bargainguy

Tern expands recall of some bikes over frame concerns | Bicycle Retailer and Industry News

FYI for owners of the listed bikes.

Joe Remi

Also, for owners of all Terns: They don't know what they're doing. Don't ride it.

tds101 

Here's the link to the CPSC website: Stile Products Expands Recall of Tern Folding Bicycles Due to Fall Hazard | CPSC.gov

linberl

Yikes! While it may not have the best fold in the world, that's why I like my BF. I sit on top of the hinge with my body weight, I just don't see this frame breaking. Be safe out there, folks, and get yourselves a safe bike whatever brand it is. Your loved ones and your body parts will thank you.

mconlonx

[h=3]Recall Details[/h][h=5]Units[/h]About 220
[h=5]Description[/h]This recall involves Eclipse S11i and Verge S11i, X10, X20 and X30h models of Tern brand folding bikes. The 24-inch wheel Eclipse model was sold in a silver/black color combination. The 20-inch wheel Verge models were sold in silver/black, orange/white, red/black and yellow/grey color combinations. “Tern” is printed on the front end of the top tube and on portion of the frame. The model name is printed on the middle of the top tube. The frame has a 10-character alphanumeric serial number that begins with AM1A or from AM1102 through AM1208. The serial number is stamped on the bottom bracket shell of the bike.
[h=5]Incidents/Injuries[/h]Stile Products has received four reports of incidents of the frame hinge cracking, resulting in minor scrapes, bruises and one sprained shoulder.
[h=5]Remedy[/h]Consumers should immediately stop riding the bicycle and contact Stile Products or take the bike to an authorized dealer. Consumers will receive a free frame and have it installed at no cost.

fietsbob

Brompton's steel frames dont look so backwards Eh? Aluminum is not so easy to just crank out a million of them

downtube

Bicycle Retailer states, "Tern's U.S. distributopr has received four reports of incidents of the frame hinge cracking, resulting in minor scrapes, bruises and one sprained shoulder."

But on the Bicycle Retailer page for the 2nd recall. There is the following:

Tainui Marino · Brisbane, Australia
Hi guys,

I had a Tern Link P24h, I contacted Tern about my frame and they said it was not part of the batch with frame issues. A few months later my frame snapped at the weld point while I was going downhill on my way home from work. As it snapped, it sent me flying up in the air. I landed on my face and fractured all four walls of my eye socket and fractured my cheekbone and several lacerations and cuts and bruises.

This was all during peak hour traffic. I have just had surgery to have metal plates placed over my cheekbone to correct it. The surgery included making an incision above my eyelid, one below and one on the side of my head that required metal staples in for a week. I am currently home from work for a week recovering from surgery.

I posted a photo on my facebook page of the damage to the bike and myself, the only thing Tern did was contact the distributor asking my height, weight and what I use the bike for.

So cold hearted and disrespectful.

I am in the process of pursuing legal action.

Mchll Brhgh · Obstetrics Gynecology MD (Ob Gyn MD) at Private Practice
BikeFolded i was on the link p9 last week and the frame folded inward. flew off the bike and landed on my head. cracked my skull and have a huge concussion. i would also be interested in being a part of a class action. email: cellar_door77@hotmail.com

Gareth Syms · Edinburgh College of Art
I have a Verge X10 which sheared in 2 last Sunday while I was riding it. This seems to be happening a lot more frequently than one would think. It is only a matter of time until someone gets killed.

A long time ago I predicted three things:

#1 Tern forums will go dead, and they were taken down for about 6 months and they are heavily moderated now....essentially they are down.
#2 Tern will fold as a business.
#3 The people responsible for this fiasco will be prosecuted criminally....this is way past civil stuff.

