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 mass-produced 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, last but not least, his close relationship to the alpine lifestyle characterize Franz Kneissl III personally as much as his brand. Franz Kneissl Design e-bikes are authentic and yet completely new, innovative and yet traditional - a lifestyle product with genes of success. For Franz Kneissl III, his brand Kneissl Design is mission. The path to reinventing oneself requires partners who, in addition to expertise, also bring the same enthusiasm. This is what our company Fitstore24 has stood for for 25 years as Austria's largest bike & fitness online retailer. We already anticipated the e-bike trend ten years ago and successfully introduced it with all its product variations in Austria.

Made in Italy

Only Italy - where passion for cycling, manufacturing & design have tradition - can be the production location for the 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 only written word, but rather the result of presence, own life and uniqueness, which makes it always 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, as a personal as well as professional pioneer in the e-bike segment, contributed his many years of experience regarding components and technology, complementing Franz Kneissl III's clearly defined visions on geometry and design. The Italian design team was inspired by Franz Kneissl III's past as an extreme athlete and his offshore racing motorboat, with which he became a double world champion in the 80s. Together, the Kneissl design and Fitstore24 team subjected the e-bikes to numerous tests in the mountains of Tyrol to match the traditional characteristics of the Kneissl name: innovative, reliable and zeitgeisty A brand is not just written words, but rather the result of presence, its own life and uniqueness, which will always keep you alive

History & Emotion

As one of the world's most successful and innovative ski brands, Kneissl is part of Austria's sports and corporate history, which goes back to the first wooden ski made by hand by Franz Kneissl I in 1910. The spirit of the brand remains inextricably linked to the family name, even though Kneissl ski production has not 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. Through innovative technologies, Kneissl was always one step ahead of the ski industry. Closely linked to Austrian ski racing and with a strong, decades-long market presence, the brand became highly 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 approach to shaping his own brand image. He did not forget his roots: the passion for technology and speed was literally born into him. He was crowned double off shore powerboat world champion in 1982 and 1983 and lived for many years in the USA as a consultant and organizer 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 Race Boat Training Center in the U.S. in 1984, and trained special forces for the U.S. Department of Defense, the U.S. 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 chose him as 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.

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 & lifestyle. The off shore motorboat world championship cup was used as the logo for Franz Kneissl Design GmbH and is represented on the bikes as it was on the racing boat back then. The lettering "Franz Kneissl III" can also be found boldly on each bike.