Kneissl Design

Commit name & history

Franz Kneissl III picks up where the Kneissl story began in 1861. From his grandfather Franz Kneissl I, who produced the first series ski in 1919, to his father Franz Kneissl II, the great ski pioneer and inventor of the legendary Kneissl "White Star". He remains true to the brand DNA and his personal history: speed, innovation and not least his close relationship with the alpine world characterise Franz Kneissl III personally just as much as his brand. Franz Kneissl Design e-bikes are authentic and yet completely new, innovative and yet traditional - a lifestyle product with successful genes. For Franz Kneissl III, his brand Kneissl Design is a mission. The path to reinventing oneself requires partners who, in addition to expertise, also bring the same enthusiasm to the table. This is what our company Fitstore24 has stood for for 25 years as Austria's largest online bike and fitness retailer. We anticipated the e-bike trend ten years ago and successfully introduced it and all its product variations in Austria.

Made in Italy

Only Italy - where passion for cycling, manufacturing and design have a long tradition - can be the production location for Franz Kneissl III e-bikes. This is where the brand's mountain, trekking, city and children's e-bikes are manufactured. "A brand is not just a written word, but rather the result of presence, a life of its own and uniqueness that allows it to live on." Franz Kneissl III.

The KNEISSL Verve

The product development of theKneissl design e-bikes benefited from the collaboration between our two companies: Fitstore24 CEO Werner Zanier, a personal and professional pioneer in the e-bike segment, contributed his many years of experience in components and technology, complementing Franz Kneissl III's clearly defined visions on geometry and construction. The Italian design team was inspired by Franz Kneissl III's past as an extreme sportsman and his offshore racing motorboat, with which he became double world champion in the 1980s. Together, the Kneissl design and Fitstore24 team subjected the e-bikes to numerous tests in the Tyrolean mountains in order to fulfil the traditional characteristics of the Kneissl name: innovative, reliable and contemporary A brand is not just a written word, but rather the result of presence, a life of its own and uniqueness that allows it to live on forever

History & emotion

As one of the world's most successful and innovative ski brands, Kneissl is part of the Austrian sports and company history, which goes back to the first handmade wooden ski by Franz Kneissl I in 1910. The spirit of the brand remains inextricably linked to the family name, even though Kneissl ski production has no longer been family-owned since the 1980s. A generation of world champions, Olympic champions and ski legends - and the international jet-set loved the traditional brand from Tyrol. Kneissl was always one step ahead of the ski industry thanks to its innovative technologies. Closely linked to Austrian ski racing and with a strong, decades-long market presence, the brand became emotionally charged - and has remained so to this day. "A ski that moves you doesn't just leave tracks in the snow." Franz Kneissl III

Speed, technology & lifestyle

Franz Kneissl III took a different, completely individual path to shape his own brand image. He did not forget his roots: he was literally born with a passion for technology and speed. He was crowned double off-shore powerboat world champion in 1982 and 1983 and lived in the USA for many years as a consultant and organiser of first-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 centre in the USA in 1984 and trained special units of the US Department of Defence, 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 and naming rights.

Franz KNEISSL III E-BIKES

With his Franz Kneissl Design GmbH, founded in 2016, and the e-bikes of the same name, Franz Kneissl III is once again reinventing himself and the Kneissl product world. The constant is the brand name, which still evokes emotions and memories and stands for speed, technology and lifestyle. The off-shore motorboat world championship trophy was used as the logo for Franz Kneissl Design GmbH and is also represented on the bikes, just as it was on the racing boat. The lettering "Franz Kneissl III" can also be found prominently on every bike.