The problems with cargo bikes go on and on. In February, manufacturer Babboe had to recall some models and stop their sale, after the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority - NVWA had found defects. The company had not taken reports of frame breakages seriously and not followed up and reported them as required by law. The NVWA criticised this as a life-threatening risk in road traffic and initiated criminal proceedings.
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“The impression is now being created that cargo bikes are unsafe,” says Dirk Zedler, board member of the German Bicycle Association Zukunft Fahrrad. In his company, the road racer performs Zedler safety tests of bicycles. He emphasizes that there are high-quality manufacturers in the industry and those who focus on price rather than safety. “Some brands should be handled with care,” states Zedler referring to the suppliers tested.
The frames of cheaper models were often made of a single tube and these designs were more prone to accidents. Bicycle brands, such as Urban Arrow and Muli, would use two tubes at least to bear the load. According to the expert, so-called fatigue fractures would occur suddenly, and hair cracks were hardly visible. A single-tube frame therefore poses the risk of serious accidents, a second tube can still cushion such damage.
“Could be defects of a single series”
“At Babboe, they now know that there have been shortcomings for years. The manufacturers mentioned could also be dealing with production defects in a single series,” states the expert. As long as the Dutch authority has not issued a judgement, he does not want to make any recommendations for German customers.
If the cargo bikes are mainly outside and exposed to the weather, they are more susceptible to be affected by corrosion. This can promote fractures. As well as in case the crates are permanently loaded with more weight than recommended. Zedler’s advice is therefore to clean the frame regularly and to watch out for hair cracks while doing so.
Cargo bikes that go on sale in Europe have to comply with Europe-wide safety standards, such as the CE certification. Manufacturers can initiate an explicit test seal for cargo bikes on a voluntary basis and at their own expense. In Germany, such kind of certifications are usual, as the market is more meticulous and stricter, explains the bicycle expert. In the Netherlands, producers and testing authorities are less after, and manufacturers often switch to less expensive Asian test laboratories. According to Zedler, they are not always 100 per cent accurate. The carelessness of recent years has now led to the large-scale inspections in the Netherlands.
Read the entire German article online.
Author: Lisa Ksienrzyk
Photo: Zedler-Institut
