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

The most common safety risks that we come across in our daily work around bicycle safety, technology and operating instructions are also published by us in articles in the leading German special-interest magazines TOUR (Europe's road bike magazine no. 1), BIKE (Europe's mountain bike magazine no. 1), MYBIKE and EMTB in order to make this information, which is important for the industry, available to a wider public.

For many years now, the Eurobike Show Daily, trade fair magazine of the annual Eurobike Show, has also given us the opportunity to publish our view of major developments in the cycle industry in full-page articles.

We also speak regularly in independent expert presentations about all areas of bicycle technology and the bicycle market. In addition, we are quoted by further special-interest magazines of the industry and the trade as well as increasingly by radio and television in their media reports, which shows us that we are spot on with our advice. The section "News" informs you about the latest news from our specialist areas. The reports and publications of this section are listed chronologically or according to areas of interest.

velobiz.de, 2015/11/10
Reading time 1:30 minutes

German associations VSF and ZIV prepare guideline for the modification of pedelecs

The question what bicycle dealers and workshops are allowed to modify on pedelecs and for which components they have to ask for the approval of the vehicle manufacturers and/or the system providers was and is an issue of legal controversy. Early this year the German associations VSF and ZIV had also a controversial debate on this issue (...). What had left was an uncertainty for bicycle dealers which is now eliminated with a joint guidance.

Respective guidelines for the replacement of e-bike components were brought on track in cooperation with the Zedler institute. These are to offer German bicycle dealers an orientation when it comes to changing certain components of a pedelec (assistance up to 25 kmh).

What has been developed is a grid in form of a table (…) which subdivides the components of a pedelec in four categories and which is intended as future guideline for those who are requested to give their approval for the replacement of components on pedelecs:

  • Components which require the approval of the vehicle manufacturer/system provider before the replacement
  • Components which require the approval of the vehicle manufacturer before the replacement
  • Components which require the approval of the vehicle or component manufacturer before replacement
  • Components which do not require a specific approval

This table does not only list the components, but also formulates supplementary remarks. "Another pedal can simply be mounted without consultation, if it is not wider than the original pedal. Otherwise going through a curve in oblique position could turn out to be risky”, explains the expert Dirk Zedler.

There is agreement between Albert Herresthal of VSF and Siegfried Neuberger of ZIV on the fact that the joint guidelines not only represent an overdue contribution in product safety, but also a milestone for the cooperation between industry and retailers.

Author: Jürgen Wetzstein

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