All about bicycles, electric-assisted bikes, technology and safety in the press

In our daily work as we deal with bicycle safety, technology and user manuals we come across lots of safety risks. The most frequent ones are published in articles of the leading German special-interest magazines TOUR – Europas Rennrad-Magazin Nr. 1, BIKE – Das Mountainbike Magazin Europas Nr. 1 and E-Bike – Das Pedelec-Magazin to make this information important for the sector accessible to a wider public.

For many years now the Eurobike Show Daily accompanying the annual international Eurobike Show has given us the opportunity to publish our perspective on major developments in the cycle industry in full-page articles.

We also speak regularly in independent lectures about all topics relating to bicycle technology and bicycle market. In addition, we are regularly cited by further special-interest magazines or trade journals as well as more and more by radio and television and in their media reports, which shows us that we are completely right with our information. The section NEWS informs you about the latest news from our specialist fields. The reports and publications of this section are listed chronologically or according to topics of interest.

RadMarkt 04/2012
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Dirk Zedler: Test seal – appearance of safety

It is manufacturer responsibility to perform the tests according to the DIN EN standards; this is not verified by external authorities. It is comparable to the responsibilities around the CE mark. It is a signal to the consumer that the bicycle complies with the product safety law.

This includes a comprehensive documentation of the test reports of bicycle components and of batteries and chargers; wiring diagrams must be added, too. These reports can originate from the respective presupplier and need not be drawn up by the bicycle manufacturer itself.

An external verification is ensured by seals such as the DIN Plus and the GS mark which are awarded by certified test institutes only. Most of the tests in the DIN EN field are not designed for the respective loads caused by the electric motors.

According to Zedler, the testing of the riding characteristics is neglected with all standards and testing seals. The costs for the payment of damages, recalls and insurances could be reduced by stricter test procedures.

And the dealer would also profit from that, says Zedler: Unjustified complaints could be declined on the basis of test reports. But stricter tests would result in better product quality and thus improve customer satisfaction.

Author: Christopher Müllenhof

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