Not all bicycles or bicycle components are the result of sophisticated design, flawless assembly and adequate maintenance. These bicycles or bicycle components therefore often fail causing accidents with partly serious consequences. During the analysis of such claims the major challenge is to consider that bicycle and e-bike use may be completely different due to various factors and that bicycle and e-bike defects, unlike car defects, may have completely different effects.
In expert's reports on the analysis of deficiencies or failure we document and record the condition of the fully-assembled bicycle, verify the assembly condition and check whether the bicycles are roadworthy and safe. In addition, we inspect the material, conduct load and/or fatigue strength tests and determine the causes of loss.
Our power of judgement in this respect is based on the practical experience of our team members. They commute daily by bike or e-bike and in their spare time they also use their bicycles for cycle trips and other activities, such as training or competitions in different disciplines. On the other hand we are able to draw on 25 years of experience as technical bicycle experts and numerous concluded expert's reports as well as documented loss incidents. In addition, we are able to reliably assess durability and typical bicycle and pedelec component damage on the basis of thousands of fracture patterns. The latter were created during tests (until failure) in our in-house laboratory and are recorded in our company archives where they are accessible at any time. Our wealth of experience is particularly large in the case of bicycle components made of carbon; in case of damage their overload behaviour is fundamentally different from that of components made of metallic materials. The basis for that was laid by company founder Dirk Zedler in 1986 with his first practical and scientific works. The expert knowledge of fibre-reinforced composites has continuously grown since these days.
