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.

Hannoversche Allgemeine, 2017/02/08
Reading time 2:30 minutes

"You don’t check the fuel tank by using a lighter"

We asked Dirk Zedler, graduate engineer and sworn in bicycle expert.

What can make the battery of a pedelec explode all of a sudden? 

This can have several causes. Today’s bicycles are powered by lithium ion accumulators. Wrong charging or a manipulation of the battery can lead to such a reaction. I’ve already seen people screwing a child carrier to the battery.



Today’s fire broke out in a specialist shop where the correct handling of a battery should be well known. What else can have happened?

There are manufacturers with a long tradition in building batteries; they install so called battery management systems. These systems switch off the batteries immediately if a fault occurs. And then there are other manufacturers building batteries that are cheap in the first place.

What do you think a good battery should cost?

Between 500 and 700 Euro. It’s not so much the individual battery which costs, but the electronics which is built in.


Lithium batteries have become indispensable in today’s world, they also provide the power for smart phones, laptops or cordless screwdrivers. What should consumers be aware of?

They should be aware of the correct handling. In former days, we did not use a lighter to check a fuel tank either. Consumers must know that a battery is a powerful energy storage.


What do I have to keep in mind with batteries?

Be sure to only use the supplied chargers, in dry condition and at ambient temperature on a non-flammable plate. It is an advantage to charge the battery in a room with a smoke detector.

Interview: Tobias Morchner

Read the entire interview here.

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