For 170 euros you can buy a ticket to fly with the Zeppelin NT over the Bodensee Lake. There are two giant airships in service and the takeoff is every thirty minutes. The NT stands for “New Technology,” but the idea of zeppelin is more than 110 years old. Already in 1900, the first zeppelin rose into the air from the Lake and many were to follow, and until 1937 it cruised around the world – popular and admired. Most of them were built in Friedrichshafen and surrounded cities.
zeppelin-nt.de
Early in the morning it’s still quiet in front of the eastern gate to the exhibition, however, a little bit later thousands of visitors show up.
It has started with Swedish POC helmets fitted up with the MIPS technology. MIPS is a revolutionary technology that lets the helmet slide relative to the head, adding more protection against rotational violence to the brain caused by angled impacts. The company and its brand partners are introducing more than 90 new helmets incorporating MIPS Brain Protection System. With models for on- and off-road riding in every conceivable category, MIPS-equipped helmets are now available to fit just about any rider’s needs. www.mipsprotection.com
German Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure introduced a new dedicated “Cycle Path of the German Unity” connecting Berlin and Bonn.
After day-long walking around the exhibition booths, visitors can relax with a professional massage.
Looks like women will cycle to the city in style in 2017 too. Ryedale is a new family of bicycles designed specifically for female riders. This fashionable range is the perfect blend of classic and contemporary and comes in four heritage styles. www.ryedalebikes.co.uk
SE bikes have hooked up with the legendary hip hop group Public Enemy to bring us this scary Public Enemy Big Ripper. The bike features PE logos throughout, an embroidered target logo on the seat, a Public Enemy number plate, a pad set featuring the group’s greatest hits, and a custom Public Enemy x SE Bikes sticker sheet. The bike is built around the Big Ripper frame design which features SE’s legendary floval tubing and looptail rear end. The monster-sized 29″ wheels keep the bike rolling ultra-smooth. For 640 euros, this bike will turn heads wherever it rolls. www.sebikes.com
Feel unsafe on the roads? Swedish protection producer POC put a back protection into their jersey. POC is a company with a strong mission to do the best to save lives and to reduce the consequences of accidents for gravity sports athletes and cyclists. You can learn more about their hi-end safety products on www.pocsports.com
Italian company Bellelli is famous for producing a wide range of safety cycling products for kids. www.bellelli.com
We have learnt a lot about style by General Bikes company, which offers neat fixed geared bikes for commuting with a lot of additional components like wicker baskets.
generalbikes.eu
Apidura company from the UK is known for producing high-quality bike packs for riders who decide to change the cycling into a personal long-travel adventure. Besides the brand new 5-litre pack, here in Friedrichshafen the company presented the bike of Mike Hall, this year’s winner of Great Divide race. Mike set a new 4,418-kilometre-long track record with a time of 13 days, 22 hours, 50min.
www.apidura.com
“Colour your life” is the motto of the Germany based company rie.sel design. The guys from ride.sel create a symbiosis of materials, foil, coatings and special surface technologies that can help you to achieve your own specific bike design.
www.riesel-design.com
Lauf Grit suspension fork (here shown on Festka gravel bike) was one of the nominee for the Eurobike Award 2016. The ultra-lightweight bicycle suspension was developed by the composite prosthetic feet engineers in Iceland. www.laufforks.com
Thousands of people enjoyed the possibility to test bikes on the Eurobike Demo presentation.
Some people got rather tired around the lunch time…
… while others left for virtual reality.
Cross country race winner of the Rio Olympics Nino Schurter shows off his gold medal.
Every day of the fair trade at 17.30 you can take a public ride organised by the cycling apparel producer Rapha. Don’t mind if you left your own bike at home. There are many to rent, provided by the German Ghost Bikes company.
Safety first – now you can find lighting diodes integrated even in the grips.
At the MAXX booth we met the winner of the Yukon Arctic Ultra 2016 extreme bicycle race Florian Reitenberger. German speakers can find out more about this endurance biker on his personal website: www.florian-reiterberger.de
