Franz Kneissl III bears one of the best-known names in Austrian sports and corporate history. The double world champion in offshore motor boats was born with a passion for speed and innovation. Ski production has not been family-owned since the 80s. With his Franz Kneissl Design GmbH, he holds patents for sports equipment and naming rights - and is now the licensor for Kneissl bikes. Fitstore24 GmbH, Austria's largest bike and fitness online retailer, is now exclusively selling e-bikes from the Kneissl brand, which were developed in cooperation between Fitstore24 and Kneissl Design. The high-quality electric bikes are manufactured in Italy.
Franz Kneissl Design - a name with history and emotion
As one of the world's most successful and innovative ski brands, Kneissl is one of the world's most successful and innovative ski brands in Austrian sports and company history, which stretches back to the first hand-made wooden ski by Franz Kneissl I in 1910. The spirit of the brand remains inextricably linked to the family name, even if Kneissl ski production has not been family-owned since the 80s. A generation of world champions, Olympic champions, ski legends and the international jet set loved the traditional brand from Tyrol. Thanks to innovative technologies, Kneissl was always one step ahead of the ski industry. Closely linked to Austrian ski racing and thanks to its strong, decades-long market presence, the brand was emotionally charged - and has remained so to this day.
Speed, technology & lifestyle
"A brand is not just a written word, but rather the result of presence, a life of its own and uniqueness, which always allows it to live on." Franz Kneissl III. With his Franz Kneissl Design GmbH, founded in 2016, and the e-bikes of the same name, Franz Kneissl III is reinventing the Kneissl product world. The constant remains the brand name, which is inextricably linked to speed, technology and lifestyle.
Franz Kneissl III went a different, completely individual way to shape his own brand image. He didn't forget his roots: He was born with a passion for technology and speed. He was crowned double offshore motorboat world champion in 1982 and 1983 and lived in the USA for many years as a consultant and organizer of top-class sporting events such as the Americans Cup, the Ralph Lauren Polo Derby and more. He was the owner of Newport is Sports Ltd., opened the first racing boat training center in the USA in 1984 and trained special units of the US Department of Defense, the US Marines. Andy Warhol photographed him for his Interview Magazine, he received numerous international awards for his extreme sporting achievements and the US publisher Simon & Schuster voted him one of the most successful athletes of 1983. Back in Europe, the entrepreneur developed innovative sports equipment and is the owner of numerous patents & Naming Rights.
The Kneissl bikes will be available from April 2022
The Austrian Fitstore24 GmbH holds the worldwide license for the Franz Kneissl Design brand and developed the Kneissl e-bike series in cooperation with Franz Kneissl III. Mario Zanier, CTO Fitstore24: "In these fast-paced times, we rely on the stability and values of family businesses that span generations. We are extremely pleased to be continuing a 100-year family tradition of innovation and zeitgeist together with Franz Kneissl III, and bringing new products to the market together.”
Latest engine technology & Made in Italy
Only high-end components and a production facility in Italy were considered for the Franz Kneissl III e-bikes. The Italian design team was inspired by Franz Kneissl's offshore racing motor boat. The Kneissl Bike e-bike series includes 7 models, the lead products (Enduro, Fully, Hardtail, City) drive with the latest Bosch Smart System motor technology. This technology connects the e-bike to the digital world via Bluetooth and the app, enabling access to numerous functions and seamlessly synchronizing activity data in apps such as Apple Health.
