Electric bikes are becoming more popular with each passing year, and the corona pandemic has gotten even more people on the bike seat. The range is getting better and better, and the construction of the bikes is more stable than before. In a new, large test conducted by NAF in collaboration with Testfakta failed four out of seven bikes brake test.
– The brakes are undersized on several bikes , writes NAF in a press release.
There are different types of brakes for bicycles, and disc brakes should be the ones that give the best braking effect. Three of the bikes that did not pass the brake test have disc brakes both front and rear. The latter has disc brakes at the front and hub brakes at the rear.
– It seems that the manufacturers have undersized the brakes. We do not know the reason for that, but it is not good, says Sødal.
In the brake test, the brakes were tested against the maximum weight the bikes are built for. The maximum weight is: The bike’s weight + the cyclist’s weight + load.
The bikes from Biltema, Winora and Giant did not pass the brake test.
The electric bike from Giant has a stated maximum weight of 156 kilos, but the brakes managed only 109 kilos. Winora’s electric bike was also some distance behind the maximum weight; the brakes managed 117 kilos, while the stated maximum weight is 130 kilos. Biltema’s electric bike almost passed the brake test, but they failed two kilos below the maximum weight.
– Even with a poor score on the brake test, the bike from Giant came in second place in the test. It is disappointing that an otherwise good electric bike has too bad brakes to cope with an emergency situation, Nils Sødal believes.
– We hope the manufacturer does something about this, he continues.
The bike from Crescent did the worst, but it is not sold in Norway. There, the brakes already failed at 77 kilos. The bike weighs 22 kilos, so you have to be a lightweight if you want to rely on the brakes.
The electric bicycle test was carried out by NAF in collaboration with Testfakta. The seven electric bikes in the test are sold in Norway and Sweden. You can see the entire test at NAF here.
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