DI.A 2017, Feature - January 19, 2017

7 things you should know about the Design & Innovation Award

At the Design & Innovation Award 2017 we spent 16 days in St. Vigil/Kronplatz, testing and analyzing the best products, greatest innovations and most exciting trends of the upcoming season. These are 7 things you should know about the bike industry’s leading award.

1. Our mission

Our mission is to create a better riding experience, provide inspiration, define trends and share knowledge within the bicycle world.

2. Our responsibility

Since the Design & Innovation Award was set up in 2013, our intentions have considerably exceeded those laid out by other award events – even those with a far lengthier history such as the Red Dot Award or the IF Design Award. The Design & Innovation Award is the only award where the newest products are not only discussed, but also tested by an experienced team of riders, designers and engineers within one event.

3. Our effort

16 full days of in-the-field testing, nightlong discussions, countless hours in the workshop and in front of the laptop – over 6,000 working hours have flowed in the testing process and the preparation of the award results!

4. Our victims

Snapped chains, cracked frames, broken wheels, punctures and worn out tires. In the name of science, we’ve pushed the latest products (and sometimes ourselves) to the very limit – and often beyond.

5. Our advantage

Only those who have the big picture in mind can do great things, evaluating products in their context and making well-informed recommendations. The Design & Innovation Award is the only award that targets both the consumer and the industry, offering unique insights into the status quo and actively shaping trends. No other magazine or trade fair can offer this.

6. Our team

We understand that behind the greatest awards there needs to be an even greater team. That’s why the Design & Innovation Award is not only fed by the collective experience of ENDURO Mountainbike, E-MOUNTAINBIKE and GRAN FONDO Cycling Magazine, but also by groundbreaking discussions from within the bike industry as well as new perspectives from non-endemic brands such as Nike, OMEGA or Mercedes.

7. Our location

Kronplatz / St. Vigil – Dolomites offers an incredibly diverse range of mountain bike routes and alpine roads. From bike park to alpine trails, legendary alpine passes or lonely gravel roads in the UNESCO World Natural Heritage – what more could you ask for?