When Uli Ullmerich found the light switch, the chaos became visible. In the basement of the workshop there are broken frames of cargo bikes, cracked transport boxes, all sorts of small items in boxes and defective batteries in closed barrels. “So that they don’t catch fire,” says Ullmerich. He saves the damaged parts for his customers. “If an insurance company wants to see them,” he says.
The 47-year-old master of two-wheel mechatronics works in the workshop of Langendorf Cargo, a specialist dealer in Hamburg. They sometimes repair bikes here after accidents. However, day-to-day business consists of maintaining transport wheels and replacing wear parts. This is necessary more often than many users would like. If anyone can say what often breaks on cargo bikes, why and how it can be prevented, it is Ullmerich and his team. “There is still room for improvement,” says Theresa Sarich, a two-wheeler mechatronics engineer in the Langendorf Cargo team, with a view to the quality of the parts installed.