Ok, first I find this article about New Jersey’s efforts to ban quick release axles on children’s bikes. That leads me to this site, which is pretty much dedicated to fighting Wal-Mart over the sale of crappy toys that hurt kids.
Wal-Mart is not going to stop selling low quality, inexpensive products until America stops buying it. While my heart goes out to all the injured children, I have to wonder why people don’t go to a bike shop for bicycles. Wal-Mart buys cheap and sells cheap. Surely people can recognize that bicycles sold there are inferior to a bike shop’s selection. And that there is no mechanic there to check over a bike before it leaves the store. Yeah, some kid might assemble it and give it a once-over, but you’ve got to wonder about their assembly standards.
So while I do believe in a certain amount of personal responsibility, and that you get what you pay for, I hope that someday people will realize that when it comes to your child’s safety, you can’t look to save a few bucks by buying a dangerous bike. And maybe the powers that be will stop putting profits before safety as well.
Props to Michael’s Bicycles, in Newbury Park, California for supplying my son with his first bicycle – a Gary Fisher mountain bike.
I realize that I must sound like some wacky, granola-eating, tree-hugging, lefty liberal from Portland, but there is nothing any big-box store can do that would surprise me anymore. Not even the things they to to children.
Sorry that article you link to sounds really silly. Walmart sells bike with quick releases?? Oh NOES. So doesn’t everyone? Yeah in NJ they are attempting to ban them. Good for them. Parents takes some damn responsibility. If your kid is riding a bike and you think they’ll either play with the QR replace it. Heck even if they wont’ check it once and a while before they ride it. A bike is dangerouse when not maintaned whereever you buy it from.
As far as that lady being sued. Why are they sueing here? Is it perhaps because she is talking about the settlement which when she received she said she wouldn’t be talking about it? If that is the case then she deserves to be sued she renegged on a contract.
Oh, don’t EVEN get me started.
The sad thing is, most parents believe in the rush in, rush out instant gratification of a store like WalMart. In today’s world of rush rush two income (or single parent income) families, parents will just buy something quick to satisfy the child and not put too much time or effort into it thinking that companies that large would do the responsible thing and make sure that items (toys) are safe.
I could go on an on about WalMart, I’m sure you know.
Just as recently as last month, I got back on the bandwagon to continue the fight against the things they do.
A couple of years back I started a large cross country boycott against them that lasted throughout the holidays. In protest against the negligent manner that they handle these “toys” and the production of such. I had three weeks to do so and was more successful than I thought I’d ever be. Many large groups got involved – religious, manufacturing, seniors (the “grey panthers”) different unions- had supported me in this crusade.
*sigh*. I just hated that pic of me on the front page with a HUGE megahorn to my face.
Half of the problem with box store bikes is the assembly. If they (Wal Mart, etc) insisted on a more professional assembly, their bikes would not be nearly as dangerous as they are. Instead, these boneheads hire assembly crews who breeze in at night or whenever and put bikes together for stupid low charges per bike. Thus they hurry to increase the profit in their pocket. An ex-mechanic of mine got into it. He told me that his average time assembling a box store bike was 5 minutes. For which he was paid $6. He made a lot of money.
That said, there is a tendency of Pacific Bikes to concentrate on flash over substance. I absolutely refuse to work on “Next” bikes with front suspension. And I derive a large charge of my labor and parts dollars by fixing the box store bikes. But I do have my limit.
One hundred jillion years ago, when I was a young roadie, I took a Christmas job at Toy r Us. I worked in the stock room. Now, I had a decent tool set, and had been building bikes for years by then, (I had a sweet Basso at the time) but I was told that I wasn’t qualified to assemble their bikes. They had a guy with a Crescent wrench, a hammer, and a pair of slipjoints doing the assembly work. Somehow, folks thought that paying the extra $35 for assembly by this tool was a better value than free assembly by an actual bike mechanic at their LBS.
On a related note, the shop I worked at in Australia actually had a policy that they would not work on department store/Xmart bikes. It was not worth it to them for their mechanic to try to make crappy brakes and shifters function.
“I have to wonder why people don’t go to a bike shop for bicycles. Wal-Mart buys cheap and sells cheap. Surely people can recognize that bicycles sold there are inferior to a bike shop’s selection.”
They don’t go to the bike shop because it cost 3-10x more than Walmart and they’re cheap or poor.
Most people don’t or wouldn’t think that Wal-Mart or generally anyone would sell them something that is knowingly dangerous. That’s what the government and consumer protection laws are for after all to prevent such acts. They probably think that the bikes are cheaper because they aren’t paying for a fancy name brand, or its just a heavier, slower bike or it has less gizmos. Plus lots of Wal-Mart bike buyers probably buy 90% of their stuff there and wouldn’t even imagine going somewhere else to buy a bike.
thanks to the Nanny State, the law has passed and no more children will be hurt ever again by the slaughter house of quick release bikes. Oh crap, more people get hurt in cars every day than quick release wheels ever would! Can we outlaw them too or is that where oil execs get hurt?
Ok first off I assemble bikes at toysrus they don’t hire the people who go from store to store it just me and a nother guy we both have tons and tons of experence the people who come in and fly throw are crap at building bikes I look at every bike before it gose out the door
I kinda have to wonder how old Corey is.