Shimano Recall Question?
 

So obviously I have been under a rock somewhere, actually just assumed this was on "older" equipment. Anyway after reading a thread here yesterday about the recall I realized mine was part of the recall. :eek: So here is my question, I have been riding on this wheel/QR since I got my bike back during Feb with no problems or second thoughts. I won't have a chance to take it into my LBS till next week at the earliest. I am on vacation and have lots of riding time this week if it is still safe to do so? Thanks for any insight!

There lies the problem! I am in the middle of nowhere Mississippi right now and there are no LBS's here?! The closest one is probably 1 1/2 hrs away and its just over 2 to my LBS, which I will be back at this Sunday.

I, nor my family, have any intention of driving back home so I can get new skewers during our vacation so I can ride two extra days! The original question was/is, is it safe to continue riding it as is for a couple more days until I can get it repaired?

Here's the recall announcement. From reading that, it's a lottery. Mind you, you probably have as much chance of it failing as you do at winning powerball. Given that you are in the litigious US of A and knowingly riding a bike with a recalled component, if it fails and you scar yourself for life, I don't think you'll be on the receiving end of a monster payout.

Shimano front wheel "quick release" assembly for bicycles http://www.shimano.com.au/publish/im...bal/spacer.gif
Originally used in DURA-ACE, ULTGERA, 105, XTR, DEORE XT, Sport Dynamo and tandem wheels/hubs

Shimano had identified a potential safety issue concerning a "quick release" that is fitted to front wheels of certain road and off-road bicycles. In certain cases, it is possible that after the quick release is locked into position, the quick release axle could fail or break spontaneoulsy.

If this happens during cycling, the cyclist may lose ontrol of the bicycle, which could lead to serious injuries. As all Shimano should meet the highest industry standrads, as a precautionary measure, and in the interests of putting the safety of its consumers first, Shimano has decided to undertake a voluntary recall of all affected quick releases.

The quick releases are normally supplied with certain Shimano hubs and wheels. A small number of quick releases may also have been supplied as spare parts.

I rang Shimano tech support, they asked a few questions and then sent out a new one at no cost to me, so now I've got 2 dura-ace front skewers. Apparently there was only one world wide failure, but just to be safe and legally protected they issued a recall.

Obviously, Shimano would not have recalled the parts if Shimano thought the parts were safe to use. The question now becomes how much risk do you really want to take with potentially defective parts. Shimano reports only 1 failure so far out of 8500 units in the recall, but the parts can fail "unexpectedly". Presumably, there was some systematic problem with the manufacturing process (e.g., sub-standard steel or machining out-of-spec), so Shimano is expecting more of the 8500 parts to fail at some point in time.

Thanks for the tips and info! Like I said I hadn't even thought about it till I read the recall yesterday so now I am a little more concerned about it. Guess I could always use the wife's front wheel to get some miles in till we get back home this weekend, if she'll let me? ;)

hmmm. . .glad I have a spare 80s vintage Campy nuovo record skewer laying around for tonights ride.