Hit the Road With These Trailblazing Bicycle Innovations

The bicycle industry has benefited more than most sectors from the Corona pandemic. In times of both an increased anxiety of physical contact and a heightened urge for mobility and freedom, people rather rely on one of the most simplified ways to move around. Cycling expresses independence of public transportation routes and schedules. Cycling can even become an act of mindfulness. Feeling the sun on your face and the air in your hair is a wonderful way to break office routines. 

Current bicycle designs make it easy to get excited about cycling – whether you are a full-blooded bike enthusiast, a newbie or an occasional cyclist at the weekend. Designers have come up with exciting solutions as reflected in this year’s iF award-winning products in the category Sports / Outdoor / Bicycles. All of them share one standout claim. It’s the idea to make riding your bike easier to incorporate into your lifestyle. Just like shoes and hats, bikes come in many different shapes and for various activities, ranging from city bikes, trekking bikes, touring bikes and e-bikes to road racing bikes and mountain bikes. 

Take, for example, the electric bicycle "TOGO85°" and the gold awarded futuristic folding bike "Halfway". They are rather small bikes, easy to carry and transport – and fast. And let’s not forget bicycle accessories that are also on the cutting edge of technology. They are stylish gadgets adding the final touch to biking trips, from the minimal and flexible bicycle lock "Litelok Go Flexi-U" to the cycling shorts "BN3TH North Shore Chamois", which provide extra comfort with patented padding.

Groundbreaking bicycle innovations feature a modern, sleek design and many options. The "Diamant 136W" is a prime example of an e-bike specifically for urban use thanks to its light weight and low-maintenance appearance. Another exceptional invention is the "Intelligent Power Wheel", which gives conventional bikes extra speed. 

Especially urban cycling has become top of the agenda for designers and manufacturers contributing to a better quality of people’s lives. It’s also a trend reacting to a growing number of cities and state governments supporting cycling-friendly infrastructures and declaring car-free zones to protect the environment. Within this cycling culture of the modern city, bike sharing schemes have become effective and sustainable. "DiDi Bike Durian Series" comes in neon-colours, the design inspired by an antelope’s silhouette and over 80 percent of its parts degradable and recyclable for further use in peripheral products. Another iF awarded sharing bike is "Vis - Bike Sharing 2.0" whose electronic screen is powered by solar energy and can displays various emoticons representing the mood of the user.

E-bikes are another popular way enabling city commuters to get to work, as further shown by some examples above. Long gone are the days when people laughed about them being only something for the elderly. You no longer must show up at the office drenched in sweat after your commute. E-bikes offer physical exercise combined with some assistance when needed for maximum flexibility. A real eyecatcher is "OOHBIKE es una bicicleta eléctrica innovadora" thanks to its hubless front wheel. Do you rather seek a vehicle for multiple travel scenarios? "Gmigo One" is a modular smart e-bike whose components can be easily transformed into an e-scooter.

The time of the great bicycle boom is now – and thanks to current design and technology, it has never been so easy – and so chic – to be on the road.