http://www.velonews.com/phorum3/read.php?f=2&i=224130&t=224078
Once again, I’m reminded that satire is dead, and it makes me sad inside.
Good, god…
They should ban saddles next. Gettin’ f$cked anyway…
Any of my NJ peeps know what the heck got into the legislature? This is an odd bit of bannery, even for New Jersey. Surely they haven’t run out of guns to ban yet.
Any of my NJ peeps know what the heck got into the legislature? This is an odd bit of bannery, even for New Jersey. Surely they haven’t run out of guns to ban yet.
If you read the whole page of comments in your link, you might have seen an answer. There is exactly one company that produces a wheel restraint device that happens to meet the requirements of this idiotic law. Someone commented that said company was frustrated by the lack of response from the bicycle industry to adopt their new product, and went the lobbyist/legislature route, with apparent success in NJ. True? I report, you decide.
The irony (to me, at least) is that the “problem” to which this device is a “solution” is caused in part by the necessity of unscrewing the QR to get around the lawyer lips on a fork made necessary by another attempt at protecting us from ourselves.
Thanks, Ken, I missed that thread somehow.
All I can figure is that the makers of the alternative QR system have some pretty good lobbyists. Any other explanation?
Right- that company is based in MA, though. If they were based out of NJ, it would make more sense to me. I wonder how much this legislation cost them.
Right- that company is based in MA, though. If they were based out of NJ, it would make more sense to me. I wonder how much this legislation cost them.
Perhaps the combination of easy pickings and cheap legislators made NJ an attractive first step?
Any other explanation?
Howsabout: There’s too many damn lawyers in the world.
Sometimes, I think we oughta line ‘em up two deep, and start shootin’.
Howsabout: There’s too many damn lawyers in the world.
Sometimes, I think we oughta line ‘em up two deep, and start shootin’.
Agreed there are too many overall, but the bigger problem is that there are too few who do things the right way. As to your second sentence, lots of people rip on attorneys til they need one and need to ask for help.
As someone sitting at his desk with a separated shoulder due to a quick release failure, or more likely operator error, I have to say that this is stupid.
I do agree that there should be a better system developed than the lawyer tabs. All they do is force the rider to make an arbitrary judgement about the tension required to hold the skewer closed, while also making it convienient to close/open. i errored on the side fo convienience and paid the price. a simple non adjustable locking system is needed tha is also easy to use and light.
Perhaps I’ll spend my injury time inventing just the right system. Hmmm…
As someone sitting at his desk with a separated shoulder due to a quick release failure, or more likely operator error, I
I *did *think of you when I read the article. That crash sounded awful. Hope your shoulder is feeling alright and healing fast.
I was out riding yesterday, actually, and I thought I heard a noise coming from my front wheel. Immediately stopped and checked the QR. Paranoi- everything was fine.
Since I read this I’ve gone through two possible concepts for a better system. The second is a refined version of first. Both are light, simple, convienient, automatic, and work with current fork designs. I think that I might really be on to something 
I’ll keep you posted.
Well, you know where to start marketing it…
Here is the email I sent to State Senator John Adler (D-6th) League of American Bicyclists - my own persoanalizations in blue]
"I am writing you today to respectfully urge you to vote against (S. 2837), which would outlaw the sale of bikes with quick release (QR) wheels unless an automatic secondary safety device is in place to prevent the wheel from popping out when the quick release mechanism is undone.
The legislation would impose hefty fines on retailers who sell bikes without automatic secondary safety devices - and the requirement as currently proposed would affect adult as well as children’s bicycles. In fact, primarily adult road, touring and triathlon bikes have the quick release mechanisms; young children’s bicycles (with training wheels), BMX and mountain/off-road bikes usually have conventional bolt-on wheels.
The legislation is being promoted as a child safety issue and purports to be motivated by concern over the number of crashes caused when QR wheels are improperly attached to the bike and because of the number of recalls of QR wheel mechanisms by manufacturers.
There is no compelling evidence that suggests that the failure of QR wheels is an immediate and urgent issue - there is no sudden surge in crashes, no recent fatality or serious injury. There are NO bicycles on the market that currently meet the standards set out in the legislation and therefore, the effect of this legislation would preclude New Jersey retailers from selling any adult bicycle.
Keep in mind, that a major US bicycle company (Cannondale; cannondale.com) is manufactures their bikes in Bedford, PA; just between Harrisburg and Pittsburgh on the PA Turnpike. Granted, they don’t make the QR wheels themselves, but I’m sure that the mandatory addition of any “automatic secondary safety device” would require them to either a) re-engineer their frames and possible re-tool to plant or b) forget about selling their product in New Jersey. Their bikes are not cheap, yet they sell well; read “sales tax income”
Also what message would that send to your friends in PA?
“We can’t sell your nice American-built bikes with the wheels that come off so easily, because some people don’t want to take the time to learn to use them properly; so we’re only going to sell the cheap Chinese ones with the nasty lugs .”
There are, however, real bicyclist safety issues in New Jersey. An average of 20 cyclists a year are killed and hundreds are seriously injured on the streets of New Jersey due to driver and cyclist error, infrastructure deficiencies and other causes that have nothing to do with mechanical failures of any kind, let alone QR wheels.
I encourage the well-intentioned members of the legislature to focus on bicyclist safety issues that address clear and present dangers such as the lack of paved shoulders, striped bike lanes, trails in the state, and the increasing lawlessness of drivers (and cyclists) on our city streets.
Thank you for your time and consideration of this important issue.
Sincerely,
Randolph Marthins"
In a stunning twist of irony, John Adler was my next door neighbor in Haddonfield and we shared many scraped knuckles and pinched fingers in the spokes while trying to get wheels off with the Vice-Grip.