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.

SAZbike 12/2016
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A chronicle of the e-bike tests performed by Stiftung Warentest

Four e-bike tests have been carried out by Stiftung Warentest, the German foundation for comparative product testing, since 2011. Every time they were followed by a fuss with bicycle manufacturers, associations and test institutes. Both sides are criticising each other again and again.

In August 2011 two bicycle models, i.e. the "E-Tour" by Pegasus and the "28" E-Bike" by Ruhrwerk were rated "inadequate" and failed. Three bicycles obtained the best mark and were rated "good". This was mainly to the benefit of Kreidler, as the test winner model "Vitality Elite" sold excellently afterwards. In these days already, the test conditions of Stiftung Warentest were criticised. In an interview with SAZbike of August 15, 2011, it had been criticised by bicycle expert Dirk Zedler already that the the product testers were impeding the progress and the safety of bicycles due to their non-transparency with regard to the test requirements.

Two years later, the next e-bikte test was published in June already. This test published with a striking announcement on the cover page with the title “E-bikes with risk”stirred up the cycle industry. In this test nine of 16 models were devaluated "inadequate". The poor result would show that the quality assurance of the manufacturers were apparently not able to keep pace with this development. This is was Dr. Holger Brackemann (Divisional Director Testing at Stiftung Warentest) made clear; in addition he pointed out that their demands were neither unrealistic nor exaggerated. Manufacturers, associations and test institutes of the cycle industry represented naturally another opinion. One critical comment in SAZbike of June 10, 2013 read the result of Stiftung Warentest are thoroughly questionable.

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Author: Alexander Schmitz

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