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.

Hello,

Almost exactly thirty years ago I was standing at the starting line of my third triathlon in Ettlingen near Karlsruhe – with self-built disc wheel covers. I did not win, but my entry into the world of cycling was settled. I built some more disc wheels with friends and sold them. These GFRP laminates even won a German and a European Championship. From then on I have been active in this sector.

You and your products benefit from 30 years of experience in bicycle technology as an athlete, engineer and through about ten thousand expert reports under my aegis.

After laying the tracks for the future with the new headquarters a few weeks ago, we take the next step by founding a new company – GDFS mbH.

My team of meanwhile 20 employees and I are still driven by the love of cycling, the passion for sustainable mobility and the fascination for the continuously innovative bicycle technology.

I wish you an enjoyable read.
Dirk Zedler


Restructuring in the Zedler-Group: Expert reports to be delivered by "GDFS"

Continuous growth of all business fields with meanwhile more than 800 expert reports per year, an above-average growth of our test laboratory activities and a growing number of employees are the reasons to adjust the individual business fields to current conditions. On August 1, 2016, GDFS (Gesellschaft der Fahrrad-Sachverständigen mbH), the limited liability company of bicycle experts, therefore commenced operation.

Dirk Zedler: "Since 1993 my name has been standing for the highest competence level in expert activity in the bicycle sector. Thousands of expert reports for courts, insurance companies, legal and natural persons have contributed to profound clarification of failure cases, the settlement of liability losses, burglary damage and theft; not only in Germany, but also well beyond the borders. In addition, a broad public among consumers meanwhile benefits from our expertise that has grown over the years. To many people I am known as expert on television or as author of specialist books."

However, the only things that will change are the company’s legal form and name. The quality of our expert reports and our employees will remain the same and founder Dirk Zedler stays in the company. In his position as managing director his year-long experience will be fully at the experts’ disposal.


"Very good" and "good" for your customers

Owner manuals from Zedler-Institut

Owner manuals from Zedler-Institut tested by German product testers Stiftung Warentest

This year, too, Stiftung Warentest (StiWa) tested electric bicycles, including their manuals (test 07/2016). The results were again a rollercoaster of emotions for many manufacturers.

It is known that we do not fully approve of test methods and results of Stiftung Warentest. We often criticised them openly and harshly in the past. Irrespectively of this, the results of our manuals were consistently at least "good" – as they had been in the previous years, too.

If you also want to be a winner when it comes to owner manuals, get in touch with us. We are looking forward to working with you on the perfect solution with regard to your types of bicycles, quantities and budget.


Guidelines for the replacement of pedelec/e-bike parts up to 25 km/h (15 mph) updated

The German bicycle associations VSF and ZIV updated the guidelines for the parts replacement that were drawn up together with Zedler-Institut in 2015 in order to provide bicycle retailers with some information to follow when replacing parts of e-bikes and pedelecs up to 25 km/h (15 mph). Furthermore, these guidelines have just been approved of by the umbrella organization for German industry guilds (Bundesinnungsverband für das Zweiradmechaniker-Handwerk), as well.

There have been no changes in recommendations as far as the choice of components is concerned. Explanations were added to categories and contents, however. The guidelines are now containing additional information on why the replacement of certain components is subject to certain conditions and what retailers have to take into account when replacing parts.

The luggage carrier is a very good example: It was often not clear to retailers why luggage carriers were category 2 replacement parts that must only be replaced on the vehicle manufacturer’s approval. The revised guidelines provide the information that luggage carriers directly affect the load distribution on the bicycle and therefore can have a positive as well as negative influence on the riding behaviour.


11 bicycles and accessories for World Bicycle Relief

In 2016 employees of Zedler-Group took again part in the cycle tours Sachsenheimer Lichtenstern-Tour and Ludwigsburger Barock-Rundfahrt (RTF) together with business partners, families and friends of the company. Even persistent rain and temperatures just above 10 degrees Celsius could not keep participants from riding 40 to 208 kilometres. The all in all 46 participants collected 4,922 km on both Sundays and earned 30 cents per kilometre that will be donated, just like in the previous years, to World Bicycle Relief.

With this donation the project will be able to buy 11 new, solid Buffalo bicycles and a whole lot of accessories for Africa. Furthermore, the Zedler team won the cup for the largest group for the sixth time in a row at RTF in Ludwigsburg.

Managing director Dirk Zedler: "We are happy to have earned bicycles for Africa this year again that will allow more than 50 Africans to travel to work or to start a training and thereby improve their lives a little."


You want to get in touch with us?

Dates and workshops

Almost the entire Zedler team will be at Eurobike Show in Friedrichshafen from August 31 to September 2, 2016.

Please contact us via mail to vertrieb(at)zedler.de or by phone at +49 (0) 7141/29 99 27-0 to make an appointment.

On November 17 and 18, 2016, Dirk Zedler will hold a lecture at the workshop “From DIN EN to DIN EN ISO 4210 / 8098 and the new DIN 79010” of th work group bicycle safety of  DVM e.V. (German Association for Materials Research and Testing).


The press about us or "do good and let the others report about it"


Zedler – Institut für Fahrradtechnik und -Sicherheit GmbH

Teinacher Straße 51
D-71634 Ludwigsburg

Phone: +49 (0)7141/29 99 27-0
Fax: +49 (0)7141/29 99 27-30
Email: info(at)zedler.de

Managing Director: Graduate Engineer Dirk Zedler
HRB 732149, County Court Stuttgart
Place of fulfilment & venue is Ludwigsburg

Local tax office Ludwigsburg
Tax ID 71370/00516
VAT ID DE 268 509 388

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