Here’s Some Highlights You Can See at the Micromobility Conference & Expo

Sydney, NSW

With just over a fortnight until the inaugural Micromobility Conference & Expo, here’s a recap of recent news about just some of the attractions to see and experience:

Specialized’s large-scale expansion into the urban bike market will be on full display, with confirmation its exhibit will focus on its commuter bikes and e-bike models.

Specialized Product & Brand Marketing Manager Tim Webster said the company saw the Micromobility Conference as a great opportunity to talk to riders and industry representatives who might not have viewed Specialized as an important player in the urban market.

It will highlight how the design, technology and philosophies that have made Specialized a leader in road and mountain bikes are being transferred into its Active range, including a growing range of e-bikes.

A growing alliance between urban cycle commuting and sustainability will be on display when TMO Sports showcases its Continental tyre and Deuter bag ranges.

The Sydney-based distributor will promote both brands’ growing selections of urban and commuting products, invariably with an emphasis on sustainable production.

TMO director Manfred Otto said the company’s exhibit would also show how customer expectations in the emerging commuter segment are accelerating the cycling industry’s uptake of sustainability principles, materials and manufacturing processes.

Small Gold Coast company BZ Optics developed the world’s first bifocal sunglasses with high-impact UV activated photochromic lenses which transition from clear (Category 0), in low or no light, to grey (Cat. 2) in full sun.

The growing popularity of mountain bikes, particularly eMTBs, the rising prevalence of e-bikes in general, and increased use of digital displays are all boosting the market for BZ Optics, which has built on its ground-breaking bifocals by swiftly developing a range of cycling eyewear for cyclists who typically needs glasses because of long or short-sightedness.

A new Australia producer of electric mopeds, Benzina Zero, officially launched its first models in September and is already making waves in one of the world’s most discerning moped markets.

Benzina Zero will reveal why its mopeds – particularly its very distinctive Duo model – are attracting a passionate response in Italy, arguably the home of premium mopeds.
Benzina Zero will have its Duo, Sport and City mopeds on display.

Melbourne-based e-bike subscription service Lug+Carrie is preparing for an expansion into the US, after enjoying great success in introducing Australian families to e-cargo bikes.
It expanded into Sydney earlier this year, to Brisbane in recent weeks and declared it will branch out into the ACT before the end of 2022.
Lug+Carrie will soon announce a partnership to grow its operations into the US, and will join the conference and expo and a gold sponsor and exhibitor.

We Ride Australia has released a list of finalists for its 2022 Cycling Luminaries Awards, with the presentation ceremony to be held on 25th November, in conjunction with the Micromobility Conference & Expo.

The announcement of finalists was accompanied by news the list of awards has been expanded from three to four, to differential between industry leaders in professional and voluntary roles.

See the new safe cycle route algorithm and mobile app, developed in Victoria, that enables riders to find the safest, easiest or most direct way to get to their destinations.

Intelematics, a technology and mobility solutions enterprise owned by the Royal Automobile Club of Victoria (RACV), developed the algorithm and ridePlan app in collaboration with the RACV, government transport authorities and mobility member organisations.

The app enables riders to avoid busy roads and locate bike-specific infrastructure to enhance the experience of cycling for pleasure, fitness or commuting.

Long-standing industry commentator and visionary in e-mobility, Oliver Bruce, will reveal why micromobility is fast approaching its “iPhone moment” as a major transportation force.

The NZ native with a global presence in the industry says micromobility’s disruption to the automotive industry is already comparable to the impact early smartphones had on the mobile phone industry.

However, it’s only a matter of time before e-bikes, e-scooters and other forms of e-mobility achieve the technological and functional advances to make them a dominant mode of transport.

Industry and community expectations for e-scooter safety is taking the industry beyond GPS technology and onto more advanced systems to control how the vehicles are used, according to a head of Asia Pacific’s largest shared micromobility provider.

The Australia and New Zealand General Manager of Beam, Tom Cooper, says the escalating transition from car dependency towards e-mobility is demanding higher technological capabilities, particularly as e-scooter density increases in cities.

Leading share scooter operators Beam Mobility, Lime and Neuron Mobility will have their latest generation e-scooters at the expo.