Completa Mente (BVP) ESD4 materials.pdf 1 26/08/2019 16:58

38 EUROBIKE SHOW DAILY Friday, September 6, 2019

BACKGROUND REPORT: STANDARDS OR SAFETY — WHY CAN’T THE BIKE HAVE BOTH?   Brought to you by: Most brands like to brag about how years,” said Ernst Brust, the founder of Portugal Bike Value innovative they are; it’s an important part of their Velotech, another established testing lab for bikes. Brust has since turned messages. But too much innovation can the company over to his son and now be dangerous when it comes to consumer safety. works for the German pedelec brand TABOR SADDLES Fischer. Tabor was established in 1965, specializing in hand While innovation is healthy, a bikes, a multitude of niches He has been involved from the start Portugal Bike Value bicycle saddles made from chrome-free vegetable-tanned constant push to invent new products and subcategories have popped up in with an industry working group that is leather. and new categories can cause recent years. developing the new DIN 79010 standard thinks local and acts global As the leading manufacturer in Portugal for several years, Tabor is now problems, as products go beyond While the niches are defined accord- for e-cargo bikes. promoting its brand and products in European markets including Portugal is a country of opportunity for those betting the bounds of established technical ing to different criteria — suspension DIN 79010 is a good example of how Germany, Holland and Belgium as well as in Scandinavia. Although the Marcus Schroeder, EFBE on the global two-wheel market. standards that are supposed to ensure travel for mountain bikes, tire width for standards can lag behind the market; leather saddle market underwent a crisis during the mid-90’s, today it In Portugal, we are witnessing the merger of an that consumer products are safe when bikes, and maximum allowed load the group started the process more has become a very interesting market niche, almost a gourmet product, 80-year-old tradition of the two-wheel sector and the used as intended. capacity for cargo bikes, as examples “If one company cannot than four years ago, and is still working especially in the northern European countries due to this type of saddle innovation and entrepreneurship of a younger Among bicycle safety experts, — a number of issues all arise from the afford to pay for tests like to resolve some 300 objections that being very comfortable and also because of the exponential growth of generation, who invest in cutting-edge , the there is broad agreement that many of same underlying problem: The basic have been raised by various stakehold- urban/city . These models are usually equipped with a larger, that and invest in safety, team development of new products and the latest trends in the safety standards for bicycles and norms and regulations that govern ers. springier saddle where product weight is less important, with custom- up with others and share the the two-wheel sector. components are no longer relevant. safety considerations, such as ISO The standards-setting process in ers opting for the ultimate quality comfort and a more traditional look. The challenges of Industry 4.0 are embraced by our We talked to several of these experts 4210, have become outdated. The pace costs!” most industries, like the one now ongo- Tabor never stopped producing leather saddles, giving priority to entrepreneurs and companies, which increasingly act maintain its handcrafted processes, thus keeping alive the memory of about these outdated standards, of technical evolution has simply left ing for DIN 79010, typically requires locally and think globally. past times when the bicycle was the principal means of transportation. and how the bicycle industry should many of these standards behind. sories industry. “At CONEBI and WBIA, broad consensus from all stakeholders Worth emphasizing is the capacity of the technological- Now, once again the bike is perceived, along its comfort, as a symbol address them going forward. Yet there is a strong argument for we have noticed a stream of innova- before they can go into effect. ly well-equipped two-wheel industry and exceptional of status and personal identity. Sustainability, integrity, customer ensuring that manufacturers find agree- tions throughout all segments of the One of the challenges is creating lead times for the sector, thus making Portugal the satisfaction and social awareness are some of the values that allowed Left behind. “The dynamics of the ment on new norms for these products, industry – conventional bicycles, a test that can apply to two-, three-, preferred choice for setting up new companies. Tabor to keep manufacturing high quality bicycle saddles until today. market have left the regulations behind especially in an industry as globalized pedelecs, parts and accessories.” and even four-wheeled e-cargo bikes. I also highlight the proximity to , allowing for in many ways, and throughout the his- as the bike industry. Büchel said CONEBI, which repre- Another challenge comes from logistics the development of cutting-edge products and tory of bicycle safety standards, there “Standards have been defined sents European bicycle manufacturers, companies, who want to push the technologies; the existence of skilled labor and highly are many examples of how obsolete and implemented to make sure that and the WBIA are working to set new maximum allowed weight for com- qualified workers; the availability of a test laboratory such technical rules can become in a commercially available bicycles and standards. mercial e-cargo bikes far beyond