There were many topics around the knowledge transfer between science and industry at the DVM workshop “Life Cycle – The Bicycle’s Product Life Cycle” at Zedler-Institut. The workshop started with the topics of testing and certification of batteries, EMC and functional safety of e-bikes. Proposals for the extended testing of braking systems and the comparison of simulation and testing with regard to the service life of various types of bicycles including cargo bikes followed afterwards.
Some of the findings from the presentations were made literally tangible through the opportunity to make test rides on the cargo bikes made available by Ca Go and Magura, with and without the Integral Braking System. Even a bicycle with Bosch’s e-bike ABS brake was on the spot.
With the presentation “What can we learn from the Babboe recall” Catharinus Helfrich from Accel-Global B.V. gave an inside view of one of the biggest exciters of recent years.
World of standards
The second day of the workshop focussed on the standards. Presentations, such as on bolted connections or shock loads on handlebar add-on components when bicycles topple over on the side, went into great detail. The conclusion of Philipp Kipker, Head of Quality Assurance at Zedler-Institut for this day: “In various areas, it was revealed that the standards present weaknesses and that we need to work together as an industry to make various adjustments in order to achieve improvements.”
With the communicative evening on the first day amidst the historic bicycles in the museum of the Zedler-Institut, the DVM workshop lived up to its claim of promoting the exchange of knowledge within the cycle industry. The breaks were also used intensively for the exchange of expertise.
Frank Prüwer, Technical Director, Paul Lange & Co. OHG, concludes: “Excellent organisation and a very good programme with many, highly interesting presentations, in particular by speakers outside the cycle industry. “There was ample opportunity for dialogue with the speakers and participants in a very pleasant atmosphere at Zedler-Institut's bicycle museum and impressive insights behind the scenes of the test institute.”
Author: Jürgen Wetzstein
Photo: Zedler-Institut
