pockets
> for their own stupidity or lazyness.
I remain dumbfounded that intelligent people believe they're getting a
similar product, assembled to a similar level (because, after all, it's just
a bike, y'know? Kids bike at that...) at *Mart vs a decent bike shop.
Parents, no, people in general, are often in a state of denial when
presented with anything the might encourage them to spend more money on
something. The idea that so many people seem to have now is that price is
all that matters, and if they spend less money, they're outsmarting the
system somehow.
Back in the day, it wasn't such a big deal. The department stores generally
didn't even try to sell bikes in an "assembled" condition; it was Dad's job
to try and put it together, and it was Dad's job to bring it into a shop if
there were things he couldn't figure out. And Dad knew (or learned) that
there was a reason it cost more at the bike shop.
But the department stores now recognize that people don't want hassles
(having to build things), they just want product. So they send a BSO (bike
shaped object) out the door, and Dad, or Mom, or whomever, really has no
past experience that says hey, this might not be a good idea... because they
never built one themselves, so they don't have any idea of how things ought
to be. What should be tight, what might cause problems, what might not have
been assembled properly.
What's my point? Just that it might be a bit naive to blame Mom or Dad for
not checking out their kids' bike for safety. It's not something they grew
up having to do, and the concept of a local bike shop adding value sounds
like something they don't need or shouldn't have to pay for, because paying
more for something isn't what people see as smart these days.
--Mike-- Chain Reaction Bicycles
www.ChainReactionBicycles.com
"Earl Bollinger" <
[email protected]> wrote in message
news:
[email protected]...
> "GaryG" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
>> Who knew?
>> http://www.marinij.com/Stories/0,1413,234~24407~2712359,00.html
>> "A lawsuit filed yesterday accuses San Rafael-based Dynacraft Industries
>> Inc. and Wal-Mart Stores Inc. of conspiring to sell bicycles they know
>> are
>> defective and have caused injuries.
>> The lawsuit was filed in Marin Superior Court on behalf of nine children
>> from throughout the nation who were injured when the front wheel of the
>> Next
>> brand bicycles they were riding detached, sending them over the handle
>> bars.
>> The lawsuit claims Wal-Mart and Dynacraft have sold millions of "death
>> trap"
>> bicycles with quick-release front wheels that were manufactured in China.
>> The bikes were imported by Dynacraft and shipped to Wal-Mart stores
>> unopened
>> and unchecked for essential components."
>> You mean you can't trust your kids lives to a $50 Chinese bicycle
>> assembled
>> by a minimum wage teenager with no training? What a shock!!
>> GG
>>
>
> I think it is another example of parents not checking the bicycle out
> frequently to ensure it is OK to ride.
> They just assumed it was setup from the store, no one checked any of the
> fasteners or QR's or nuts and bolts to
> make sure they were tight. So they blame some company with deep pockets
> for their own stupidity or lazyness.
> Just recently I saw a neigborhood kid riding a bike with the front QR
> spinning around or flopping around loosely on the hub.
> So I got the kid to stop so I could tighten it for him plus other things
> too (everything was about to fall off of the bike),
> and I adjusted his seat higher too. It makes you wonder what the parents
> are doing, maybe waiting for an accident so they could sue too?
>
>