GARMONT WINS THE 2023 DESIGN & INNOVATION AWARD WITH 9.81 HI-RIDE 

The independent German company’s prestigious award rewards the innovation and style of 9.81 HI-RIDE, the groundbreaking shoes developed by Garmont for weekend warriors who love cycling and then jumping off their bikes and going on a hike. With the new footwear, the company from Veneto ventures into an uncharted market segment, meeting the needs of a new category of pedal assist users (and not only) with a structured shoe that helps them keep the energy up while pedaling but that is also comfortable to wear during long hikes. 
 
It’s the shoe that didn’t exist before, a shoe desired by many and that now meets the needs of a new form of mobility. It’s a shoe designed for non-expert cyclers who love pedaling and discovering long routes in the countryside without having to train for hours on end. These users need a structured shoe that is rigid enough to avoid the dispersion of energy while pedaling, but that is also comfortable for hiking when they want to jump off their bikes and go sightseeing around town or hike up a short trail. 

 

9.81 HI-RIDE was designed to respond to the needs of this new user category that has been growing fast thanks to the many different types of pedal assist bikes available; a new hybrid shoe developed by Garmont to combine cycling with hiking.

 

9.81 HI-RIDE

 

As a confirmation of its great success in the world of two wheels, 9.81 HI-RIDE was conferred the 2023 Design & Innovation Award. This prestigious internationally recognized award, promoted and organized by an independent German company, truly tests all of the submitted products in real-world scenarios. It wishes to be a benchmark in an increasingly differentiated market dominated by new products and aspiring trends to spot the most interesting ones that are destined to bring significant improvements to the market. 

«We are particularly pleased to receive this recognition because the Design & Innovation Award judging panel fully understood the innovative spirit of this new shoe, which doesn’t belong to any existing segment and can thus create a new market – remarked Garmont COO Davide Calcagnotto,– in this sense it’s not an achievement for us, it’s a starting point. Our company’s innovative spirit is reflected in the 9.81 HI RIDE today, but new projects will come tomorrow, destined to take the world of sports footwear by storm».

 

Design & Innovation Award 2023

 

With this award, the judging panel wished to highlight how groundbreaking the 9.81 HI RIDE is in terms of innovation: a shoe that is rigid enough to help maintain pedal power but also flexible and comfortable enough to favor hiking. A dream come true for all those who use bicycle-transit as a means for travel but don’t want to give up the opportunity of visiting medieval towns or hiking in the woods along the way. Garmont made this possible thanks to GTF Hyve, an innovative two-part outsole: one part is made from a softer blend that, together with high-density honeycomb caps, offers increased pedal grip, and the other features a recycled rubber blend and an open cap design that is the right compromise between grip, traction and duration. 

Although the 9.81 HI-RIDE has what it takes to land on the cycling distribution scene, it also has all the technical and style features characterizing Garmont hiking shoes, for the utmost product reliability. 

The Design & Innovation Award confirms that the 9.81 HI RIDE can pave the way for a real revolution in footwear with shoes designed for a new form of mobility where cycling meets hiking. A new path led by Garmont.

 

Discover the awards in the Outdoor category.

Discover the prize awarded to our 9.81 HI-RIDE.