Yesterday afternoon I received an email message telling me that Thule
is doing a voluntary recall of hitch mount racks manufactured prior
to 2007. These are the racks that slide into the receiver hitch under
the rear bumper of a vehicle. These are not the racks that sit on the
trunk or hatch of a vehicle and attaches with Thule's blue straps.
The email said that we are not to sell the racks if we have any.
Okay we won't sell them. It points out that the problem is that a
pinch point exists at the base of the arms of the rack. People have
suffered injuries as they released the pin and allowed the arms to
fold down which made the rack more compact when not in use.
Thule provided no indication of how they are going to address the
issue with purchasers of the rack. They reported that they are
working with federal authorities to receive approval for a recall
campaign.
Okay........if you have a Hitching Post Pro (934, 934XT, 935, 935XT,
936, 936XT, 937, 937XT, 951, 951XT), Expressway (995, 995XT, 996,
996XT) Trailblazer (998, 998XT) then you'll be hearing from
bikes@vienna in the next week. The message will be DO NOT FOLD THE
ARMS DOWN ON YOUR RACK. If you don't fold the arms down then you
won't get your finger in the pinch point.
I know you will have all kinds of questions. I do not have the
answers. I do not know when I will have the answers. My intention
is to make sure that the many customers who have this type of rack
know of the danger and create a contact list that will let us share
information as it becomes available. I'll also provide this list to
Thule so they can make contacts.
One more thing.......I noted in my first paragraph that these are
hitch mount racks manufactured prior to 2007. The Thule Revolver,
Ridgeline, and Roadway models manufactured for this year feature
the "Hitch Switch" folding arms --- which eliminates this pinch
point.
Saturday, June 30, 2007
Saturday, June 09, 2007
Ketts Used on Tandem
Hase Ketts can be hooked in tandem as shown in this photo. There is a connector which links the fork of the second trike to the frame of the lead trike. It is a terrific alternative for people who enjoy riding together, but want the flexibility to ride separately. Think of the possibilities.
We are stocking the Ketts so come take a test ride. We'd need some extra notice if you want to test ride with the trikes hooked in tandem. If you can imagine, the Hase people hooked 63 Ketts to establish a world record. Let's see a Kett is probably five foot long so 63 would streach the length of a football field. Think of the organization to get all those Ketts connected and all the riders on them at once. I don't want to think about it.
We are stocking the Ketts so come take a test ride. We'd need some extra notice if you want to test ride with the trikes hooked in tandem. If you can imagine, the Hase people hooked 63 Ketts to establish a world record. Let's see a Kett is probably five foot long so 63 would streach the length of a football field. Think of the organization to get all those Ketts connected and all the riders on them at once. I don't want to think about it.
Now in America, Draisin
We unloaded a container from Germany on Wednesday. The photo shows fourteen Draisin bikes lined up in the parking lot of the Stor-All. We have Draisin Plus, Captain Duo, Relax, and Twister. These are all speciality bikes focused on the needs of indivduals with disabilities.
There will be more entries appearing here about bikes@vienna selling and distributing these bikes in the United States. It is a new venture and we have hope that it will be fun and exciting.
There will be more entries appearing here about bikes@vienna selling and distributing these bikes in the United States. It is a new venture and we have hope that it will be fun and exciting.
Appearing today in Batesville
It is early morning on what looks to be a nice June day. The big white bikes@vienna van is headed south to Batesville. Matt will be providing mechanical help for an MS 150 ride which will attract people from the Charlottesville area and beyond. Six hundred cyclists will ride on a hot day to raise money to fight MS. Thank you to each and every one of them.
As Matt and I went through the checklist of supplies I answered a question that might have been in his mind about why we'd sign on to support a ride two hours away. I told him, "If someone asks why you're in Batesville all the way from Vienna, tell them it's because the guy who owns the store has a daughter and she has MS."
Oldest daughter, Jessica, is shown on the right with her daughter, Mira, at Christmas time. She participated in an MS walk in Seattle last month and raised a nice sum. Our entire family has a heightened interest in getting more funding for MS research. So in the early hours of this day the big white van speeds south to Batesville.
Tomorrow we will help locally with the ADA Cure de Tour's Family Loop that comes into Vienna. Is there a family tie there? Yes, but that is another story. Thank you to all the cyclist who ride to raise money. Thank you to the people walking this weekend for the Relay for Life. We need to focus more money to combat the dreaded diseases which we all fear.
As Matt and I went through the checklist of supplies I answered a question that might have been in his mind about why we'd sign on to support a ride two hours away. I told him, "If someone asks why you're in Batesville all the way from Vienna, tell them it's because the guy who owns the store has a daughter and she has MS."
Oldest daughter, Jessica, is shown on the right with her daughter, Mira, at Christmas time. She participated in an MS walk in Seattle last month and raised a nice sum. Our entire family has a heightened interest in getting more funding for MS research. So in the early hours of this day the big white van speeds south to Batesville.
Tomorrow we will help locally with the ADA Cure de Tour's Family Loop that comes into Vienna. Is there a family tie there? Yes, but that is another story. Thank you to all the cyclist who ride to raise money. Thank you to the people walking this weekend for the Relay for Life. We need to focus more money to combat the dreaded diseases which we all fear.