Shimano's Coasting project, a design collaboration between the bicycle components leader, global innovation and design firm IDEO, and Coasting OEM partners, Giant, Raleigh and Trek, received the Gold IDEA Award in the International Design Excellence Award (IDEA) competition presented by the Industrial Designers Society of America and sponsored by BusinessWeek. The prestigious award is testament to the innovation behind Coasting, one of the largest lifestyle bike riding initiatives that has successfully led to more Americans riding bikes. Shimano's Coasting program was developed in concert with IDEO, a repeat winner of IDEA awards, which was instrumental in developing the experience that is Coasting.
"We're thrilled about this honor from IDSA that we believe recognizes the innovation resulting from our partnership with IDEO and the various design and manufacturing partners involved with Coasting," said Kozo Shimano of Shimano American Corporation. "The collaborative network behind this program was genius, ranging from IDEO's designers working with Shimano's product development team to our trusted OEM partners Giant, Raleigh and Trek."
In the development of Coasting, IDEO conducted research on consumer's bike experiences and found that most Americans had fond memories of riding a bike as a kid. With that in mind, Shimano and IDEO created Coasting as a casual bike experience for the millions of Americans who remember riding a bike as a kid and want to relive that experience effortlessly.
"We're delighted for this recognition as we feel the experience IDEO helped Shimano create has achieved Shimano's goal of getting more people on bikes," said David Webster, partner of IDEO. "We started with a reference design of what we thought the bicycle should look like, and after showing it to bicycle manufacturers and working closely with Shimano, we ultimately created a new category in the bicycle industry that has been well received."
Now in its second year, Shimano's Coasting program continues its momentum by increasing bike ridership while also now including more than double the amount of manufacturers producing Coasting-equipped bicycles. Bike designs range from futuristic cruisers, fashionable yet functional urban bicycles, to vintage-inspired rides from participating manufacturers: Fuji, Giant Bicycle, K2, Phat Cycles, Raleigh, Schwinn and Trek.
Coasting bikes are easy to ride, the technology is hidden, and the experience is designed around the casual rider's needs. The bikes feature Shimano's automatic shifting Coasting system that creates an effortless ride that virtually anyone can enjoy.