I mentioned in an older post that Mark Sanders’ IF (Integrated Folding) Mode bike for Pacific Cycles was featured on the iF (international Forum) Design website. Now the bike, a cleverly designed full size wheel folder, has won an iF Product Design GOLD Award. For any of you who may not familiar with the international Forum (iF) Design in Hannover, Germany, this is a prestigious design award with a history dating back to 1953. This year, 2,808 products from 39 countries competed for awards in 16 categories. Out of all those entries, only 50 were honored with GOLD awards. Congrats to Mark and to everyone at Pacific on this accomplishment.

Read more about the IF Mode and the award from Pacific:

First ever folding bicycle to win iF Product Design GOLD Award

Hannover, Germany 3 March 2009 – During the opening day of CeBit; the world’s largest trade fair for digital IT and telecommunications solutions, international Forum Design hosted an awards ceremony announcing the winners of the 50 iF gold awards. Representing Pacific Cycles at the ceremony to accept the iF gold trophy was Mark Sanders, the design inventor and creator. Mark spoke to the audience of fellow designers and international media regarding the unique focus that Pacific Cycles’ Integrated Folding Mode bicycle achieves.

About the IF Mode

The clean and striking MODE is aimed at commuters that may have not considered cycling or folding bikes as an option. MODE avoids oily chains, complex tubes with hidden dirt traps and the clutter of traditional bike features. It can be used by commuters who do not want to change their appearance into ‘bicycle warriors’. MODE features Pacific’s IF (Integrated Folding) technology that offers a single-action, automatic fold that requires no tools or removal of parts. IF technology is based on a patented 3-dimensional 4-Bar linkage that automatically guides the wheels together when folding. Once folded, MODE rolls along in a convenient wheelable package.

Where to see the Pacific Cycles iF Mode

For those of you lucky enough to be visiting the Taiwan Cycle Show starting March 17th, drop by the Pacific Cycles booth for a firsthand look and demonstration of this new generation of wheelable transport featuring their Integrated Folding Technology. IF Mode will also be shown outside by Pacific Cycles’ Taiwan distributor, Hometec, in the test ride area at OD_12.

Click here to watch a video of IF Mode being put through its paces by Ryan Carroll, Chief Designer, as he travels around town.

Changing subjects, I also want to briefly mention an upcoming webinar for IDSA members. The web event, which will take place Tuesday, March 10th at 1 pm EDT, is called “Design With the Majority: The Collaborative Design of a Cargo Bicycle for Uganda”. It is free to IDSA members, so find out more and reserve a space here if you fit that description. I already reserved my spot, so I will let you know how the webinar goes.