The frames that come with Orbea mountain bikes are known for being reliable and long lasting. They even come with a lifetime guarantee. A promise like that is what ensures that Orbea mountain bikes are a favourite and well respected brand amongst their customers. But surely it is a business risk to offer a lifetime guarantee? Not if you’re a company like Orbea that is adamant you’re making the very best product there is.
Quality controls at Orbea mountain bikes are renowned for being stringent. They really don’t just test for legal compliance to European Norms regulations, but have their own strict set of tests. If a bike frame doesn’t pass the test, it goes back into development until it does. Only bikes that can reach the golden standard are sold with the Orbea mountain bikes lifetime guarantee.
The tests that the bike frames undergo at Orbea mountain bikes’ own laboratories begin with static load and fatigue testing. Static load testing involves applying a large amount of weight to one specific point of the frame. Fatigue testing on the other hand involves applying a lighter but still significant weight to a part of the frame repeatedly. Tests like these give an indication fo who rigid the frames are.
Next frontal collision testing takes place: this is comparable to the sorts of crash tests performed on cars. Because mountain bikes are expected to perform continuously over rough and uneven terrain, they are also tested for their ability to withstand sudden drops. The frames’ rigidity is also further tested in a lateral hit simulation.
Not only are the bike frames tested for rigidity but also for their ability to resist the effects of the elements, therefore they undergo corrosion tests. In these most rigorous of tests, the frames are kept inside a chamber with a temperature of 35 °C with water vapour at 5% of salinity. Only the frames which show no sign of corrosion after 1000 hours in the chamber are deemed strong enough to pass the test. The final test uses infra-red light to check for signs of sun deterioration. Should there be any deterioration, the material is reformulated.
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June 16, 2010
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