This is a trade facing website. Visit the ACT's consumer site thecyclingexperts.co.uk for information and advice on cycling and find your local independent cycle retailer.

Search News

Results: 1-10 of 900


25 Jun 2025

The E-Bike Positive campaign has seen major success in the first half of 2025, with its message reaching nearly 8 million people across the UK through high-profile media coverage and growing...

20 Jun 2025

The House of Commons Business and Trade Committee has asked the ACT, and its parent company Bira, to help them reach out to small business retailers across the country, for their quick input on...

20 Jun 2025

Activate Cycle Academy has reopened its Cytech training facility in Darlington, offering a full range of courses from Home Mechanic up to Cytech Technical Three.
 

18 Jun 2025

The Association of Cycle Traders believes the time has come for greater accountability throughout our supply chain, writes ACT Director Jonathan Harrison in an article published for BikeBiz.

16 Jun 2025

The ACT has welcomed the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Cycling and Walking's report "Unregulated and Unsafe: The Threat of Illegal E-Bikes", which calls for urgent Government action to...

11 Jun 2025

A new academic study has found that overzealous pro-cycling campaigners on social media may be inadvertently damaging the case for better cycling infrastructure across the UK.

11 Jun 2025

Bira has welcomed the Welsh Government's consultation on business rate reforms for retail shops, whilst calling for significant improvements to ensure the proposals truly support high street...

10 Jun 2025

Bike thefts across England and Wales have continued their steady decline, according to new data released by cycle insurance specialist Bikmo.

9 Jun 2025

Retailers on Britain's high streets are being encouraged to put themselves forward for the first-ever Love Your High Street Awards, designed to celebrate the small businesses that bring...

9 Jun 2025

 To coincide with Bike Week (9-15 June) – the UK’s annual celebration of cycling – new research has revealed a clear shift amongst Gen Z and Millennials in their approach...

Back to news menu

Fire Brigade warns about dangers of e-bikes purchased from online marketplaces

Posted on in Business News , Cycles News

A recent article in The Telegraph warned about the dangers that e-bikes can hold when purchased from online marketplaces, which may not meet correct safety standards.

A fire, believed to have been started by a malfunctioning battery, has destroyed the ground floor of a house in East London, with two women, a man and two children being taken to hospital after inhaling smoke during the incident.

Investigators for the London Fire Brigade (LFB) believe the fire started accidentally after the batteries of a converted e-bike malfunctioned.

The LFB said that knock-off chargers for e-bikes could be potentially hazardous and warned they were seeing a significant rise in the number of fires involving the devices.

They urged people not to charge bikes overnight as the fires caused by malfunctioning batteries could spread rapidly and with “ferocity”.

An LFB spokesman said: “It’s incredibly concerning that we are continuing to see a rise in incidents involving e-bikes and e-scooters.”

This year alone fire crews have already attended 32 fires involving e-bikes and another seven involving e-scooters.

So far in 2022, there have been a further 17 fires involving other lithium-ion batteries and last year, in total there were more than 100 fires in the capital involving lithium-ion batteries.

The spokesman continued: “When these batteries and chargers fail, they do so with ferocity and, because the fires develop so rapidly, the situation can quickly become incredibly serious.

“Lithium-ion batteries are susceptible to failure if incorrect chargers are used and there is a significant risk posed by e-bikes which have been converted, such as in this case.”

The spokesman said that the majority of the fires were started by e-bikes purchased from online marketplaces, which may not meet correct safety standards.

With customers being warned of the dangers of buying e-bikes from online marketplaces, it is important now for IBDs to appeal to the market and educate consumers on the importance of buying certified e-bikes from a responsible seller.

 

Help your customers to purchase their e-bike safely

As e-bikes from a reputable shop can often seem overly expensive to consumers, it is also important that IBDs present them with opportunities to spread the cost, through services such as retail finance.

Various consumer surveys show that customers are more likely to spend a higher amount if retail finance is sold correctly, and for many customers, having the option to spread the cost was the main reason the purchase was made.

Whilst retail finance certainly has the potential to be your business’s most powerful sales tool, unfortunately, it is not one that sells itself, so it is up to you and your staff to let every customer know the benefits of using finance in today’s economic climate.

The Retail Finance Training course will teach you and your staff how to encourage customers to make purchases, as well as maximising their spending through techniques such as financial promotion, Point of Sale (POS) and bundling.

The course retails for just £150 including VAT. Members of the ACT and ActSmart receive up to a 50% saving off the RRP.

To get started visit: indieretail.training.

Back to news menu

Useful links

If you have any other queries please contact us.