20 January, Taipei: At a two-day judging conference for the TAIPEI CYCLE d&i awards 2020 by iF took place in Taipei last week, seven well-known experts from bicycle and design-related industries selected outstanding products that they feel represent the future of bicycle industry development. Seven products will receive the highly coveted TAIPEI CYCLE Gold Awards at a ceremony and presented with trophies on March 4th.
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 compelling 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 forty 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 believe 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 emphasized during the TAIPEI CYCLE d&i awards 2020 by iF selection process.
2020 Competition Overview
- Close to 150 competition entries
- From 12 countries around the world
- 40 products ultimately emerged winners
- Among them, 7 won the TAIPEI CYCLE Gold Award and 1 was awarded the TAIPEI CYCLE Gold Award–Young Enterprise
Award Ceremony and Exhibition
The d and i award winning brands will be presented with their awards at the press conference and ceremony held on February 26th, 2020, before the TAIPEI CYCLE 2020. The Gold Award-winning brands will be announced separately and presented with trophies on March 4th. All of the awarded products will be exhibited at the awards zone of the TAIPEI CYCLE 2020 over a four-day period (March 4th–7th, 2020).
The Judges – from A to Z
- Chung-Shih Sun | Gearlab | Taipei
- Francois Liang | Cycling and Health Tech. Industry R&D Center (CHC) | Taichung
- Georg Todtenbier | CRE8 DESIGN | Taipei
- Johann Geiger | Dayeh University | Changhua
- Marcus Solomon | XD Automotive and Industrial Design | Taipei
- Norbert Haller | ID berlin | Germany
- Yoshiharu Sugawara | GK Design Group | Japan
To find out more about visiting the world's leading B2B cycling event, visit: taipeicycle.com.tw, for information on TAITRA visit taitra.org.tw.
