SRAM Recalls Shifter Levers

You ever buy something, thinking it’s all solid and tight, but turns out it’s about as stable as a house of cards in a windstorm? Well, strap on your helmets, folks, ’cause we got a doozy here. The Consumer Product Safety Commission just hit the panic button, sounding off a recall notice for some SRAM 12-speed shift/brake levers.

Now, what’s got them all riled up? Seems like these shift levers were slapped together with a bit too much threadlock. You know, the stuff that’s supposed to keep things nice and snug? Yeah, turns out, it’s working a little too well. It’s giving these levers that false sense of security, making them seem like they’re all tightened up when they’re not. Like trying to fix a leaky faucet with duct tape—might look good on the surface, but it’s just waiting to burst.

SRAM, the brains behind these levers, already sent out the cavalry in October, tipping off dealers and industry insiders about the blunder. And get this, they’ve already patched up around 20,000 of these bad boys worldwide. Talk about a busy repair shop.

But wait, there’s more! According to the recall notice, we’re talking about over 60,000 units in the good ol’ U.S. of A. alone, with a few thousand more feeling the heat up north in Canada. So, if you’ve got one of these levers kicking around in your bike shed, listen up.

SRAM’s playing it safe, urging folks to give ’em a shout or swing by their website for the lowdown. They’re even offering up free brake installation inspections at your local SRAM retailer. And if they find something fishy, they’ll sort it out for free. Now that’s what I call customer service.

These levers have been making the rounds since June 2019, but it wasn’t until October 2023 that SRAM hit the brakes and slapped a stop-sale notice on retailers. They’re calling out all 12-speed SRAM eTap AXS Red, Force, Rival, and Apex shift/brake levers produced before July 1, 2023. So, if you’ve been tinkering with your bike and thought something felt off, now you know why.

The good news? No incidents or injuries have been reported yet. But let’s be real, nobody wants their cycling adventure to turn into an unexpected trip to the ER. So, check those levers, folks, and let’s keep the pedal to the metal, but only if it’s bolted on tight.