An Amusement & Diversion for The Genteel Cyclist. Daily.

Tuesday, July 24, 2007

The great New Jersey reach-around


Reason has prevailed in New Jersey, where legislators -- apparently with nothing better to do -- thought it would be a nifty idea to ban quick-release hubs to "protect the children." This despite the fact that there are literally no injuries, as they say, on the books that were the result of some sort of quick-release goof up.

Quick release bike wheel hubs, like eggs, pose little or no harm to the New Jersey public if handled reasonably well. More children are hurt each year by food issues including allergies than have ever been hurt by quick release hubs.


A tacked on amendment to require all bikes to "look cool" by having chopped bullhorns and fixie hubs also failed. But we're holding out hope that the triathlon bike will be banned from all public roadways.

And just to gild the lily here, I'd add that more dads bloody their knuckles with 15 mm wrenches every year than kids who drop their front wheels, for sure. Just saying.

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