Bakfiets.nl becomes latest company to recall cargo bikes due to risk of broken frames

The Cargo Long Shimano model of the Bakfiets.nl cargo bike may be missing a reinforcement plate due to a production defect. This could cause the bike’s frame to crack or break, the Dutch Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA) reported. According to Jan Rijkeboer, director of Azor Bike, the brand’s owner, 347 bikes will need to be recalled for inspection.

Bakfiets.nl reported that a “small number of frames” were not fitted with a reinforcement plate. The issue was discovered after the company conducted an internal investigation.

Owners can use the manufacturer’s website to check if their bike needs to be returned to the dealer. The problem concerns a series of steel frames made for Shimano STEPS motors that were installed last year between March and December, according to Bakfiets.nl.

Dealers are contacting cargo bike owners, inspecting the bicycles, and replacing frames missing the reinforcement plate, Rijkeboer said. Frame replacements can also be performed directly by Bakfiets.nl.

The duration of the recall will partly depend on how many bikes require a frame replacement. Rijkeboer stated that bikes purchased before 2024 will not be affected.

The Azor Bike director said the problem became apparent after two cargo bike owners reported their frames had cracked. No accidents have been reported as a result of the defect.

This is the latest in a series of cargo bike recalls. Previously, Cangoo recalled cargo bikes due to the risk of frame breakage. In February last year, the NVWA imposed a sales ban on the Babboe cargo bike brand after hundreds of frames broke. Around the same time, it became known that the NVWA was investigating several cargo bike brands following consumer reports of broken frames.