The creating of a unique geometry adjustment system
How it all began...

Buying a full suspension bike in 1996 was the start of a new mountain biking era for us. It was a double edged sword: on the one hand better handling and plush suspension was great riding downhill. On the other hand poor climbing performance was the result of more suspension travel. The result was a continuous compromise: how much travel do you need to enjoy technical downhills but still tackle the steep climbs of our local Tegernsee trails.

So we started seriously thinking about geometry around 1997, we wanted every cm of suspension travel for downhill performance. The bike industry was obsessed with build the lightest possible bike at this time, but what use is a light bike which is no fun descending?

Our suspension bike was a pig going uphill! The front while constantly lifted on steep uphill sections, our necks ached from fighting with the steering! Brainstorming, serious doubt about existing products and inspiration from nature led to the idea of varying front fork travel. Step by step we developed the theoretic application of this idea. In 1998 first prototypes were created and we applied for our first patent in Germany. Many others came and went until in 1999 we decided to focus entirely on an integrated pneumatic system (real geometry adjustment) – this is still the basis of all of our current full suspension bikes.

It was more than logical to adjust front and rear shocks simultaneously. We were fascinated by the wild goats we watched running up and down impossibly steep mountains with total ease. How did they do it? Going up they retracted their front legs and extended the rear ones. Going down they reversed the operation!

In May 2000 we presented this technology to the public for the first time. At the Lake Garda bike festival we arrived with a bike built together with Rotwild. This was the "Point of no Return" and we suddenly found ourselves surrounded not by enthusiasm but by scepticism and the overwhelming attitude of „that will never work.“ We’d invented something so simple but radical, maybe others were envious, why hadn’t the global industry leaders thought of this? And who the hell were these three upstarts from a village in Bavaria!?

The Garda festival was quickly followed by the DuPont Brand New Award for the most innovative sports product at ISPO 2000. We received tons of positive PR from outside the bike industry and decided that we had to bring the BIONICON system into full production.

In 2001 Bionicon was officially founded as a Ltd company with 3 employees.

It took a lot of hard work until the legendary green/orange Bionicon BC 1.0 was ready to ship in April 2002. Without the support of family, friends, customers and helpers we’d have never made it this far.

We applied for many worldwide patents during this period (and continue to do so). As a result most well known suspension fork manufacturers licence BIONICON technology for their own products. Adjustable fork travel, part of our original invention is now a fundamental technology for modern mountain bikes showing that the BIONICON system is the innovation that will lead the future development of our sport.

Not content to rest on our laurels, we continued to improve on the BC 1.0. The first Edison was introduced in 2003. Demand for a shorter travel bike led to the Golden Willow’s introduction in 2004. This bike proved that the Bionicon system could work with a four bar linkage bike just as effectively as with one pivot. Adjustable geometry was now a serious option for mile munching Trans Alp riders.

Meanwhile the adrenalin junkies among us were experimenting with a long travel, big mountain machinery. Many prototypes were welded, shredded and ridden to destruction before the Ironwood joined the family in 2005. A 200mm suspension bike with 7 degrees of geometry adjustment and weighing in at 16 kg, it was and still is completely unique. 2005 also saw the first awarding of a patent licences with Manitou introducing the “IT” (infinite travel) switch across its entire product line.

At this time we also took the momentous decision to invest in foreign markets. Normally small brands use established distributors to sell their products abroad. Never one to accept the standard way of doing things the Bionicon team decided that the best long term result would be best achieved by setting up their own subsidiary. In 2005 we opened offices in Switzerland and the USA.

MBA magazine praised the Edison: “Bionicon’s suspension delivers the widest range of performance of any trailbike made today”.

2006 was a year of consolidation: we continued to strengthen our dealer network in Germany, improve existing models and quietly develop new products.

In spring 2007 Bionicon established a further subsidiary in the United Kingdom, MBUK the largest British MTB magazine proclaimed the Golden Willow as “the holy grail.” Right they were too.

In 2007 the Ironwood’s kid brother, the Supershuttle was born, an enduro/freeride bike which is just as home in the bike park as on cross country trail rides. Over the coming seasons it has become one of our most successful products.

Meanwhile the rapid growth of the company meant that our facility in Gmund was bursting at the seams. At the end of 2007 we moved to the other side of Lake Tegernsee to Rottach-Weisach. It hasn’t taken long to fill the 2000m² (10 times more space than we had in Gmund)!

We were thrilled to learn at the 2007 Eurobike show that the readership of BIKE magazine (Europe’s biggest MTB mag) had chosen BIONICON as “most innovative bike brand”. Wow! Little Bionicon from Bavaria beat the bike industry goliaths from the USA and Asia.

It wasn’t just the Bioncon offices which were continuing to grow at a brisk pace. In 2008 another milestone was reached as Bionicon dramatically widened its product portfolio. A new line of eye catching Urban bikes aimed to provide city dwellers the option of riding a Bionicon bike ideally matched to their needs. We’d spent a long time observing the urban jungle before creating a minimalist steel framed city slicker (Urban Road) and the radical 21st century butchers bike (Urban Cargo). In a parallel universe the Scandium framed competition series struck out searching for those who seek pain and performance. The result: 2 no-compromise machines, the Frequency hardtail and suspension Golden Willow Scandium bikes perfect for the XC and marathon rider.

We continued a tradition of surprising the bike world with a new line of riding wear. Like our off road bikes the new clothing range was inspired by nature. Bionicon typical, we refused to follow the accepted understanding of what cycling clothing should be like (downhill baggy or roadie lycra). We wanted clothing that performed on the bike and looked stylish off it.

Last but not least we announced at Eurobike that we had been working together with Universal Transmissions since 2003 on a new planetary drivetrain crankset, dubbed the B-Boxx. This cooperation project between two of Germany’s most innovative companies aims to replace the fiddly front derailleur system with an enclosed 2 speed transmission. Such a product isn’t just for long travel suspension bikes: we see huge potential in the area of city and e-bikes.

A frantic year was rounded off when Bionicon was again voted “most innovative bike brand” by the riders of BIKE magazine.

By 2009 the Bionicon team has grown to 33 employees, 25 of these based at the Tegernsee headquarters. We’ve always been an engineering heavy organisation with around 25% of our workforce dedicated to product development. We are proud of the fact that we design and engineer a higher proportion of our bikes than any other manufacturer. Internationally our business has rapidly expanded, 1/3 of our bikes are exported with distributors in Europe, Asia etc.

Almost all European, American and Asian suspension fork manufacturers are now customers for BIONICON’s extensive patent portfolio. At the end of 2009 BIONICON presented a completely new suspension platform. Three years of development have flown into the new TESLA all mountain design.

Continuing what is rapidly becoming a new tradition, BIONICON was again chosen as “most innovative bike brand 2009” by the BIKE magazine readership.

Contrary to many sceptics we have proven our staying power and that adjustable geometry/suspension travel is a genuine and lasting technical breakthrough. Our distinctive culture of openness and innovation as well as our vision for a better bike are the basis of our future growth and success.

It's your Trail!