Thanks,
Yan

Abu Mahendra

I have heard enough, presently and from the previous fiasco. I will not ever buy Tern. Best of luck to those seeking legal redress and monetary compensation.

bhkyte

I suspect smallwheeler owned a Tern.
I thought about getting the 20 inch dual drive version that looked really solid about the hinge. Sale for£ 500 which I great value for a 450 rear wheel with bike attached!!
Spoke to a guy touring on it.

tcs

My theory is that while Josh Hon walked out the door with a fair chunk of Dahon Inc's intellectual property (including the password to Dahon's website!) and a number of gifted Dahon designers, engineers & marketing experts, he failed to take with him anyone conversant in supplier quality assurance.

tds101 

I've voiced my concern about my TernJoeP24 before, but everyone had assured me of it's lack of this issue. I'm not 100% convinced it's safe. Their track record speaks of deception,...

dynaryder

Just too bad they can't use cro-mo instead of hi-ten.

fietsbob

Ask why ? they may say so..

Moondoggy

Does anyone have an opinion if this hinge issue is a quality control issue (maybe sub par materials or welds) or is this a design issue that may be seen in similarly designed folders, like Dahon for example? It is unsettling to hear riders taking bad falls as a result of sudden frame failure.

Joe Remi

Dahon has been building fold-in-half frames for many years. If there is a design issue, it's with Tern's execution of it. They suck at making bicycles.

downtube

According to the CPSC the first and second recall where from different factories. One was from Alu Maga Industrial Co., Ltd., of Taiwan while the second was from Taicang A&I Medical Appliances Co., of Jiangsu, China.

Thanks,
Yan

feijai

Well keep in mind that the tikit, where you sit on top of the hinge with your body weight, has had two frame recalls in its history.

linberl

Mine isn't a tikit. I'm no engineer but it just seems to me a hinge in the middle of the long tube is more problematic.

Abu Mahendra

Surprised two forum members have not yet resumed their bouts on this thread. One beating an increasingly dead horse, the other comvincing us that it's much ado about nothing.

ThorUSA

just busy making sure that all my customers get notice, and be dealt with speedy and courteously ( as they deserve ) Obviously those 3 month production some 3 years ago which deemed safe, wasn't . good thing that Tern changed the production after those frame were produced.
Its a pain but worth all the effort keeping people from being hurt and getting a new bike/frame at no cost.
thor

SkunkWerX

I just saw some pics, circa 2014, of a failure in the UK. Total separation. yikes!

Scroll down the thread to see the pics:
Tern Link D8 frame shearing in two - Page 14

DVC45

Holy carp!



I hope my Nova don't do that to me.

SkunkWerX

MY concern is that the hinge/latch mechanism in question seems to be prevalent across the industry.
If 2 or 3 factories are the ones making those frames (they appear to be somewhat generic these days) how many frames could possibly have bad welds?

I know this Tern issue has been discussed for 2 years now, but, to me, a newcomer to the topic, I see it as a wider spread industry issue.
https://www.origin8.bike/videos/?idkey=recall

QUESTION: Do the frames themselves have unique serial numbers? Or are they all serialized on a builder by builder basis?
Or, does the builder/seller use the frame serial numbers as the bike's serial number?

Mine has this same/similar mechanism/frame. I am planning on visually inspecting that area as part of routine maintenance.
I can only surmise, (prior to a total catastrophic failure) that stress in the form of a hairline crack or even stretched or missing paint might point to a potential cause for concern.

Linezolid

Seems like the concern for this recall is a bit overblown. it's a couple of hundred bikes. If you look at cpsc.gov recalls, Trek recalled 12,000(!) bikes for front fork breaking problems.

I'm curious about something else, though - how do Terns ride? I've taken one for a brief test ride, and a Dahon, they both seemed fine. I'm going to be commuting via bike and train, and need something folding. Some bad roads (NYC) and all weather.

If you've ridden both, what's the real difference between them? Or would you recommend something else entirely?

tds101 

My TernJoeP24 rides amazingly well. It's actually my favorite bike. The ride over rough roads is deceptively smooth. I did upgrade to fatter Schwalbe tires though,...