the meeting UCI's competition requirements; the tradition of short time,” said Marcus Schröeder, components are as safe as possible,” “Both on a European and an limits that have traditionally defined the sector; and, no matter where your plant is located, it managing director of EFBE, a German said Erhard Büchel, president of the international level, new norms and bicycle parts. is never further than two hours from a seaport or testing lab and safety institute for World Bicycle Industry Association, regulations are being developed and We are, after all, still talking about international airport. It definitely places the world two bicycles. which represents the global bicycle, old norms are being examined on a bicycles that should be easy to operate. days away. From mountain bikes to road and e-bike and bicycle parts and acces- regular basis in order to keep up with Portugal is today a player that cannot be ignored in the global market. Those who want to the latest technical developments,” he Safety first. To reflect the complex- locate here will find support, namely via Portugal 2020. So our advice can only be: “go west”. said. ity of loads as they occur on a cargo Come get to know us better. We are waiting for you. bike, the Zedler Institute for Bicycle All eyes on Germany. Many of these and Safety, a German João Miranda, new regulations will come from Europe bicycle testing and certification lab, is Chairman of ABIMOTA — and, particularly, from Germany, developing a dynamic test bay that can CONTACT: phone: (+351) 234 602 795 / which is the biggest single market in handle all types of cargo bikes. [email protected] Tabor, Rua Alto do Vale do Grou, (+351) 234 622 610 Europe. Regulations set by the Euro- “Norms and regulations can give 953 3750-870 Borralha, Águeda, email: [email protected] pean Union and by German authorities manufacturers some certainty and Portugal Find us on: #taborsaddles often end up providing the template for guidelines throughout their innovation new global rules. process, but they can also become a The European Union has recently problem,” founder Dirk Zedler said. UNIBIKE: updated its pedelec and e-bike regula- He added, “Too many norms and SANGAL: EBIKE ASSEMBLY & CUSTOM PAINTING tions. Regulation 168/2013 and EN regulations can kill off the innovative 15194:2017 are the new norms for all drive within the industry, and that A BICYCLE COMPANY WITH 63 YEARS OF HISTORY Founded in the late 1990s in Vagos, INTER BIKE specializes in the pedelecs that adhere to the 250W would be a real pity. After all, the UNIBIKE was born in 2018 from European market demand for the assembly Sangal o ers all kinds of services in the field of e-bikes, but our specialty is in , specification of E-Bikes and custom painting of carbon frames, which local industry is motor limit and 25 kph speed limit. bicycle industry has come a long way and assembly. Sangal o ers a second to none and has become an “all-in-one” OEM unable to fully meet. The new regulations and norms also and has evolved the simple bicycle supplier for partners across Europe. We also welcome enquiries from the American continent. define pedelecs as machines, which into a multitude of sophisticated types Our present factory of 8000 square meters is located in Ilhavo (Aveiro) in Portugal. It was equipped With the introduction of new rules (customs tari s) in the EU on electric bicycles and bicycle components imported from Asia, with the growing means that an e-bike has to be tested mainly based on passion and commit- with modern high-end plant machinery in 2016 and has been specified to build high-end bicycles. demand for E-Bikes motivated by urban mobility and environmental as a complete unit, instead of just rely- ment.” We help our partners to design frames, electric systems (EN-15194:2017) and of course a complete awareness, Portugal has become an extremely important country. It is ing on tests of individual components. program of (electric) bicycles. attractive for assembling e-bikes for various reasons, such as its geographi- “The European Machinery Directive The popularity of is increasing dramatically. Factors such as the environment, motor congestion and health benefits are driving this increase. With recent changes and cal location that allows you to receive and place finished product anywhere forces the manufacturers to maintain investment in our company we have increased our capacity and are looking for more partners. Our in Europe in 48 hours and for labor costs. stringent documentation and proce- capacity has increased by an additional fifty thousand a year, so don’t hesitate: we may fill this From 2020 Unibike will have a technological and production capacity dures — none of which would raise quickly. which will provide two-wheel bike painting and assembly services to the an eyebrow in other industries, to be Should your company be a start-up and European market. honest. Frankly, the whole industry has you are not yet able to buy large volumes, UNIBIKE OEM Factory, SA, in 2020 will be fully operational with a capacity benefitted from this,” Schroeder said. we can o er our own brand of e-bikes of 1400 aluminum painted frames (gloss / under the SPHERE label. Also, with this satin / matt), 350 aluminum painted A heavy lift. Cargo bikes are a striking brand range, the lead-times are short. frames / day, 400 mounted electric bikes example of a category that evolved / day and 500 normal bikes / day more rapidly than most could have UNIBIKE's logistics system will also start CONTACT: anticipated. operating in 2020 allowing customers to Zona