Hi All,
I am looking for an engineer to do a piece of work for me to provide me with a report detailing the relevant elements of EPAC tricycle law to a UK manaufacturer.
Essentially I am about to launch a UK manufactured EPAC cargo trike and I need to be 100% sure that I meet all of the required standards. I had posted previously with a similar request and whilst the information given was great, a forum posy it is not something that I could present to an insurer in order to underwrite tens of thousands of pounds of product!
I am not one for taking 'you should be okay' for an answer on a big investment.
I am fairly happy that I meet the UK EPAC criteria for trikes but what I am not sure about is the standards for structural load testing etc I.e. are there any structural testing requirements for these trikes?
From my research and from contacting various agencies, the only standards that I can see I legally have to comply with are the EU EPAC guidelines
Standards | CTC
EAPC Regulations | CTC
I have been in dialogue with the UK CTC technical officer Chris Juden who gave me the following response.
There are tests for bicycles, as part of the EN standards they usually claim to conform to (but no longer strictly have to conform to in order to be sold), but those tests may or may not be appropriate for tricycles, which are subject to different stresses, especially sideways bending and twisting, on account of standing on three wheels rather than being nicely balanced on two.
Tricycles sell in too small numbers for anyone to have gone to the trouble of authenticating a testing regime.
Regards
Chris Juden
I am about to import a significant quantity of these bikes OR have a significant quantity of these bikes made here in the UK, Hence what I am after is a report written by an engineer giving;
a) Confirmation that the standards listed on the CTC links above are the only legal requirements for selling these trikes in the UK
b) Confirmation that there are not any other standards that I need to comply with in order to sell these bikes in the UK – e.g. structural etc
c) A written report detailing this that I can use if ever I am questioned by a)my insurer, b) someone else’s insurer/lawyer etc.
d) An understanding of how the law might differentiate between the unladen weight of the cycle (58kg when law is 60kg max) and its weight with accessories fitted. For example. I have just sold a bike with a 50kg Ice Cream freezer on the front. When would this freezer be considered part of the trikes weight? Is it considered to be cargo or part of the bike (which would then make the bike non road legal). How can I get around the law if this is the case – i.e. make it removable, nonattached. This applies to all sorts of applications like beer trikes, coffee trikes etc.
My trikes seem to meet the EAPC guidelines for tricycles and also the pedal cycles guidelines – i.e.;
• They weigh less than 60kg (58kg) including battery
• They have 3 x brakes + handbrake, brakes are on the correct side of the handlebars
• They have a label fitted stating motor wattage + speed limitation
• The motor’s maximum speed is 15mph
• The motors wattage is 250W
• They have reflectors in the right places
They have twist and go but no hall effect sensor so apparently are okay for UK but not EU?
• Power to motor is cut when brakes are applied
Again - I am looking for a solid and complete study here from a qualified person and am willing to pay for it.
Any takers???
Cheers
Decotopian
I am looking for an engineer to do a piece of work for me to provide me with a report detailing the relevant elements of EPAC tricycle law to a UK manaufacturer.
Essentially I am about to launch a UK manufactured EPAC cargo trike and I need to be 100% sure that I meet all of the required standards. I had posted previously with a similar request and whilst the information given was great, a forum posy it is not something that I could present to an insurer in order to underwrite tens of thousands of pounds of product!
I am not one for taking 'you should be okay' for an answer on a big investment.
I am fairly happy that I meet the UK EPAC criteria for trikes but what I am not sure about is the standards for structural load testing etc I.e. are there any structural testing requirements for these trikes?
From my research and from contacting various agencies, the only standards that I can see I legally have to comply with are the EU EPAC guidelines
Standards | CTC
EAPC Regulations | CTC
I have been in dialogue with the UK CTC technical officer Chris Juden who gave me the following response.
There are tests for bicycles, as part of the EN standards they usually claim to conform to (but no longer strictly have to conform to in order to be sold), but those tests may or may not be appropriate for tricycles, which are subject to different stresses, especially sideways bending and twisting, on account of standing on three wheels rather than being nicely balanced on two.
Tricycles sell in too small numbers for anyone to have gone to the trouble of authenticating a testing regime.
Regards
Chris Juden
I am about to import a significant quantity of these bikes OR have a significant quantity of these bikes made here in the UK, Hence what I am after is a report written by an engineer giving;
a) Confirmation that the standards listed on the CTC links above are the only legal requirements for selling these trikes in the UK
b) Confirmation that there are not any other standards that I need to comply with in order to sell these bikes in the UK – e.g. structural etc
c) A written report detailing this that I can use if ever I am questioned by a)my insurer, b) someone else’s insurer/lawyer etc.
d) An understanding of how the law might differentiate between the unladen weight of the cycle (58kg when law is 60kg max) and its weight with accessories fitted. For example. I have just sold a bike with a 50kg Ice Cream freezer on the front. When would this freezer be considered part of the trikes weight? Is it considered to be cargo or part of the bike (which would then make the bike non road legal). How can I get around the law if this is the case – i.e. make it removable, nonattached. This applies to all sorts of applications like beer trikes, coffee trikes etc.
My trikes seem to meet the EAPC guidelines for tricycles and also the pedal cycles guidelines – i.e.;
• They weigh less than 60kg (58kg) including battery
• They have 3 x brakes + handbrake, brakes are on the correct side of the handlebars
• They have a label fitted stating motor wattage + speed limitation
• The motor’s maximum speed is 15mph
• The motors wattage is 250W
• They have reflectors in the right places
They have twist and go but no hall effect sensor so apparently are okay for UK but not EU?
• Power to motor is cut when brakes are applied
Again - I am looking for a solid and complete study here from a qualified person and am willing to pay for it.
Any takers???
Cheers
Decotopian
