My kids and I started using our Radwagon 4 this year to commute around the Belle Mead area of New Jersey.

Often we make the trip into Princeton. Today we got our things loaded up on the bike and just as I had started the electrical assistance the front tire tore off and we crashed at the end of our long-ish driveway. To be clear our front quick release axle was tight before departure (departure on our 40 second trip). Also we are evidently not alone in this experience.

We are concerned for two reasons.

First we are sad about what happened and desperately want to know how to fix the broken parts. My son expressed it in the moment like this:

Second, we’re not entirely sure how this happened and we are concerned that it might happen again. We travel roads and there are cars on those roads so we want to be sure the equipment we use is not going to fail. Damage to our bodies included scrapes, bruises, and jarring. But the bike sustained moderate damage including a bent disc break in the front, a bent drive wheel, a broken front splash guard and scraped paint in several places including the front basket and back runners.

From what I read on the internet I see that the front axle doesn’t have “Lawyer tabs” which would prevent the axle from moving out of the forks. This seems to be a design flaw but the design around the forks is short and there isn’t really a way to add my own. A newly designed fork, like those mentioned here, would be a welcomed addition.