DATE: Friday, July 11, 1997                 TAG: 9707110632

SECTION: BUSINESS                PAGE: D2   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS 

DATELINE: IRVINE, CALIF.                    LENGTH:   26 lines

2.5 MILLION BIKES ARE RECALLED

Makers of Shimano bicycle parts are recalling more than 2.5 million mountain bikes worldwide because of faulty cranks, officials at Shimano American Corp. confirmed Thursday.

The voluntary recall, one of the industry's biggest safety efforts, affects about 1 million bikes in North America, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.

The cranks, which connect pedals to the frame and chain mechanism, were put on more than 200 models of mountain bikes from mid-1994 to mid-1995.

The cycles carried at least 49 brand names, including Bianchi, Cannondale, Diamondback, GT, Giant, Huffy, Motiv, Murray, Raleigh, Schwinn, Trek and Univega.

The names of the cranks are Alivio, Acera and Altus. Model numbers, on the back or inner side of the right crank arm, are FC-CT90, FC-M290 and FC-MC12.

The company asked people who have one of the cranks to contact their dealers or call Shimano at a toll-free number: (800) 353-4719. KEYWORDS: RECALL BICYCLES

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