Harold Versteeg
NOS Nieuws•vandaag, 17:50
The Dutch Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA) is investigating the Dutch bicycle manufacturer Babboe. The regulator confirms that there are signals that the manufacturer’s cargo bikes are not safe, such as: RTL News reported today.
Babboe, part of Accell Group, agrees a statement that it “does not recognize itself in the picture painted”.
Frame breaks in half
The investigative editors of RTL Nieuws spoke to former Babboe employees and parents who have a cargo bike. This shows that the frame of the cargo bike breaks in half “with great regularity” while riding.
For example, a woman from Hilversum says that she stopped and got off when her steering wheel started to shake very much. “Then I shook the steering wheel for a moment and then bang, it was completely in half. Really in half.” Babboe had had her bicycle serviced a few months earlier.
“Don’t Recognize Us”
According to Babboe, fewer than 20 reports have been received about the Curve model in two years, out of more than 50,000 bicycles sold. “We have investigated and resolved these complaints,” said Pippa Wibberley, director of Babboe.
“Given the very low number of bicycles and the nature of the complaints that have also been resolved, we have decided, in accordance with the guidelines, not to report this to the authorities,” says Wibberley.
In 2019, the company recalled the Babboe City, another model, because there may have been a manufacturing defect in the frame. This could cause the frame to sag. According to RTL Nieuws, newer bicycles of this model still break in half.
The NVWA announces that it has almost completed its investigation into the safety of the bicycle brand. “We expect to be able to offer consumers clarity in the very short term,” says a spokesperson.
Do you have similar experiences with a Babboe cargo bike? Email toeconomie@nos.nl
2024-02-09 16:50:34
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