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RadMarkt.de 2016/06/27
Reading time 3:30 minutes

Stevens: "StiWa results leave questions unanswered"

The Hamburg manufacturer Stevens also reacts with misunderstanding to the e-bike test of the German foundation for comparative product testing (StiWa). In a customer and press release they state their position on the depreciation of the E-Courier Forma due to poor brake values and weak results as regards riding stability and the overall rating "inadequate".

Volker Dohrmann, head of strategy, product and marketing at Stevens Vertriebs GmbH: "The StiWa tests are taken highly seriously by Stevens. The safety of our products is of major importance during conception and production of the bicycles. However, upon closer look on the current test criteria and the StiWa results, important questions remain unanswered."

(...)

During the subjective riding impression with luggage the StiWa testers had noted minor frame wobbling. "We not only rely upon subjective riding impressions, but on tests carried out on testing systems at Zedler - Institut für Fahrradtechnik und -Sicherheit which are well-known and independent in the sector," declares the Hamburg manufacturer in this regard. Test engineer and bicycle expert Dirk Zedler expresses doubts about the method on the basis of which StiWa rate the riding characteristics: "The purely optical comparison of some test candidates already raises serious doubts with regard to the product testers’ rating of the riding characteristics. The model with the best riding characteristics according to StiWa is nearly identical in construction with the downrated Stevens E-Courier Forma. Another model with comparably thin frame tubes, slim pannier rack with integrated rechargeable battery and a load distribution comparable at first sight has allegedly still "satisfactory" riding characteristics. Other models with riding characteristics on a clearly higher level due to technical features from my own experience, were not rated accordingly positive. We do not really understand the facts which led to these ratings. What we do know is that test rides are extremely important, but that they can also be major error sources. Riders’ judgements are necessarily subjective. Another saddle already, another handlebar position or simply the tyre pressure may blur the riding experience. For this reason Zedler-Institut has developed specific testing systems for the evaluation of riding characteristics already years ago. Among the manufacturers optimizing their e-bikes on these systems was also Stevens. Two years ago we made exemplary tests on our machines and on the road. In the result the pedelecs of Stevens Bikes were above the average. I’m therefore highly surprised that the E-Courier Forma model allegedly ranges at the bottom end of the spectrum."

According to Volker Dohrmann, Stevens will now question the results together with the suppliers, test institutes and StiWa and react immediately, in case of need for action.

Read the entire article here.

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