This article in the San Francisco Chronicle about the lawsuit against Wal-Mart and Dynacraft for selling bikes with quick-release wheels includes an interesting tidbit of news. According to U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) spokesman Scott Wolfson, the safety commission is investigating the parents' claims of defective quick-release levers.
If the CPSC is looking at it, it's from the standpoint of the design itself being defective, not improper use of the product. I dug into the CPSC website. In the CPSC 2005 Operating Plan, I found this paragraph.
CPSC has received reports of incidents of front wheels falling off bicycles leading to injuries and deaths. CPSC has reports of seven deaths associated with wheels falling off bicycles, with four of the seven occurring in 2001. Quick release mechanisms are commonly found on bicycle wheels to make the wheel easy to remove for quick tire changes and to break down the bicycle for transport. Other products, such as folding scooters, also use quick release mechanisms. Children and other users with lower strength levels may have trouble properly tightening quick release mechanisms and to assess if a mechanism is adjusted properly. For example, releases may appear to be in the locked position, although poorly adjusted.Does this mean even larger lawyer lips are on the way, further lessening the utility of quick release skewers?
Goal: In 2005, staff will complete technical evaluations and prepare voluntary standard recommendations, if appropriate.
FSA manager Eric Hjertberg is quoted in the Chronicle article. "A quick release is a pretty sound system when it is correctly installed." Hjertberg notes, "It is extremely reliable. The fact that they are used in the Tour de France and the Olympics shows that they are built using the highest standards. But I would agree that without the instructions, there would be greater risk."
Wal-Mart no longer sells QR-equipped bikes.
I think a good solution to the safety problem with QR-equipped bikes might be to consider a new kind of bicycle quick release that doesn't require the user to do the tightening or adjusting. If you just had to open and close, it would be much more straightforward, without needing to think about tightening and making sure the lever is properly locked.
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