Originally Posted by
cyccommute
The wedge is a wedge (well, duh!) but that means that it can put pressure on the steer tube. Tighten it too much and you risk bulging the steer tube at a minimum. You could even split the tube if you try to tighten it too much. In the worst case, the tube is deformed enough that you can't get it past the cup of the headset.
Frankly, looking at the mechanism, stem movement seems inevitable.
Have you ever actually seen any of these situations happen? It all sounds plausible but improbable.
Originally Posted by
HillRider
Frankly, that seems to me to be a terrible design for a child carrier. First, as noted, it puts a load on the stem it was never intended to take. Second, in the event of an accident, the child hits first.
Couldn't agree more. I always refused to install these in the shops I worked in. I liked to point out that most accidents people had were running into things or crashing forward (sewer grate, cracks in the road, pot holes, etc) which basically turns the kid into an airbag, and airbags aren't meant to last more then one hit.
As you just learned things can happen fast, put the kid behind you in a seat or trailer.
Also the torque on that is really frickkin tight. Never used a torque wrench on one, just tighten till the 6mm L wrench started to flex.