Your New Bike and Store of Purchase May Be to Blame for Your Crash
Big box stores routinely fail to properly assemble bikes. Improper torque on stems, bolts, or fasteners can cause sudden, catastrophic component failure.
By Attorney Dan D'Angelo
Trial Lawyer · Brain Injury Advocate · Avid Cyclist
We've unfortunately seen this happen before. Someone buys a new bike to exercise or commute. They visit a Big Box Store, find a bike they love, and trust the store sells safe bicycles. The customer buys the bike and is excited about the fun the new bike will bring.
Instead of fun, the first bike ride takes a tragic turn when the bike rider suddenly loses control and crashes. The bicycle and rider hit the pavement. The bike rider suffers more than a bruised ego — cuts, broken bones, and a head injury. The bike rider, bloodied and battered, wonders if the crash was their fault.
It may not be poor bike riding skills that caused the cyclist to crash. Bicycles are complex machines that must be assembled according to the manufacturer's specifications to be safely ridden. Almost all the components on a bicycle must be installed to a specific tightness — known as the specified torque value. If a fastener is under-tightened, the part may loosen. If over-tightened, the part may stretch, deform, strip threads, lose structural integrity, crack, or break — and that damage may not be visible.
Common bike parts with fasteners or that require tightening include the handlebar stem and headset, gear shifters/brake levers (hoods), brake calipers, brake disc rotors, seat and seat post, crank arms and spindle, pedals, drivetrain and derailleurs, and wheel centerlocks and thru axle or quick release skewer. If any of these components loosen, break, detach, or malfunction while riding, the rider could lose control, fall, and crash.
In one example, a Big Box Store assembled the bicycle but did not correctly tighten the bolts for the handlebar stem and headset, causing the handlebar to unexpectedly loosen during the ride. The store failed to properly train and supervise its employees to correctly assemble and inspect bicycles sold in its store. There are industry and manufacturer standards designed to protect against the sale of dangerous bicycles. Despite these known dangers, some stores put profits over safety.
If you or someone you know has been injured in a bicycle crash involving a new bike — where a part failed such as a pedal falling off, seat failing, wheel or handlebars detached — and you have questions about whether the store may be responsible, please contact us for a free consultation.
Have a question about your case?
Attorney Dan D'Angelo offers free consultations for brain injury and cycling accident victims throughout Colorado.
About the Author
Attorney Dan D'Angelo
Trial Lawyer · Brain Injury Advocate · Avid Cyclist
Attorney Dan D'Angelo founded D'Angelo Law Office, P.C. in 2009 and Bike Brain Law to focus exclusively on traumatic brain injury and cycling injury cases in Colorado. An avid cyclist himself, Dan combines deep TBI science knowledge with hands-on cycling experience to build winning cases against insurance companies and corporations that put profits over safety.
- Practicing Colorado personal injury attorney since 2009
- Focused practice in TBI and bicycle injury litigation
- Multi-million dollar settlements and verdicts for injury victims
- Avid road and commuter cyclist
