BikeBiz Bicycle and cycling retail news
Seven ‘outstanding’ products are set to receive Taipei Cycle Gold Awards at a ceremony on 4th March.
At a two-day judging conference for the Taipei Cycle d&i awards 2020 by iF in Taipei last week, seven well-known experts from bicycle and design-related industries selected products that they feel represent the “future of bicycle industry development”.
This year saw close to 150 products entered into the awards from around the world. Among them, the most highly competed categories were parts and components, and cycling accessories. Competition categories also included complete bicycles, e-bikes and drive units, and the newly established category of smart cycling services this year.
After two days of discussions and professional assessments during the judging process, a total of 40 award-winning products were selected, out of which seven products stood out and received the highest prize of the Taipei Cycle Gold Award. In order to encourage creative young enterprises to enter the bicycle industry, within the 40 awards, one entry was selected to be awarded the special prize of the Taipei Cycle Gold Award–Young Enterprise.
The jury commented on the trend of products entered into the 2020 competition. The outstanding growth of e-bikes is represented in the awards entries with the number of entries for e-bikes exceeding those for traditional complete bicycles for the first time. The bicycle industry is no longer limited to the field of sports enthusiasts, but has expanded to include general consumers, serving as a tool for entertainment and commuting.
In light of such changes, the jury believes that the design of bicycles not only needs to cover functionality, quality and aesthetics, but must also consider user experience based on every-day consumers, such as incorporating a lighter casing and battery, enhancing the fashionable element of bicycle and clothing accessories, or creating integrated services combined with digital platforms, all of which are aimed towards orienting more closely towards the lives of many.
In addition, the jury has also commented that any minor technological breakthrough or thoughtful design element can have an impact on future industry development. Therefore, the element of innovation in each product entered for an award was highly emphasised during the Taipei Cycle d&i awards 2020 by iF selection process.
The d&i award-winning brands will be presented with their awards at the press conference and ceremony held on 26th February, before Taipei Cycle 2020. The Gold Award-winning brands will be announced separately and presented with trophies on 4th March.
All of the awarded products will be exhibited at the awards zone of Taipei Cycle 2020 over a four-day period (March 4th–7th, 2020).
