PUBLIC COMMENT PETITION to Ban open front horizontal rear DROPS for new fabrication of street bicycles, recommending ruling of the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) on Street Bicycles, to rule Open Front Horizontal rear Drops to a banned hazardous product status, recommending a ruling against street bicycle frames constructed with forwardly open c shaped rear dropouts, to be newly constructed and sold as street bicycles or continue to be imported into the country, particularly those assembled in conjunction with bolt on rear derailleur hangers of the type hooked on the rear wheel axle beneath an axle fastener. These types of bicycles can fail on the roads. Street Bicycles are a product regulated under the consumer product safety act for which a rule is sought and for which a existing rule is sought to be modified or revoked, by rule in accordance with section 30(d) of the CPSA, as amended by Public Law 94-284, that it is in the public interest to regulate risk of injury under CPSA and incompliance with the mission statement of National Highway Traffic Safety Administration / Department of Transportation to save lives, prevent injuries, and reduce traffic-related health care and other economic costs, to promote, and implement effective educational, engineering, and enforcement programs directed toward ending preventable tragedies and reducing safety-related economic costs associated with vehicle use and highway travel. The rear drop outs (DROPS) of a bicycle frame are where the axle of the rear wheel is attached to the bicycle frame between two opposing axle mount slots. There are basic styles of rear dropouts, open front, open back, open bottom and fully bounded direct mount dropouts. If a bicycle frame is constructed with open front rear dropouts, it is possible for the action of pedaling alone to pull one side of the rear wheel axle loose and forward, stopping the rear tire against the inside of the bicycle frame, against a chain stay. The action may immediately and suddenly stop the bicycle, or cause rubbing of the rear tire against the bicycle frame. A bicycle rear wheel axle loosened and pulled forward by the power of pedaling, while one end of the axle remains fixed to the bicycle, may be subject to deformation that can lead to unexpected stopping of the bicycle, due to breakage of the rear axle, at a later time. With improperly fastened wheels, forward movement of one side of the rear wheel axle may occur with other styles of rear drops and inadequate frame tire clearance might become an resulting impedance depending on tire size. The facts to establish the claim that the issuance, amendment or revocation of the rulings on Street Bicycle constructions and assemblies is necessary are conclusions arrived at primarily from bicycling experience. The illustration of the problem is easily simulated. SIMULATION Forward pull out of one side of the rear bicycle wheel axle can be simulated by loosening the axle fastener of the rear bicycle wheel on the chain side, then attempt to pedal forward. This simulation will exemplify forward pull out and indicate the magnitude for a given bicycle, and exemplify its existence, and may bend the axle. It should be suggested that as a nation of motorists, travelers, recreationalists, and bicycle consumers that we should expect a bicycle shall exhibit stable handling, without difficulty of operation. There shall be no known system component failure of the structure. There shall be no known large relative motion between the wheel axle and the frame unduly compromising the wheel base, chain or drive mechanisms. The definition of the measure of the bicycle wheelbase is the measure of the center of the center of the front axle to the center of the rear axle. Rear wheel frame separation causes a change in the wheelbase of the bicycle which compromises and can damage other components of the bicycle, causing the bicycle to fail until readjusted and reassembled. This petition is an explicit request to initiate commission rule making, and recommends a ruling against bicycles constructed with forwardly open c shaped rear dropouts, particularly those assembled in conjunction with bolt on rear derailleur hangers of the type hooked on the rear wheel axle beneath an axle fastener. These types of bicycles can fail on the roads. The recommendation is to ban the fabrication, import and sale of open front rear drop bicycle frames for the USA, so that unsafe open front rear drop bicycle frames are no longer proliferated and that the number of unsafe open front rear drop bicycle frames in use will decline over time. The nature of the risks of injury associated with the product are risks of injury to the bicycle rider and bicyclists, roller bladers or others close to the direction of travel of the bicycle rider. In a traffic situation there are risks of injury to the bicycle rider and operators or passengers in motor vehicles traveling close to the bicycle rider. The specific risks of injury to which the petition is addressed, could be as sever as maiming crippling or death of a bicycle rider, and of motor vehicle operators and passengers. If failure of the bicycle at an intersection causes a multicar accident, it could cause a traffic jam. The petitioner suggests that what can happen if one or more motor vehicles collides with a bicyclist need not be elaborated upon or repeatedly mentioned, but is underlying point of this petition. The reason for the existence of the risk of injury associated with the product is failure of the current CPSC Street Bicycle Road Test, Wheel Test, or Chain Test to bring known mechanical failures to light and protect the bicycle enthusiast and bicycle consumer, motor vehicle drivers or passengers and the public. The reason for the existence of the risk of injury is it has been overlooked. The purpose for the petition is not to remove previously made bicycles with C hozizontal open front drops from service but to cease the continued production and import of new bicycles so constructed, to put a cap on continued poliferation of a potentially dangerous practice.

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