Detlef Glimm, as managing director of Derby Cycle in charge of the supply-chain-management, production, quality management and development, Karl Gerdes, partner and managing director of Velocity Braunschweig, Ludger Koopmann, board member of the German cycle association (ADFC) and Jo Klieber, founder and managing director or Syntace.
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Tester Dirk Zedler took Porsche as an example from the automotive industry: They build their cars with a high share of carry-over parts, i.e. components which can be used unmodified in various models and over a rather long period of time. This allows not only a less expensive production, but also to launch products which have undergone more tests. For Zedler the speedlifter is a good example: This component is identical for all bicycles and allows, as in the case with the adjustable steering wheel in a car, the adjustment of the bicycle to the rider, without compromising safety.
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Human-machine interface
"Do really so many parts fail, is it not the rider who is the actual risk?", asks the host Fehlau. And tester Zedler confirms that broken handlebars are actually rather seldom. There was an increased number of accidents with brand-new bicycles. From this fact you could conclude that the rider is so occupied with the new technology that he was not able to brake in an emergency. This calls for training courses, in particular for pedelec cyclists, as many people were unable to cope with the motorised vehicles.
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Test engineer Zedler suggested to simply make precise distinctions in the actual use of the respective bicycle: "No one is able to design the all-in-one device suitable for every purpose!"
