COSTA MESA, CA (BRAIN)—Following an initial contribution of $7500 last summer, the NBDA Board has voted to commit another $7500 to defend the ubiquitous quick-release axle.
The latest contribution will be matched by the supplier side of the industry, said NBDA executive director Fred Clements.
The fight is against a ban on quick-release axles that has been proposed in the New Jersey legislature. While the law, if passed, would affect only New Jersey, it might set a national trend, making the fight a national issue.
The bill exempts axles that also have a “secondary safety device,” but fork tips apparently do not qualify for the exemption and there is currently no other technology that would.
The proposed law was a response to injuries to children riding Wal-Mart bikes with quick-release wheels, Clements said. But with the exception of some high-end BMX bikes, the kids bikes sold by independent dealers do not have quick-release axles anyway. The New Jersey bill as written would ban quick-releases on all bikes, adult as well as juvenile.
Funds contributed by the NBDA and the Bicycle Products Suppliers Association are to be used to hire a lobbyist to make the case against the bill.
