Why is there a threaded hole here??
 

My 1990 Schwinn Crosscut has a threaded hole on the inside of the fork on both sides, it is about an inch above the weep hole and they have a short round head philips machine screws in them.

I have never seen this before, what is the purpose? Fender mounts?

Schwinn lawyer clips.

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/images/s...ipIMG_5773.JPG

Those phillips head screws are part of a secondary wheel retention device in case John Q Public srews up the quick release. Read this from Sheldon Brown Bicycle Quick-Release Mechanisms sroll down to 'Schwinn Clips'.

Surprised those were still around in 1990.

Schwinn kept those around until 1991 at least. My 1991 CrissCross had them.

Doh!

Totally forgot about the lawyer clips.
Thanks all.

and those "phillps head screws" will almost NEVER unscrew...easily stripped, tho.

Once stripped I guess they are part of the frame.

Wow, they probably could have saved some money by eliminating that. Maybe stayed out of bk. Jk...

Oft think some of these "safety features" as falling into the "protecting us from ourselves" category. :rolleyes:

Why.....this hole thread is here.

Exactly. That's the CPSC (Consumer Product Safety Commission) at work. The Schwinn clips, lawyer nubs, fork tips with recesses, the Ross safety fork tip and many other versions; all designed to keep the wheel in place when the QR skewer on a particular bike is incorrectly "closed" simply by screwing it down with the lever in the open position. Spend an hour any heavily-biked area and see how many you can spot. You might be surprised.

Those clips would have likely saved my 3 front teeth from being ground down to the nerves in 1972. The next three weeks were spent writhing in the hottest, deepest pit of dental hell. My Spanish Orbea required no such safeguards.

I'm good now, see? :D

IIRC the first appearance of these somewhat predated the implementation of CPSC regulations. Perhaps other readers can recall specific dates...

CPSC regulations hit the industry in 1976. The Schwinn patented fork-retention clips first appeared in 1977 on the Sierra and Sprint. Note the description on the catalog page "Schwinn exclusive - quick release front hub with fingertip lock":

http://bikecatalogs.org/SCHWINN/1977...LL/1977_09.jpg

Thank you, as always, Metacortex! :thumb:

'76 was the date I recalled for CPSC implementation but me "memory" did not have one for the "lawyer clips." :foo:

Does anyone know for certain if the wheel retention device under discussion was mandated by the CPSC regulations?

Asking because the slang term "lawyer clips" suggests they may have been begun by industry itself in an effort to ward off lawsuits.

Thanks for any information.