|
Testing standards and performance levels: Objective comparison of durability
Testing standards
------------------------------------------------------
Reliable tests must, on the one hand be as close to reality as possible; on the other hand they must also be objective and repeatable. Wherever the bicycle safety standards ISO 4210, EN 14764, 14766 or 14781 offer acceptable testing methods, EFBe has adopted these standard methods. In individual cases, in which the standards do not correspond to the current state-of-the-art technology, the EFBe Standards justifiably differ. Details are justified in the scope Testservice.
EFBe Fatigue tests are fundamentally all carried out using PC supported measurement and control technology (industrial standard). Due to significant production spread, this is the only way to achieve a satisfactory and reliable result.
Performance levels for fatigue tests
------------------------------------------------------
Concerning the Level of requirements for specific fatigue tests, EFBe, together with its partners has developed a Quality Level System with recommendations for three bicycle categories:
- R Racing bikes
- M Mountain bikes (Cross Country)
- S Trekking / City bikes
On the basis of in-house service load data acquisition and years of testing experience, EFBe has introduced three EFBe Performance levels applicable for all bike models.
|
***
Top Performance
(TP)
|
|
|
|
*
Standard Performance
(SP)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
highest demands; recommended for an extremely high load application and extreme distances.
|
|
high demands; recommended for an extremely high load application or extreme distances.
|
|
basic demands; should be fulfilled by all components.
|
|
|
|
|
|
These Performance levels apply for individual components that are able to withstand a specific testing load for more than 100,000 cycles without developing any cracks or fractures.
Example: EFBe Performance levels for front fork fatigue tests
|
Quality Level
|
R Racing bike
|
M Mountain bike
(Cross Country)
|
S Trekking / City bike
|
|
Top Performance
***
|
TP-R
100 000 x 650 N
|
TP-M
100 000 x 650 N
|
TP-S
100 000 x 500 N
|
|
High Performance
**
|
HP-R
100 000 x 600 N
|
HP-M
100 000 x 600 N
|
HP-S
100 000 x 450 N
|
|
Standard Performance
*
|
SP-R
100 000 x 550 N
|
SP-M
100 000 x 550 N
|
SP-S
100 000 x 400 N
|
This method gives all market participants, from the manufacturers and dealers, right down to the end consumer, the chance to evaluate the durability of each product at a glance.
A complete overview to all EFBe Performance levels is to be found here.
|
