NEWS from CPSC

U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission

Office of Information and Public Affairs

Washington, DC 20207

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE	CONTACT: Tandem Bicycle Hotline: (800) 626-2811
November 14, 2001	CPSC Contact: Kim Dulic
Release # 02-040	(301) 504-0580 Ext. 1183

CPSC, Pacific Cycle, LLC Announce Recall to Repair Ally Cat Tandem Bicycle Accessories

WASHINGTON, D.C.- In cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), Pacific Cycle, LLC, of Madison, Wis., is voluntarily recalling to repair about 2,500 Ally Cat tandem bicycle accessories. The hitch connecting the tandem accessory to the host bicycle can fail, causing the tandem accessory to become unstable, which poses the risk of injury to riders.

Pacific Cycle has received one report of the tandem bicycle accessory connection failing, resulting in abrasions to the rider of the tandem.

The "Ally Cat" tandem bicycle accessory consists of a wheel, seat, pedals, and handlebars, and attaches to the host bicycle by a hitch. The recalled "Ally Cat" has the model number AC 100, AC 200, or AC 300, which is located on the top tube in products sold by independent bicycle retailers or L.L.Bean Inc. The accessories were sold at Wal-Mart Stores under the name "Mongoose Ally Cat," with the Mongoose name appearing on the down tube of the accessory. There is an aluminum sleeve on the hitch between the host bicycle and the accessory.

Bicycle stores and retailers nationwide, including Wal-Mart, sold these bicycle accessories from March 2000 through July 2001 for between $80 and $130.

Consumers should stop using these bicycle accessories immediately and call Pacific Cycle at (800) 626-2811 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. CT Monday through Friday for a free replacement hitch and instructions. In addition, L.L Bean Inc., which sold these bicycle accessories by catalog, will contact each of their known purchasers to provide the needed replacement parts. For more information, consumers can visit the Mongoose website at www.mongoose.com.

"Ally Cat" bicycle accessories with nylon or plastic sleeves on the hitch are not included in this recall.

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.