NEWS from CPSC

U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission

Office of Information and Public Affairs

Washington, DC 20207

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE	CONTACT: Bicycle Recall Hotline: (877) 211-3525
February 23, 2001	CPSC Contact: Mark Ross
Release # 01-091 (revised)	(301) 504-0580 Ext. 1188

CPSC, By Us International Co. Ltd. Announce Expanded Recall of Bicycle Forks Installed on Mountain Bicycles

WASHINGTON, D.C. - In cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), By Us International Co. Ltd., of Taiwan, is recalling about 40,000 Ballistic front suspension forks installed on certain mountain bicycles. The forks on these bicycles can break apart, causing riders to lose control and fall. By Us International Co. previously announced the recall of 13,500 of these forks in May 2000. The firm has since disclosed that more of these forks are included in the recall.

There have been 26 reports of forks on these bicycles breaking resulting in nine riders, including teenagers, suffering serious head and bodily injuries, abrasions, bruises and chipped teeth.

The recalled forks were installed on Mongoose S-20 and MGX S-20 bicycles, which are orange, and the Roadmaster Ridge Rider bicycles, which is red. The forks on these bikes are black with decals that read "BALLISTIC" and "105" on the sides of the suspension fork legs.

Discount department stores, including Wal-Mart, and toy stores sold the bicycles with these forks nationwide from June 1998 through June 2000 for between $125 and $150.

Consumers should immediately stop using these bicycles and call the firm to determine if the fork on their bike is part of the recall. Consumers should have the serial number of the forks available. The serial number is located on the inside of the suspension fork leg. Consumers with recalled forks will receive a free replacement fork and free installation. For more information, call (877) 211-3525 toll-free between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. CT Monday through Friday, or visit their web site at www.mongoose.com.

The recalled bikes have the following serial numbers.

98025001 through 98030000
98031051 through 98033050

BA10021201 through BA10029200
BA10044001 through BA10049000
BA10050001 through BA10051000
BA10052001 through BA10053000
BA10054001 through BA10058000
BA10059251 through BA10067750
BA10067791 through BA10069390
BA10069703 through BA10077102

BAX0001251 through BAX0006750
BAX0006781 through BAX0007080

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission protects the public from unreasonable risks of injury or death from 15,000 types of consumer products under the agency's jurisdiction. To report a dangerous product or a product-related injury, call CPSC's hotline at (800) 638-2772 or CPSC's teletypewriter at (800) 638-8270, or visit CPSC's web site at http://www.cpsc.gov/talk.html. For information on CPSC's fax-on-demand service, call the above numbers or visit the web site at http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/pubs/103.html. To order a press release through fax-on-demand, call (301) 504-0051 from the handset of your fax machine and enter the release number. Consumers can obtain this release and recall information at CPSC's web site at http://www.cpsc.gov.