The six members of the Eurobike Awards expert panel had no easy task in selecting this year’s award winners from a total of 476 entries from different 30 countries. Nevertheless, the judges rose to the challenge, selecting 56 products, eleven of which will receive a Gold Award.
The panel also awarded one product with the Eurobike Green Award for environmentally friendliness and sustainability – the first time the award has been granted for a few years.
Full details of the Eurobike Awards will be revealed at the Eurobike trade show for the international bicycle industry from 27-30 August in Friedrichshafen, Germany. All the award-winning products will be on display in a special exhibition in the Foyer West.
The award ceremony, where the Gold Awards and the Green Award will be announced, takes place at the end of the first day of the show on 27 August at 18:00 in the Foyer East.
“We had an extremely experienced panel, who worked intensively for two days,” said Stefan Reisinger, Head of Eurobike, Messe Friedrichshafen. “The entries were very high quality and a wide range of products were selected. I’m delighted that the expert panel sessions have gone so well. We’re looking forward to the award ceremony at Eurobike.”
The Eurobike Awards are held this year for the first time in association with the German Designer Club (DDC). The six-person expert panel is made up of design and product experts from the retail sector, industry associations and the cycling media.
Before the final decisions could be made, there were two days of hard work judging and intensive panel discussions. In the end though, all panel members agreed that the award winners represent the best new products in the bicycle industry.
Michael Eibes Chairman of the Board, German Designer Club praised the work of the panel members and the quality of the entries, “It is clear that design now plays an important role in the bicycle industry. Form, functionality and materials are becoming ever more important. The industry is setting itself high standards.”
Filtering out the best of the best from so many good products is a difficult task, which he felt the panel performed admirably, “The expert panel has demonstrated its experience and specialist knowledge and worked in a rigorous manner. Different perspectives and opinions were constantly taken into account in order to do justice to the complex nature of many of the products entered,” Eibes added.
The judges chose 56 Eurobike Award winners, eleven of which will be honoured with a Gold Award. One product was given the Green Award for its particularly environmentally friendly and sustainable characteristics.
“I was really impressed to see just how many different aspects of cycling were reflected in the entries,” explained panel member Felix Boehlken, Editor RoadBIKE magazine. “Often, it’s the small things that make a big difference –this is one of the great things about the bicycle industry.”
“In my opinion, we are seeing a very lively, dynamic industry that is in good economic shape,” added expert panel member Nils Holger Moormann. “As a designer, I’m delighted to see that product design is no longer just about appearance, but is reflected in the sum of the individual parts, which are created in a consistent and coherent manner.”
