Many cyclists may be riding blind and risking serious injury, with more than than one in 10 having experienced an accident that they found was due to a structural failure undetected in the bike. Researchers now call for more stringent testing of bikes to identify these red flags before things go wrong on the road.
Whether you're a serious cyclist or a casual rider, everyone who gets in the saddle puts a lot of trust in their bike. But new research out of the University of New South Wales (UNSW) has discovered an alarming amount of structural weaknesses are resulting in preventable crashes. In the study, 298 regular cyclists – who rode at least once a week over six months – were surveyed and found that 11.4% of respondents said they'd had an accident they believed was due to a bike fault that was previously unknown.
The accidents and bike damage ran the gamut of severity and cost, with more than half resulting in injury (53.1%) and around 44% of these crashes causing more than AU$500 (US$308) worth of damage. And a quarter had components replaced after the bike failed in normal, everyday use.
As a cyclist, this is concerning, given that there's enough to worry about while sharing roads with cars or paths with other riders and pedestrians. Digging into the kind of faults, the researchers found that 62.5% of failures were directly linked to carbon fiber components, and 50% to aluminum parts. Material and component fatigue accounted for 31% of these accidents, while manufacturing faults were to blame for another 31%. Design flaws were seen in 19% of the bike failures reported.
“It’s not just about how you ride,” said lead researcher Dr. Julie Hatfield from UNSW. “It’s about what you’re riding.”
Perhaps not surprising, given the amount of stress put on it, the bike frame was the most prone to failure, together with the crank and pedals, as well as the handlebars and stem.
The researchers stress that this work was not undertaken to cause unnecessary alarm for riders, but to highlight that even people who invest time and money in looking after their bikes could still be missing these dangerous weak spots.
Of those surveyed, a significant number did not have their bike checked for structural problems after buying their ride second hand or following an accident on it. After a crash, it's easy to notice if there's serious damage to your bike, but less so if parts have just been weakened yet it rides as it always has.
“The awareness just isn’t there,” said Hatfield. “Many riders assume if their bike looks okay, it is okay – which can be a dangerous misconception.”
The researchers call for more widespread use of non-destructive testing (NDT), which includes more in-depth analysis such as X-ray and ultrasound, to check for faults that won't be seen in standard maintenance. Only 5% of those surveyed put their bike through NDT following any kind of accident.
And more than half of those regular riders didn't know what NDT was – the 42% who were aware of it were more likely to be competitive cyclists.
“People assume a bike shop can spot all the problems, but unless they’re doing NDT, they might miss a critical weakness,” Hatfield said.
So, rather than making you scared to get on your bike, the UNSW team say changes need to be made at an industry level. This includes providing better awareness of and access to NDT for any cyclist, as well as manufacturers adhering to more stringent material integrity testing.
This will only become more important as the popularity of ebikes grows, with recreational cyclists able to reach higher speeds on two wheels.
"By combining our expertise as the industry’s first data-driven training and technology solution for bicycle industry professionals in the area of non-destructive testing with UNSW’s in-depth knowledge of injury epidemiology, we hope to raise awareness of the extent of the issue," said Dr. Andrew Novak, Data and Research Lead at Cycle Inspect, ahead of the study in 2023. "Ultimately, this research will benefit cyclists around the world, empowering them to make responsible decisions that ensure equipment longevity."
The research was published in the journal Injury Prevention.
