Birdy recall
I recently bought a used Birdy (in the US) so I assume this applies to me.
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It has always been company policy at riese und müller that safety is
paramount.
The Birdy is a lightweight high performance bicycle, and needs to be
regularly maintained. All small wheeled bicycles are subjected to
extra forces acting on the frame and over the years typical daily
usage will take its toll. However we should point out that in the ten
years since the Birdy has been on the market more than 60,000 units
have been sold and yet there are only 3 recorded instances of stem
breakage. This not a serial fault. Even though this is a rare
phenomenon, and in line with all manufacturers of high quality
performance bicycles with forward leaning stems and bars, we have
always recommended the regular replacement of these units. The owner's
manual supplied with all Birdys clearly recommends regular
replacement, at least every three years. The stem assembly was
redesigned from 2003 onwards to further increase the strength of the
unit, and therefore owners of Birdys purchased pre-Autumn 2003, and
who have not replaced the stem, are recommended to do so without delay.
The new monocoque Birdy frame launched in 2006 has a completely
overhauled hinge design that has more or less eliminated play even
under the severest loads, although in the interests of safety we do
still recommend regular replacement.
As an incentive to encourage owners to keep their bikes properly
maintained we are in discussion with UK dealers to see if we can offer
a subsidised price for replacing old stems. This has worked well in
Germany where dealers have been able to carry out the service for the
euro equivalent of around £47 for the Allround forward/ Sport, and £60
for the Comfort.
Please contact your riese und müller dealer for advice and exact
costings. Thank you.
Peter Horsch
Technical service
riese und mueller GmbH
Germany