OPINION
Time is Right for a Stronger Commitment
By Jonathan Harrison, Director of the Association of Cycle Traders (ACT) I
t has been nearly two years since E-Bike Positive first launched, and in that time, it has grown into the UK’s largest e-bike campaign. What started as a collaboration between Bosch eBike Systems, the Bicycle
Association (BA), Cycling UK and the ACT has reached a significant milestone. As of January 2026, the scheme has officially transitioned into joint industry stewardship, led by the BA and the ACT - and with that comes a new chapter for every retailer who has been part of it. I want to start by acknowledging how we got here. A special thanks must go to Bosch eBike Systems for handing E-Bike Positive over to the trade. They understood that a campaign built on industry trust has to be owned by the industry. Now that it is, the responsibility sits with us. From the beginning, E-Bike Positive set out to promote
e-bikes as a safe, healthy and economical mode of transport, while educating the public about the real risks of aftermarket lithium-ion batteries, uncertified chargers and unregulated conversion kits. Around 400 UK retailers signed the original pledge to sell and repair only road-legal e-bikes. To those businesses: thank you. You stepped up when the industry needed you to, and the campaign is stronger for it. But we are now retiring that original pledge. In its place, we
are introducing a new Retailer Commitment - and I want to be straight with you about why. The context around e-bike safety has shifted considerably since 2024. The market has grown, public awareness has increased, and so has scrutiny. We have all seen the media coverage surrounding battery fires and illegal bikes. Too often, those reports have failed to distinguish between the professional retailer and those selling non-compliant products online. Our sector has felt the reputational
24 | June 2026
www.bikebiz.com
consequences of problems we had no hand in creating. A simple pledge is no longer enough to cut through that. We need something more structured, more visible and more credible - and that is exactly what the new Retailer Commitment is designed to be. The new framework introduces clearer,
more structured criteria for participation, designed to give shoppers, policymakers and the wider industry genuine confidence that retailers flying the E-Bike Positive flag are operating to the highest standards. It also
introduces a requirement for participating retailers to
stock at least one E-Bike Positive-approved brand - those that have passed independent audits of their safety, testing and quality processes. It is a logical step. By aligning responsible retailers with safety-assured brands, we create a genuine closed loop of safety from the supply chain to the shop floor. When a customer walks into an E-Bike Positive retailer, they are not just getting expert advice - they are being offered products that have been independently verified to meet rigorous standards.
E-Bike Positive: Why the
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