Industrial da Mota. Rua 7. Lote A11 From being a car alternative manage their stock from the 3830-527 Ilhavo (Aveiro) Portugal for families, cargo bikes are now a located in Portugal. www.sangal-bike.com Erhard Büchel, WBIA serious option for commercial logistics [email protected] companies, as a walk through the cargo Phone: +351 234 136 613 CONTACT: Zona Industrial de Oiã, Lote C21, Rua Forte do Lugar – PO bike area in Hall A1 demonstrates. “New norms and regulations Box 183, 3770-514 Oiã, Portugal, Phone: +351 234 726 170, Some of these commercial cargo are being developed and old @unibike.pt bikes are big, brawny workhorses that norms are being examined have little in common with family- on a regular basis in order to friendly bikes. “Apart from e-scooters, this is the keep up with the latest techni- area where we have seen the situation cal developments.” develop most dynamically in recent

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“From my point of view, rules How Humpert does it. With its ments on the market in order to be and regulations are less important Ergotec brand, Humpert [A6-100] relevant,” said Brust, who has been than a safety-conscious mindset on has shown how a responsible bike- involved in establishing most of the behalf of the manufacturers and their maker has gone beyond the standards bicycle standards over the years. suppliers,” Zedler said. “Serious and and established its own system of “With heavy pedelecs and large independent testing on a regular basis Safety Levels for handlebars, stems cargo bikes, tire manufacturers need may cost some money, but it also and seatposts. to step up their game and define saves a lot of costs for companies, as The Humpert system assigns levels, maximum weights for different tire a recall costs much more and also can from one to six, reflecting the types models,” he added. do damage to a company’s reputation.” of uses and total weights that are ap- In general, Brust said, the industry He added, “My message is to better propriate for a particular component. can take several steps right now to be safe than sorry: Now that the “Humpert has a century worth of improve its safety record. “First of all, bicycle has grown up, it is time to step experience in these kinds of do not touch any without a CE up the game for the industry. Get out parts. Apart from the usual load cycle marking,” he said. “Second, make sure of the garage workshops and profes- tests we also do breaking tests to see to use quality hardware and a torque Dirk Zedler, Zedler Institute for Bicycle sionalize your business.” where the weakest spot of the respec- wrench as a standard procedure.” Technology and Safety EFBE’s Schroeder strikes a similar tive is. Naturally we also Brust concluded, “Third, closely tone. He believes gravity-oriented keep close track of any broken parts observe the market to get precious “Now that the bicycle has mountain bikes are as much of a in the field, trying to reconstruct how feedback. And last but not least, edu- grown up, it is time to step up problem as pedelcs and cargo bikes. they were used and why they failed,” cation and expertise are investments “So far, the default procedure said Rolf Häcker, head of product for the future. The bicycle industry the game for the industry. Get within the bicycle industry has been development for Humpert. needs more experts.” ■ LvR out of the garage workshops trust rather than control — but that Humpert relied on studies by the and professionalize your is a sure way to get into trouble,” Technical of Hamburg- business.” Schroeder said. “At EFBE, we strongly Harburg, and by Velotech, to help advise manufacturers of entire develop its Safety Levels system. bicycles and components to invest “Most recently, field tests with As an expert in product testing in meaningful independent testing strain gauges have shown that the and safety — and in investigating bike that exceeds existing ISO and CE forces as defined by existing norms accidents that result from product norms wherever necessary, taking are being exceeded with increasing failures — Zedler has helped several into account the mode of use and the overall system weights, thus not companies limit damages caused by overall system weight.” reflecting real-life use properly faulty products through recalls. Schroeder said some brands have anymore. For this reason we expose all He says companies shouldn’t rely done pioneering on e-enduro of our parts to fittingly higher forces,” on existing norms and regulations bikes, and a handful of component Häcker said. that haven’t kept up with new product manufacturers test their parts to “way categories. more stringent demands” than called Experts wanted. As Germany’s elder Instead, he believes bikemakers for in the relevant standards. statesman for bicycle safety and test- Ernst Brust, Velotech should take responsibility for ensuring For those who complain about the ing, Ernst Brust offered some closing that their products can stand up to expense, Schroeder offers a simple thoughts on the matter. “ and expertise are real-world use, even if it costs them solution: “If one company cannot “Naturally, do slow investments for the future. more time and expense than merely afford to pay for tests like that and down this process of setting new The bicycle industry needs meeting the standard. They should invest in safety, team up with others standards, but on the other hand new insist their suppliers do the same. and share the costs!” norms need to reflect current develop- more experts.”

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