Last Wednesday, I was the bike mechanic at the bicycle safety station at the Safety Day held at the Lewis County fairgrounds in Lowville. I want to discuss one observation I made.
Some 280 fifth grade students attended the event from schools throughout the county. I asked each class we saw for a show of hands to see how many kids had the pedals come entirely off their bikes. Every class that came through had four or more kids to whom this has happened.
Having a pedal come off is very likely to hurt the rider, as it almost always happens during a power stroke and often unseats the rider, throwing them into the top tube of the bicycle or into the teeth of the chain ring of the crank. As for the bike, once a pedal spindle works loose, pedaling erodes the threads of the aluminum crank. Once those crank threads are damaged, the pedal will never again stay tightened and will loosen again. The only remedy is to replace the damaged crank.
Most of these bicycles were purchased from a local big box retailer. They are shipped to the retailer partially assembled. The seat, handlebars, and pedals are usually what has to be installed.
All of these are the rider contact points with the bicycle, and have specific fastener torque values to be installed correctly and be safe to ride. I am convinced these bicycles’ final assembly is not being done by a qualified bicycle mechanic and these contact point components are not being installed using a torque wrench to ensure proper fastener torque. I have never seen a properly installed set of pedals become loose, let alone fall off entirely.
The bikes sold at large retail stores are the least costly entry level bicycles available. It isn’t always possible to even properly adjust them. However, I can quickly give them a once over inspection before you take one home, to check those contact points. No part of the bicycle should ever fall off from normal riding.
Stop by the shop with your newly purchased bike. I don’t charge for a safety inspection. This is the best time to find if there’s a serious problem with your new bike so you can decide if you need to return or exchange it.