Bionicon: The breakthrough discovery of the Eurobike show - 19 Sep 2007
I don’t know about you, but I get a big rush when I meet really fun, genuine, eco minded, experienced, outdoor sports enthusiasts. What’s even better is when you meet people like that who are running a big outdoor sports business and attending a trade show, where everyone else seems so obsessed with sales figures that they forget to be polite. Well, the people I met at BIONICON are truly different. The whole booth staff was amazingly friendly and just plain, cool.
BIONICON is a small German bicycle company that specializes in MTB and “MetroCycling” which they just introduced, because their innovation obsessed development team wanted to ride to work on urban bikes and contribute to low emission city transport.
Nestled in the pristine Bavarian hills, this neat company also has a small lineup of eco-minded clothes. Yes that’s right. You read it right – a bike manufacturer that makes easy going eco-bikewear!!
While talking with Daniel Kohl (CEO) & Mic de Min (Director Sales & Marketing USA), both of whom are really experienced mountain bikers, they nodded approvingly at all of Laneo’s community values and even added some more. It was like they were already Laneo members! Their philosophy is as inspiring as it is simple – enjoying the great outdoors with friends. It doesn’t matter how much suspension travel you have or who has the lightest bike. It’s all about sharing a moment whichever way each person chooses to share it.
BIONICON’s bike technology came about from a simple “natural” observation the founders made while riding their mountain bikes (this is a true story) and observed that mountain goats change their position when climbing or descending. They thought to themselves – why can’t we do the same? They then spent the next few years tinkering on designs until they finally got a design that enables you to adjust travel, frame and suspension while on the move. For example, on a standard bike, when you go uphill your center of gravity naturally shifts forward but as this happens, you lose traction on the rear wheel and you end up bent in an uncomfortable position to try and maintain control because your bike geometry is fixed and its features aren’t adapted to that terrain. On a BIONICON, you can adjust your suspension fork travel without the bottom bracket sinking and the height adjustment of the rear shock also changes the chain line in relation to the swing arm, this reduces suspension bob and increasing traction. The result is that your position becomes more upright for better breathing, the front wheel remains firmly on the ground and overall control is enhanced.
Nature also shaped BIONICON’s vision of bike wear. As Daniel Kohl said, “the connecting link between rider, bike and nature, clothing should be as simple and technically functional, whilst offering a natural and environmentally responsible solution to the needs of our sport”. He continued by offering this rousing statement, “It’s well known that nature provides the best designs, so once again we successfully found our inspiration here. Our colors are inspired by natural berries, forests and seasons which let the rider blend in with the environment.”
I think the people at BIONICON have really done a great job of putting everything in the right order, and their slogan puts it perfectly; “Wrap yourself in nature!”
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