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.

TOUR 06/2021
Reading time 1:30 minutes

Carbon: a risk?

Dirk Zedler TOUR expert and bicycle expert

“Carbon has changed radically over the past ten years”

Carbon is the material of choice for most high-quality road bike frames and forks from the past decade. But many cyclists are concerned about safety, especially when buying a second-hand bike. The material, however, poses hardly more risks than others if you consider a few things. This is also confirmed by Dirk Zedler who has pursued the development as tester, material tester and bicycle expert over decades. “Carbon has changed radically over the past ten years”. Latest models of renowned brands are safe, even in crash tests.” Sudden failure after previous damage has also become rare; in most cases there are early indications for a fracture. And handlebars and seat posts have also become safer. Nevertheless, graduate engineer Zedler calls for caution and provides the following tips for buyers.

Be sure to only buy well-known, renowned brands! With them safety standards are observed and consistent quality offered.

Take a close look! When something breaks down, it’s often a clamp. In these areas seat post, handlebars and fork steerer tube should be inspected thoroughly (see “Cracking points"). The frame can also be damaged, e.g. due to improper transport on a roof track or an accident.

Pay attention to warning signs! Longitudinal cracks and crushed carbon indicate clamping damage and can be felt. A fuzzy rag is also a good thing, its fibres stick to such areas. For a visual inspection the frame must be completely clean.

Damage to the paint? Can be signs of deeper damage; they can easier be identified on frames with a coloured paint than on black ones.

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