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COSTA MESA, CA (BRAIN)—Following an initial contribution of $7500 last summer, the NBDA Board has voted to commit another $7500 to defend the ubiquitous quick-release axle.

The latest contribution will be matched by the supplier side of the industry, said NBDA executive director Fred Clements.

The fight is against a ban on quick-release axles that has been proposed in the New Jersey legislature. While the law, if passed, would affect only New Jersey, it might set a national trend, making the fight a national issue.

The bill exempts axles that also have a “secondary safety device,” but fork tips apparently do not qualify for the exemption and there is currently no other technology that would.

The proposed law was a response to injuries to children riding Wal-Mart bikes with quick-release wheels, Clements said. But with the exception of some high-end BMX bikes, the kids bikes sold by independent dealers do not have quick-release axles anyway. The New Jersey bill as written would ban quick-releases on all bikes, adult as well as juvenile.

Funds contributed by the NBDA and the Bicycle Products Suppliers Association are to be used to hire a lobbyist to make the case against the bill.