If you want to try out a bike or find out about trends, you should visit a bike festival. Five recommendations.
Advice is important when buying a bike – but the test ride is at least as important.
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Regardless of whether you prefer to ride on asphalt, on the trail or on gravel: If you want to buy a new bike, it’s a good idea to test it out. This protects against disappointments. After all, who wants a new and expensive horse in the stable that you don’t feel comfortable on?
Bike festivals are recommended for test rides. Because nowhere else is the selection of different brands and models so large. And unlike perhaps the bike shop around the corner, it doesn’t matter if the bike gets really dirty during the test ride – after all, the bikes at the festivals are explicitly there for testing.
There are now various cycling events in Switzerland with a trade fair feel that invite people to take test rides. The events offer different orientations. The supporting program is also interesting, making the festivals attractive for people who don’t exactly need a new vehicle.
Important: take your identity card with you. At most test events, it is required at the various stands as a deposit or just to provide one-off identification upon entry – after all, you are supposed to bring the test bike back.
Cycle Week Zürich
The season begins with Cycle Week in Zurich. The four-day event is the largest cycling festival in Switzerland. Last year there were 110 exhibitors with 250 brands and 550 test bikes present. The selection is very wide, from children’s bikes to gravel dreams to cargo bikes.
The festival site is located at two locations: New products from the industry are shown directly at Zurich main station. Numerous shows and talks also take place here. In Brunau, right at the foot of the Üetliberg, the testing area is attractive – with direct access to the local sports infrastructure, which offers, among other things, gravel, trails, dirt and pump tracks.
Around 150 workshops are on the program across the two locations: for example, how to overcome blockages on the trail, plan bike trips or get around the city of Zurich safely on a bike.
Date: Thursday 23rd to Sunday 26th May
www.cycleweek.ch
Velofrühling Winterthur
If it gets too hectic for you in Zurich, you can go to Winterthur. The cycling spring takes place there on Saturday of the same week. This festival is small but nice. It takes place on the historic Sulzerareal near the train station.
The Winterthur bicycle companies act as organizers. These include local bicycle dealers, but also daring manufacturers such as Polyroly – a company that designs bicycle trailers in Winterthur and manufactures them on site. As a rule, there are a total of over 60 brands and over 100 models available for testing.
In order to be able to survive despite the great competition in Zurich, the organizers of the Velo Spring put together an attractive supporting program. This year, trips on racing bikes or gravel bikes as well as mountain bikes with or without motors are attracting visitors to the city’s surroundings.
There are also free workshops and lectures as well as a showcase of hand-built bicycles from the local vocational school. The day is rounded off with a cycling film in the local cultural cinema and a cycling party in the Kraftfeld music club.
Date: Saturday May 25th
www.velofruehling.ch
Verbier E-Bike Festival
The Verbier E-Bike Festival is the only festival that focuses entirely on electric-assist bikes. Last year around 40 manufacturers were present with a total of 521 test bikes. The majority of the test bikes are mountain bikes, from lightweight to downhill machines. Many manufacturers also bring a few electrified city bikes with them.
Although the workshops that are also part of the program are not quite as numerous as in Zurich, for example, the whole thing takes place in a super attractive bike region that is also keen to show off its best side. There are various signposted gourmet tours to choose from, where you can enjoy local products and chat with the producers.
If you’re worried about learning French at school, no problem. Many manufacturers such as Flyer, Canyon or Ghost come from German-speaking countries anyway, and many people in Verbier even speak English better than French.
Date: August 15th to 18th
www.verbierebikefestival.com
Lenzerheide test ride
Lenzerheide also wants to be the “host of the largest Swiss bike test event”. When it comes to mountain bikes, this statement is certainly correct. As a rule, around 40 manufacturers with up to 100 brands are present, including many new products from the coming year. Around half of the test bikes are now electrified.
Some visitors come explicitly for brands such as Propain or Canyon, which have always been present in recent years. These are brands that offer a good price-performance ratio thanks to direct sales, but cannot be briefly tested at the dealer around the corner. The testing area is located right next to the Rothornbahn and offers access to various signposted trails.
And of course there are workshops in Lenzerheide, but as in Verbier, they are not as numerous as in Zurich. The region around Lake Heidsee is also ideal for a long weekend.
Date: September 6th to 8th
www.testride.ch
BikeSide MTB Festival
Einsiedeln was previously known as the venue for the Iron Bike Race. Last year the race opened up to the festival. In addition to various racing categories, the event now also includes a bike village directly in front of the impressive monastery square. It attracts with jump shows, a children’s course and various exhibitors.
Last year there were around 30 stands, including not only bike brands, but also specialist shops such as Bike World or Trophy Bikes. A total of around 12 brands and 50 models were available for testing. Since the new direction has yet to become established in the scene, it may well be that the selection will be significantly larger in the future.
September 20th to 22nd
www.bike-side.ch
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