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Permalink Reply by Elwood Gruschow on April 21, 2019 at 7:41am

Thank Chris, 

 The YouTube link you posted does not connect to anything about Britax on my tablet.  

 I read the dailykos link and it stressed Britax was an evil baby hating company making jogging strollers with front wheels that fly off.  I did a little Googling the “defect” in the questioned strollers is the existence of Quick Release front wheels.  Injuries were reported so Britax made strollers with those silly ridges or “lawyer lips” on the front fork and there still have been injuries.  There was nothing wrong with the mechanism, just users were ignorant on proper use of a quick release front axle.  The company thought  making a quality product including it’s quick release front  wheel did not deserve a recall.  

  You posted the link because they make Bob trailers.  Yes Bob trailers have a Quick Release wheels. Users should learn how to safely operate quick release wheels, ladders, knives and bathtubs among other things. All of those are involved with injuries,  but well made ones don’t need a recall.  I wonder if those condemning Britax would object if Britax were to offer to replace existing units with single use ones where the front wheel is welded on. 

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Permalink Reply by Doug Haynes on April 22, 2019 at 6:31am

I enjoy that this is all based on NEARLY 100 injuries over 6 years...

That's 16 per year; almost only one a month.  If that depending on how far under 100 it is.

*hard eyeroll*

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Permalink Reply by Phillip Hutchinson on April 22, 2019 at 6:41am

Politics aside, I wonder why Britax doesn't just switch to thru-axles?

Seems like this would largely solve the problem. 

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Permalink Reply by Doug Haynes on April 22, 2019 at 10:02am

Because part of the design is that the front wheel is easily removable...

And people can leave nuts loose just as easily as the can a QR.

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Permalink Reply by Phillip Hutchinson on April 23, 2019 at 5:00am

Thru axles are still easily removable, but you have to un-thread and pull the entire pin out before the wheel comes off. It takes 30 seconds rather than 5 with a QR skewer. Many new MTB's come with Thru-Axles because they work better with disc brakes. 

If the user forgets to tighten down a thru-axle, the wheel would be loose, but would still stay in place until the entire pin is removed.

Quick Release skewers have been a major liability problem for the cycling industry for years. I'm not sure why they continue using them. Other than pro racing where seconds matter on wheel changes, there seems to be little/no advantage to using QR's over a thru-axle design. 

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Permalink Reply by mike w. on April 23, 2019 at 6:54am

Like any component or tool, the assumption is that users have a working knowledge of proper application and use. There's nothing inherently wrong with QR skewers when properly installed. The problem isn't with QR skewers, but with user error. The fault in part lies with sellers in the assumption that the end-user has a basic awareness of bike design and the mechanical operation of a cam lever.

My early-90s mountain bike was fitted with lawyer lips as well as warning decals advising proper workings of the QR skewers. i filed the lawyer lips off -they're a pain-in-the-ass. i also feel that their presence actually encourages misuse/misapplication of QRs in that they must be unscrewed to remove the wheel, causing an unaware/uneducated user to simply assume that the skewer operates like a wingnut.

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Permalink Reply by Apie (11) on April 22, 2019 at 6:59am

I have a double and a single BOB, both pre 2015.  I have never had an issue, but I have seen them loose, probably after we packed them without the front wheel then when I or the wife put it back on.  As a cyclist I know it would be my fault if I didn't put the wheel on properly.   Just as a bike, check your wheels.. especially if you feel a BOBble while jogging.  I can't see the wheel popping off even if you did a half-assed tightening job.  Would a car recall wheels if 100 people forgot to put the wheel nuts on and drove away and the wheel popped off? 

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Permalink Reply by Chris Hainey on April 22, 2019 at 8:29am

I'm guessing the imposed solution will be to require "lawyer lips", or "lawyer tabs" like those on bicycles with quick-release wheels.

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Permalink Reply by Jaik S. on April 22, 2019 at 9:24am

It'll probably be a combination of the lawyer lips & retaining clips(like these). They will also increase the cost to save for legal & recall fees. Parallel to those fixes will be a very lengthy warning, including something about damages like this:

"In no event shall COMPANY NAME be liable for incidental or consequential damages. Some states do not allow the exclusion or limitation of incidental or consequential damages, so the above limitation or exclusion may not apply."

I think they would be safer welded like Elwood says, but that would make it very difficult for someone to change a tire/tube.

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Permalink Reply by Elwood Gruschow on April 22, 2019 at 5:33pm

True a welded on wheel would make it near impossible for a consumer to change a tire.  That is why I termed it a single use trailer.  That lame brain thinking of making the product unserviceable by the consumer is thankfully unheard of in the bicycle sector, but it made billions for Apple. 

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