Death Trap Bikes

[pk]

From Bicycle Retailer & Industry News:
http://www.bicycleretailer.com/bicycleretailer/headlines/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1000806103

Suit Filed Against Dynacraft, Wal-Mart For Defective Bicycles

FEBRUARY 16, 2005 -- MARIN, CA (BRAIN)--A lawsuit filed in Marin Superior Court Monday leveled a charge of conspiring to sell defective, dangerous bicycles against Dynacraft Industries and Wal-Mart Stores.

The suit was filed on behalf of nine U.S. children who were hurt when the front wheel of their Next bicycles detached, sending them over the handle bars, according to the Associated Press. Dynacraft manufacturers Next bikes.

It is likely that the axle nuts or quick releases were not sufficiently tight, thus allowing the wheels to slip out. The bikes were supposed to come with warnings about keeping the nuts or quick releases tight.

The suit says Wal-Mart and Dynacraft have sold millions of "death trap" bicycles. Dynacraft imported the Chinese bikes and shipped them to Wal-Mart stores.

San Francisco attorney Mark Webb, who settled a similar lawsuit with Wal-Mart and Dynacraft last year, is representing the families.

Webb's suit says Wal-Mart and Dynacraft have been avoiding responsibility about the bikes "defects" for years, and have told families their children were at fault for "rider errors."

Wal-Mart spokesman Gus Whitcomb told local paper Marin Indenpent Journal that he could not comment on the lawsuit because he had not seen it.

Dynacraft could not be immediately reached.

Dynacraft has had other recall woes the last few years. It recalled 53,000 BMX bikes last year because of faulty stems. Between 1999 and 2001, the company recalled almost 250,000 in a series of recalls.

[BG]

WARNING!!
Keep you're nuts TIGHT or be prepared to quick release.

I wish i had a ten spot for every time i and my friends went otb as kids 'cause someone (dad, brother, friend and once in a while myself) didn't or "forgot" to tighen something.

BG

[kernel crash]

That's it. I say we have a Dynacraft bike toss contest real soon. Makes you long for the good old days of Huffys.

[Slider]

Not to defend the Wal-Mart mechanics, who most likely are not the best in biz, but this sounds more like ambulance chasing than consumer protection. Then again, a real shop would have it all correct long before the kid got on the bike.

And what ever happened to those liability tabs on the fork? There's no mention of them in this article. I hate to admit it, but they've saved my ass once or twice.

Another possibility is that the tabs and the wheels were in place correctly when the bike left the shop, but mom or dad screwed up when fixing a flat. Wal-Mart may have had no responsibility at all.

I guess I come down on the side of Wal-Mart on this one. Any kid's bike should get a once-over by a parent before it's ridden.

Slider

[splat]

And what ever happened to those liability tabs on the fork? ...... I hate to admit it, but they've saved my ass once or twice.


On my Mt bike I hate to admit it but they have saved me as well. on my road Bike , I ground them off. 8)

[Ben-O]

I remember an online article a while back where some freeriders decided to "demo" a couple department store bikes. It was a fun read--they found a bunch of serious things wrong with the bike, along with really bad advice from the department store bike salesperson.

I'll try to dig it up, does anyone remember it?

[pk]

Here's a DR review of Big Box bikes, though I don't think this is the one you were refering to:

http://www.dirtragmag.com/print/article.php?ID=657&category=features/

pk

[Quo Fan]

Yet another example of people not taking responsibility for their actions. Why should I do things like make sure my bike is safe to ride, when I can sue the bike manufacturer, and the retailer for selling me a defective bike?

People like that should not be allowed to breed.

[gnurider1080]

Yet another example of people not taking responsibility for their actions. Why should I do things like make sure my bike is safe to ride, when I can sue the bike manufacturer, and the retailer for selling me a defective bike?

People like that should not be allowed to breed.


if it was like that we'd have a very empty country.

[Dawgee]

Whoa i thought PK was talking about the choppers ive built LOL

[gnurider1080]

have you seen splats chopper? that front end looks like itll just fold in half at any moments notice. it still looks cool though.

[If_Rider]

The sad truth is a lot of people just aren't mechanically inclined enough to know if the fork is on backwards or whatever. I have neighbors who built their son's bike this way without knowing it was wrong. They couldn't understand why he didn't like riding the bike??

Most people (non-bikers) can't justify the extra expense of shopping for kids bikes at a bike shop and they don't research anything. They just don't know what they're doing. You know them, their kid is the one with the helmet flopping around on the back of their head or no helmet at all. ::)

I don't know who's right in this case but we've all seen examples of Dept. store bikes assembled wrong. "Bad bikes sold to idiots" on the next epidode of Jerry Springer.

My favorite saying lately, "YOU, out of the gene pool!!!"

[gnurider1080]

My favorite saying lately, "YOU, out of the gene pool!!!"


my bio teacher said that all the time last semester.

[bdee]

I have neighbors who built their son's bike this way without knowing it was wrong. They couldn't understand why he didn't like riding the bike??



That's funny I don't remember growing up with you as my neighbor. My Dad built my Kent road bike when I was 12. The brakes were reversed, we had a decent hill for a driveway - guess what happened on the first trip down the hill ::) Anyway he said they were supposed to go that way, "that's how all the racers ride". Yeah Dad, MX racers.

[Slider]

On my Mt bike I hate to admit it but they have saved me as well. on my road Bike , I ground them off. 8)


Back when it mattered how fast I changed a flat, I filed them off. These days, a flat means a chance to suck some wind, and I usually need all the help I can get. :-\

I'm guessing your roadie buds aren't into waiting.

Slider

Then again, a real shop would have it all correct long before the kid got on the bike........

....... Any kid's bike should get a once-over by a parent before it's ridden.

Slider


I recenty built a bike for my son, you might have seen something about it here. I do not have the tools or expertise to cut a steerer tube the right length or the knowledge needed to properly set the bearings in the intergrated headset. I know my limitations, so i took the bike to Cycle Loft. For these critical items, and the BB, i trusted a professional shop with the safety of my son, and paid them for their service.
When i got the bike home and took it off the truck and scooterd it on one pedal back to the house, the front wheel turned while the bars stayed still. They had not tightend the stem bolts. Someone could have been hurt.
So its true you should check things on your own. It does not matter who does the work. Your children's safety is your responsibility first. That being said, it does not relieve those who charge money to provide a service from the responsibility of their mistakes. People who buy bikes at any store and pay for them to be assembled are entitled to a reasonable assumtion of use. I'm not one to support frivolous law suits. I think if you buy somthing ready to use then it is reasonable to expect you can use it. Wal-mart can save itself alot of problems if it just sold unassembled bikes.
That would put all the responsibility on the builder, probably the parent. It would also be a good idea for bike shops to support all suits filed against the big box stores, forcing the elimination of ready to ride bikes sold there.
Then the only option for mechanicly chalanged parents wanting assembled bikes would be a real bike store with qualified mechanics.
That would be safer for everyone, but i would still check those stem bolts

[comtom1]

The very sad and scary thought about this whole thing is that we as a whole in this big country look for excuses to blame and to pin the blame on everyone else because it is so easy to say its not my fault.

ALL i can say is WWW.WAAAAAAAAAA.COM