Tektro bicycles and bicycle parts
1 report to CPSC, the latest made Sep 23, 2013. A report isn’t a recall.
Watch and the shortlist are kept with a free account, on every device. Your watch list. CPSC’s own search is on saferproducts.gov.
At a glance
From SaferProducts.gov, released Oct 25, 2026.
- 1report to CPSC
- Sep 23, 2013the latest report was made
- Sep 23, 2013the earliest
- 1with the company’s comments
- Brand
- Tektro
- Maker
- TREK BICYCLE CORPORATIONMakers, importers or sellers, as the reports name them
- Product
- Bicycles and bicycle partsNot mountain or all-terrain bicyclesCPSC’s product type: Bicycles and Accessories, (Excl.mountain or All-terrain) (code 5040), in Sports and Recreation: Cycling, Scooters, Skateboards & Skates
By month
The numbers, as a table
| Month | Reports |
|---|---|
| September 2013 | 1 |
How badly anyone was hurt
- Hurt, no treatment 1 CPSC: Injury, No First Aid or Medical Attention Received
As each report says it, in short words; CPSC’s own words are under each.
The reports, as CPSC published them
Reports people made to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. CPSC publishes each one after sending it to the company named, and doesn’t guarantee they’re accurate. A report isn’t a recall.
Each report is the words of the person who made it, as CPSC published them. The company’s comments, where CPSC published any, are set apart as the company’s own.
CPSC, SaferProducts.gov public database export. Released Oct 25, 2026. Updated daily.
-
Hurt, no treatment Made Sep 23, 2013, sent to the company Sep 30, 2013, published by CPSC Oct 30, 2013
The product, in the report: Tektro R540 brakeset is a component of a bicycle. The Tektro R540 brakeset at issue was installed as original equipment on a Trek model Madone 4.5 (year 2011) bicycle.
I believe the Tektro R540 brakeset is an unsafe product in design and/or manufacture. It should not have been placed on Trek 2011 model Madone 4.5 bicycles. The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and Tektro need to work with the Trek Corporation immediately to recall all bicycles of this model to fix these defective brakes.
I believe that the Tektro R540 brakeset led to an accident on my Trek 2011 model Madone 4.5 bicycle on Sunday, October 21, 2012 in Dublin, California. The brakes on that bicycle were insufficient to “scrub speed” on a slight downhill on the Iron Horse Trail in that city. The weather was clear and dry.
I ended up crashing into a curb and chain link fence, causing minor personal injury and significant damage to my then three-month old bicycle.
Numerous comments can be found on internet comment boards about consumers’ negative experiences with the Tektro R540 brakeset on this very bicycle model, Trek 2011 Madone 4.5.
See, for example, this website: http://www.roadbikereview.com/cat/brakes/brake-calipers/tektro/r540/prd_454498_2480crx.aspx
See the comment submitted by “[REDACTED]” on April 24, 2012. He gave this product an “Overall Rating” of 2 of 6 stars and a “Value Rating” of 2 of 6 stars.
Here is his review of the Tektro R540 brakeset on my very same bicycle model, Trek 2011 Madone 4.5: “Strengths: Weight, not much else Weaknesses: Lack of power, durability, quick release mech. Bottom Line: These brakes came stock on my 2011 Trek Madone 4.5, never would I choose to buy them individually. After about seven months of using the brakes under normal conditions, the bushings in the main brake bolt wore out and caused an incredibly annoying creaking sound to come from the front caliper in the middle of every lever pull. I will soon be upgrading to a set of [REDACTED] calipers because I’m simply fed up with the lack of stopping power and the creaking noises. The [REDACTED] calipers are a little heavier, but I’d much rather save myself on a steep hill than save some weight. I also don’t like that the quick release mechanism is all or nothing, I like a notched quick release for easier dialed-in adjustment.”
Other complaints about “brakes”, “braking” and “the brake lottery” on internet comment boards for the Trek 2011 Madone 4.5 are additional evidence that numerous consumers across the nation have had problems with brakes on this bicycle.
I call upon Tektro to do the right thing and start a voluntary recall of the Tektro R540 brakeset on all Trek 2011 Madone 4.5 models. Otherwise the CPSC should require this recall. This product is a significant risk to the lives, limbs and personal property of consumers.
The fact that the Trek Corporation used the Tektro R540 brakeset on its Madone 4.5 model apparently for just one year (2011) suggests that Tektro and/or the Trek Corporation already has notice and/or knowledge that the Tektro R540 brakeset is defective.
I have given Tektro hereby notice of these concerns and requested it to take immediate remedial action by my e-mail of Sept. 22, 2013.
- Model
- Trek 2011model Madone 4.5
- Bought from
- The Missing Link bicycle cooperative shop
- Bought
- Jul 30, 2012
- Where
- Dublin, California: Other
- Who was involved
- Age 39, Male
- The reporter’s relation to them
- Self
- As this report names them
- Brand Tektro, made or sold by TREK BICYCLE CORPORATION
- Reports CPSC links to it
- 20130920-D6302-2147451719
- How badly, in CPSC’s words
- Injury, No First Aid or Medical Attention Received
CPSC’s disclaimer
Disclaimer: CPSC does not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or adequacy of the contents of the Publicly Available Consumer Product Safety Information Database on SaferProducts.gov, particularly with respect to information submitted by people outside of CPSC.
Word for word, from the disclaimer in CPSC’s export.
Sources
Sources
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U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, SaferProducts.gov public database export.
Released Oct 25, 2026 and checked Oct 25, 2026. Updated daily. Public domain (U.S. Government work). CPSC asks to be credited, and that no endorsement be implied.
Reports of harm are from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), on SaferProducts.gov. CPSC does not endorse Hearth Record.