From April 6 to 8, 2018, everything in Zurich-West at Schiffbau and the adjacent Turbinenplatz will revolve around cycling culture in terms of urban mobility: the Urban Bike Festival is taking place for the third time this year after two successful editions with over 20,000 visitors last year. The event sees itself as a platform for innovation, products, road safety and "savoir-vivre", skillfully whetting the appetite for a lifestyle with bikes.

A firework of a supporting program

In addition to the expo with bike test operations, the organizers, who also host the Bike Days in Solothurn, have an extensive supporting programme for the public interested in bikes and lifestyle to participate in and get excited about: Trial icon Danny MacAskill turns the city's infrastructure into a playground and shows off the finest bike acrobatics. The Urban Bike Games are a new three-discipline competition for everyone. Everyone can discover the city by bike on Sunday at the City Ride, the popular bike parade. The Urban Cyclocross, an urban cyclocross race of the EKZ CrossTour, leads through the middle of Zurich over stairs and through tight bends. Design and handicraft enthusiasts are in the right place at the Bike Lovers Contest with the motto "Lady-like". There will be plenty of fun for the ears in the lounge with the "Unplugged Stage" and at the Urban Bike Party in Club Labor: dancing until the early hours is also on offer at Urban Bike Days. Admission to the event is free, apart from the party in the evening.

Electro in focus

Visitors to the Urban Bike Festival can expect a total of 65 exhibitors - a considerable increase on last year - and thus one of the largest showcases of the Swiss bike industry, which is tailored to urban cycling needs. "Almost without exception, all the major brands represented in Switzerland will be present: Scott, Diamant, Tour de Suisse, Cresta and Focus among others - and Specialized for the first time," announces Nathalie Schneitter, Expo Director, and promises: "All the well-known electric drives - and even many unknown ones - can be tried out and compared directly. You won't find this anywhere else at the start of spring."

The drive and e-bike manufacturers represented include Bosch eBike Systems, Flyer, Stromer, Coboc, HNF Nicolai, Pendix, Continental Bicycle Systems, Benno Bikes and many more. The two test tracks are ready for the test rides: Giessereistrasse, which will be closed for the first time for this purpose, as a straight line between Turbinenplatz and Hardstrasse, and the slightly hilly cycle path from Turbinenplatz to Pfingstweidpark and back.

www.urbanbikefestival.ch