Defective SRAM Brakes Not Recalled

This story is an interesting one and if true, shows how certain bicycle companies, as I have always believed, are negligent about customer safety or educating people about the same. I already proved a few months back how Shimano displayed this attitude with their Ultegra chain issue, which snapped and caused a serious safety concern for many riders yet they did not issue a recall. Its not just me who holds this belief. Notable personalities like Jobst Brandt and Professor David Wilson believed it. Its not going to erode away easily.

Last week, a reader of my blog, ordered a pair of new SRAM Force caliper brakes for his road bike. As you may know, SRAM revised the design of these brakes recently as the 2010 version has a gunmetal finish to it.

When his local bike shops’ mechanic went to install the first brake calliper, the quick release lever housing broke in half. Surprised, the mechanic then proceeded to install the other very carefully - you know - being cautious not to twist the housing when he attached the cable and careful about torque and all that.

Nevertheless the other one broke in the exact same way. About a third of the lever and the housing around the lever snapped off in both brakes, leaving a weakened part behind. This plastic housing is directly connected to the brake cable attachment point, something that could be a serious safety hazard. No brakes, no safety.

The mechanic told the reader that he had called SRAM and asked about this problem. To his utter surprise, the person answering the phone actually said :

"Yup we’ve had a whole batch of bad ones. They injected too much air when they molded the part.” 

It is a bit strange that SRAM, having complete knowledge about the defect, chose to still ship the parts to their various distributors and haven’t uttered a word on the issue or recalled the product. This is inexcusable and unethical!

I'll leverage the power of my blog to get responses from you readers. Please be aware of this problem and take action but while we're at it, have you experienced any similar issues? Please report it here and please feel free to be honest about your thoughts.



CONNECTED READINGS :

A Petition To Bicycle Companies On Safety Of Products