Better safe than sorry: PR edition

SRAM is recalling a whole shit-heap of chains with its PowerLock masterlink, saying that the clever little link is susceptible to cracking on chains sold from March to August of 2009.

Pinchie just rebuilt his whole drive train, and he bought a SRAM chain, so I'm sure he's checking into this.

But so you're wondering: How and when does a company like SRAM decide to recall 25,000 chains? There have so far been four reports of a cracked masterlink.

I'm not sure about you, but I saw at least a dozen broken chains during the Dakota 50. That's undoubtedly about par for the course, and broken chains -- while they're a drag and can occasionally result in a streak of bad language, a bruised knee or an uncomfortable meeting of testicles and stem-- it's hardly one of the more catastrophic failures that a bike can suffer.

So a recall seems a bit zealous on the part of SRAM, but of course in this day and age you gotta stay ahead of the press and the negative publicity -- and the eventual golddigger who'll jump on a trend, blow a masterlink, and try to sue for a lifetime supply of Bugles.

If you're worried about your brand-new SRAM drivetrain, you can checkout the deets here.