OPINION
audit costs around £2,000. For smaller producers of non- standard cycles, including cargo cycles, it could mean higher per-unit costs are passed on to smaller brands’ customers. Peter Eland says just because a brand hasn’t been audited at this early stage, it doesn’t mean it’s unsafe, but longer-term, it will start to matter more. What happens in the meantime, not least in terms of insurers, is another question – for disabled people who use non-standard cycles, not being able to safely store their vehicle could have a devastating impact on their independence. Conversion kit producers aren’t eligible for BA membership yet, pending official guidance around the legal implications of such kits. Ultimately, the industry has had to pick up the pieces of
a problem created far beyond the sphere of its influence. Workers in the gig economy delivering food for below minimum wage pay will try to go as fast as they can for as little money as possible, and cheap conversion kits are the easiest way to achieve that. While the Association of Cycle Traders (ACT’s) Jonathan Harrison says many retailers have sympathy with those riders, the industry has to draw a line. “We’re quite robust with our position, which is [retailers] should not be going anywhere near selling, servicing, repairing any of these products that are not EAPCs,” says Harrison.
www.bikebiz.com
Regulators seem to have lost control over online
marketplaces where illegal and dangerous products are rife. The Product Regulation and Metrology (PRAM) Act, introduced last summer, is intended to “hold online marketplaces to account and help with growing safety concerns over fires caused by lithium-ion batteries, and e-bikes,” specifically. However, the secondary legislation that will bring about change is still pending. In the meantime, you can buy dangerous multi-plug chargers, high-powered conversion kits that are illegal on UK roads and at least one fake e-bike advertised with a 30mph+ top speed and 50-mile range on throttle alone, for the ‘parent- child commute’. Peter Eland says: “We can’t just say it’s unfair. We do have
to do something. And this is what we’ve come up with as something within our control, which we have the power to get in place fairly quickly”. Eland adds that the BA is “engaging with government on all sorts of fronts to try and actually address the root causes of the problem, but we don’t think that’s going to happen anytime soon. So we as the industry do have to get out in front”. Many MPs already understand it’s an issue, but the chasm between knowledge and action is still substantial. ●
August 2026 | 45
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