The sale of Babboe cargo bikes has been suspended following orders from Dutch authorities due to safety issues. “The safety of cargo bikes is inadequately guaranteed,” explained the food and goods inspection authority NWWA. The Dutch company also has to recall the wheels of eight models.
When asked in Amersfoort on Friday, the company said it was working closely with the authorities. Trade in Germany is also affected: As a precautionary measure, the company has decided to temporarily stop selling all Babboe cargo bikes, it wrote on its German website. According to its own information, the company is the market leader for cargo bikes in Europe.
The Dutch TV station RTL initially reported serious security deficiencies. There have been numerous reports that bicycle frames have broken without any external influence. The authority accuses the company of not reporting the defects. The cause of the defects was also not sufficiently investigated and no measures were taken. It is currently being investigated whether criminal investigations should be initiated.
According to the authority, the risk of the frame breaking of the bikes that have now been recalled is high. “This can lead to very serious injuries. For example, if children fall out of the box while cycling. Especially in heavy traffic.” The authority advises customers to stop using Babboe bikes for the time being. These are the models recalled due to major risks: 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; Babboe Carve-E/ Carve Mountain.