Design & Innovation Awards 2023: five winners of the Bike Oscars
27.1.2023
Translation: machine translated
What are the outstanding products of the year? Which important trend should you not miss? The Design & Innovation Award for the bike sector deals with these questions and presents the industry Oscars every year.
The Design & Innovation Award is presented each year by a 30-strong interdisciplinary team. As the jury writes on its website, the products are tested and analysed from as many different perspectives as possible. This year, the team of international journalists, professional test riders and industry experts once again scrutinised the most interesting bike-related gadgets for the year 2023. The test winners also include some products that are already available in the Galaxus range or will be in the coming weeks.
Magped gravel pedal
According to the jury, this pedal with magnetic mechanism combines the beginner-friendliness of a platform pedal with the efficiency of a clipless pedal. It provides more control and a connection to the bike without restricting the comfort of getting off. A strong magnet is attached to the pedal and a metal plate cleat to the shoe. The magnetic force connects the pedal and shoe in a similar way to a clipless pedal. This enables ergonomic pedalling with push and pull movements. This makes the Magpeds particularly interesting as an upgrade to platform pedals.
I've been using these pedals on my bike for nine months and am super happy with them.
Selle Italia Model X
Selle Italia takes regional and sustainable production to a new level with the Model X saddle. According to the award team, all parts come from suppliers located no more than 15 kilometres from the headquarters in Asolo, northern Italy. This reduces CO₂
-emissions in the supply chain and strengthens local value creation. No solvents are used in the production process for the saddle and, according to the jury, the manufacturer also completely dispenses with adhesives thanks to its in-house Greentech technology. To ensure that the saddle's resources are not lost after its service life on the bike, it can be completely recycled by Selle Italia.
I've been using a different model from Selle Italia for almost two years now and haven't regretted it for a second.
Schwalbe Marathon Efficiency
The jury wrote that the Schwalbe Marathon Efficiency is the result of decades of racing experience. And this knowledge has now been transferred to the urban sector. The city and touring tyre combines the fast rolling characteristics of a sporty road bike tyre with the safe riding feel of a city bike tyre. Schwalbe achieves this symbiosis with a smooth tread on which the profiled side lugs do not stand out from the height of the tread, which allows the battery to have the maximum possible range. This positions the Marathon Efficiency as a particularly efficient e-bike tyre on the market.
Leatt Mono Suit MTB HydraDri 5.0
The Mono Suit from Leatt also received a Design & Innovation Award this year. This is because it is a robust one-piece suit that protects against bad weather. The jury also writes: "The indestructible HydraDri-MAX material withstands a 30,000 mm water column and, at 30,000 g/m², also offers high breathability. The slim and cycling-optimised cut makes the rain suit look sporty and thanks to its abrasion-resistant coatings on the elbows, shoulders and knees, it can withstand the odd fall undamaged, which significantly increases the life of the suit."
Knog Scout
The Scout from Knog secures the bike and even finds it again if necessary. According to the award team, the tracking works via Apple's "Where is?" network, with which Knog uses the same Bluetooth tracking as the AirTags. Connected to the Knog app, the Scout's motion sensor can be armed via smartphone: A shrill alarm tone with a volume of up to 85 dB sounds if the bike is moved without authorisation.
You can find the list of all winners of the Design & Innovation Awards in the various categories here.
Cover photo: Patrick Bardelli
Patrick Bardelli
Senior Editor
Patrick.Bardelli@digitecgalaxus.chFrom radio journalist to product tester and storyteller, jogger to gravel bike novice and fitness enthusiast with barbells and dumbbells. I'm excited to see where the journey'll take me next.
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