THE SALE OF cargo bikes by cycling company Babboe has been put on hold after the Dutch products regulator claimed the firm has not provided enough information to confirm their safety.
A recall order for all Babboe cargo bikes has been put in place in the Netherlands by the regulator, citing frame defects. After the first inspections are completed, the regulator will then decide if it must alert other watchdogs across the EU.
One Dublin owner says their family feels like they’re “up the creek without a paddle” as Irish users face the possibility of recalls.
Babboe’s cargo bikes are popular due to them being cost-effective. The company describes itself as the number one cargo bike manufacturer and has sold units worldwide.
In a statement posted to its website, Babboe said that “certain models” were flagged by the Dutch regulator but the firm has taken the precaution to halt all sales of cargo bikes at this time.
The bike company said it will continue to work with the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA) and ensure all relevant safety information is shared with them as soon as possible.
Eight variations of the company’s cargo bike have been recalled, including; Babboe City/City-E/City Mountain, Babboe Curve/Curve-E/Curve Mountain, Babboe Big/Big-E, Babboe Dog/Dog-E, Babboe Max-E, Babboe Mini-E/Mini Mountain, Babboe Pro Trike/Trike-E/Trike XL and the Babboe Carve-E/Carve Mountain.
One bike user, Jane, from Dublin told The Journal that she uses her Babboe cargo bike every day to transport her two children to and from school.
She said she trusted the brand and feels the bulkiness of the cargo bike makes them more visible to other road users.
Jane said: “Now, with this news, we’re up the creek without a paddle and we’re wondering if we can afford to buy another bike – they’re not cheap – or do we get into the car and face traffic instead.”
Jane detailed that her family had chosen to buy the bike second hand, for environmental reasons, and as a result are unsure if it would be possible to receive a refund in the event of an EU-wide recall.
The NVWA has said that the cargo bike users must contact Babboe about potential refunds and cannot help consumers in that regard. The company does not reference refunds in the statement posted to its website.
Dutch outlet RTLNews spoke to some employees of the manufacture who said safety risks and issues have previously been flagged to the company. One said they were surprised that someone has not died from using the bike.
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