HANNOVER, Germany - “Cycling needs to be made more attractive for everyone,” declared the jury for this year’s EUROBIKE AWARD. 63 out of 212 entries, submitted from 19 different countries, were the recipients of an award. The prizes for particularly outstanding design achievement, i.e. five Gold Awards and five Silver Awards, will be presented on August 30 at 12 noon in the Foyer West building on the eve of the EUROBIKE tradeshow at Friedrichshafen, Germany (running from Aug. 31 to Sept. 3).
Exhibitors at the EUROBIKE international cycling show in Friedrichshafen as well as non-exhibitors were invited to compete for a EUROBIKE AWARD 2006. The result: 212 entries were submitted from 19 different nations, all competing for a seal of fine design quality in the cycling sector. This represented the second installment of the awards, which are sponsored by the Messe Friedrichshafen exhibition company and conceived and organized by iF International Forum Design.
The jury
A top-notch jury judged the competition entries again this year, deciding which products would be featured at the EUROBIKE special display at the Foyer West building at the Friedrichshafen exhibition center. The jury consisted of Michael Bollschweiler/RadMarkt, Inge Hufschlag/Handelsblatt Weekend Journal, Manfred Neun/European Cyclists' Federation, Jack Oortwijn/Bike Europe, Markus Storck/Storck Bicycle GmbH and Peter Zizka/Heine/Lenz/Zizka).
Categories and evaluation criteria
Products were submitted in the categories of bicycles (mountain bikes, racing bikes, fitness bikes), cycling mobility (trekking bikes, city bikes/ATB, recumbent and folding bikes, battery-powered bikes), apparel and equipment for cyclists, bicycle computers/lights/pulse meters, components and accessories. The evaluation criteria consisted of degree of innovativeness, design quality, workmanship, choice of materials, environmental compatibility, functionality, ergonomics, utility, safety and brand value/branding
Jury opinions
“No one needs to reinvent the wheel, but you do need to continually rediscover new ways of combining tradition with innovation. The EUROBIKE AWARD is a good proving ground for this purpose. What did I miss? More courage in implementing the ideas.”
Inge Hufschlag
“What I missed in this competition was product references to constellations that involved children’s bikes or family bikes. There was a paucity of ideas devoted to making life considerably easier.”
Peter Zizka
“The emphasis was clearly on practical mobility solutions, as opposed to sporting products. The jury was unanimous in its decisions on the Gold and Silver Awards.”
Michael Bollschweiler
“The EUROBIKE AWARD is a fantastic platform, and serves to build a bridge between manufacturers, dealers and consumers.”
Manfred Neun
Awards ceremony and documentation
All 63 prizewinning entries will be displayed at the EUROBIKE trade exhibition in the Foyer West building. The awards ceremony begins on August 30 at 12 noon at the exhibition premises — you are cordially invited! Please use the attached fax reply form to inform us by August 25 whether or not to expect your presence at Friedrichshafen.
The results of the second-ever EUROBIKE AWARD will be published in a catalog to come out during the EUROBIKE show. Or visit the iF online exhibition at the iF website for an online presentation of the prizewinners: www.ifdesign.de.
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