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.

BIKE 03/2016
Reading time 0:50 minutes

BIKE explains the world

Reader’s question

I have a Specialized Epic built in 2006 and cycled about 40000 km on it – forest trails as well as Alpcross and marathon races. My question: Can an aluminium frame become soft over time?

Reply by graduate engineer Dirk Zedler, two-wheel expert

"The myth of (aluminium) frames gone soft is nearly as old as the bicycle itself. This cannot happen to metal frames, as the stiffness depends on the material-own modulus of elasticity which doesn’t change during use. This physical law has already been proved by the German special interest magazine TOUR with tests of several frames on dynamic test stands years ago. If, in fact, an aluminium component goes noticeably soft, it already shows incipient cracks and is very close to complete failure. In most of the cases the changing feeling of the rider arises from other factors. It is therefore recommended to check first of all the firm seat and condition of the add-on parts and bearings. The argument ‘aluminium frame has gone soft’ may be helpful to push through the decision to buy a new bike with regard to the housekeeping money; it is, however, not convincing to the expert."

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