Photo Report: Mr. EIT Days 2026

28.09.26 09:27 542026-09-28T09:27:00+02:00Text: Erwin Haiden (translated by AI)Photos: Erwin HaidenFor the second time, the Mr. EIT Bike Days came to Reiteralm. Three laid-back days filled with exciting products, demo bikes, bike talk and 21 kilometres of trails – and a bike festival that, even in its third edition, remained refreshingly low-key.28.09.26 09:27 3282026-09-28T09:27:00+02:00

Photo Report: Mr. EIT Days 2026

28.09.26 09:27 3282026-09-28T09:27:00+02:00 Erwin Haiden (translated by AI) Erwin Haiden

Choose your language

translated by AI

AI generated translation
AI-generated translation refers to the process of using artificial intelligence, particularly machine learning models, to automatically translate text or speech from one language to another. These systems, such as neural machine translation models, analyze large datasets of multilingual content to learn patterns and associations between languages. The generated translations are based on statistical probabilities and context learned during training.

For the second time, the Mr. EIT Bike Days came to Reiteralm. Three laid-back days filled with exciting products, demo bikes, bike talk and 21 kilometres of trails – and a bike festival that, even in its third edition, remained refreshingly low-key.28.09.26 09:27 3282026-09-28T09:27:00+02:00

This year, the Mr. EIT Bike Days were held at Reiteralm for the second time. What began in Wiener Neustadt in 2024 as a laid-back gathering with group rides has since become a firm fixture on the calendar. And while some events grow increasingly hectic as their popularity rises, the Bike Days have lost none of their charm or easy-going atmosphere.

That is largely thanks to content creator Roland Eitler, aka Mr. EIT, supported by a whole host of good souls. I was there as a photographer and could simply go with the relaxed flow – from the gondola first emerging through the morning mist to the spectacular sunset on the trail overlooking the Dachstein.

No stage, no constant PA noise, no event circus. Just bikes, trails and good times.
The ZEN of EIT

Reiteralm Playground

Reiteralm in the Schladming-Dachstein region provides a fitting setting. Nine singletrack and enduro trails ranging from blue to black, plus a jump line, add up to 21 varied kilometres of riding. The Preunegg Jet valley station is the starting point for the Reiteralm Trails, which complement the region’s offering with their accessibility and family-friendly atmosphere – without asking you to forgo conveniences such as an eight-person gondola.

The key to the right proving ground hangs directly above the expo.
Preunegg Jet

It whisks hikers and bikers up to the starting point of their mountain adventures in just a few minutes, with the mighty Dachstein massif looming overhead. Barely out of the gondola, you already have to choose between easy-going, fast or rough. For an event where proper testing is also on the agenda, these are fairly ideal conditions – and one reason why Reiteralm suits the Bike Days so well.

Even More Zen with Mr. EIT

If you know and follow Mr. EIT, Japanese Zen probably would not be the first connection you make. Perhaps that is simply because I got up too early. Or because there is no PA system enveloping the event in noise from the first coffee at breakfast to the final beer.

When, in the autumn dawn, the first exhibitors and good souls begin shaking the morning dew from their tents; when the first quiet technical discussions start among coffee, cake and chain wax, as people look back on the previous day or make plans for the one ahead; when more conversations, people and bikes slowly but steadily bring the colourful tent village to life – it really does feel a little like a Japanese garden waking up.

Admittedly, fewer chains are probably lubricated and fewer suspension systems discussed in a Japanese garden. But you know what I mean.

See, Talk, Try

For all the banter and fun Mr. EIT brings to his event, you can also begin to appreciate just how much work goes into bringing an event like this to life – one where young and old, beginners and advanced riders, first-time visitors and familiar exhibitors can all enjoy their shared passion in equal comfort.

There are few events where you can talk to manufacturers in such a relaxed yet detailed way. Orbea, Simplon and KTM brought test bikes, while MiTech, Wallis and Nicolai presented their distinctive takes on modern bikes. And rather than studying brochures, whenever in doubt the answer was simple: just try it.

The beauty of it is that the key to the right proving ground hangs practically above the expo. The Preunegg Jet takes you up, and just a few minutes later geometry, suspension, tyres and brakes can demonstrate what they are capable of on real trails. After all, rolling a test bike across a car park tells you scarcely more than briefly sitting on one in a showroom.

Don’t moan, ride!
Talking Is Good. Trying Is Better.

Riding out in all directions
From the Expo in Every Direction

There was also plenty to browse and discuss beyond complete bikes. Connex by Wippermann covered chains and drivetrains, while Variolube offered those very chains a little spa treatment. Insta360 took care of documenting your heroic exploits on film, while Neomotus addressed a not entirely insignificant question before and after the ride: how do you sensibly transport five heavy e-bikes to the trail and back home again?

At Endura, you could browse the latest bikewear while doing something worthwhile on the side. Together with Mr. EIT, the familiar fundraising campaign continued: selected clothing changed hands for an amount chosen by the buyer, with the proceeds going into the donation fund for the mountain rescue service.

Riding Brings People Together

There was even more riding together this year. More group rides with Mr. EIT, skills ride-outs for different ability levels and small challenges on the trail were intended to strengthen the link between the activity at the valley station and the mountain above. Reiteralm is particularly well suited to that too. The expo forms the central square, with the mountain as the adventure playground surrounding it. Here, you can take your time testing new kit where it belongs, discover new trails or tricks – and almost always find someone to chat with, if that is what you feel like.

Anyone who had made proper use of their time on the mountain naturally brought a little of Reiteralm back down with them. Gardena’s bike-washing stations were once again ready to return it to the soil – a very welcome port of call after a few autumn laps on the trails.

Neither admission nor registration is required, and despite all the exciting products, nobody here feels obliged to buy anything. Ideally, you simply ride your bike, meet people and learn something along the way about a product that interests you.

And More

And because chain oil, test bikes and trail kilometres alone cannot sustain a human being, Bankwirt provided the necessary culinary grounding.

In fact, it is this constant back and forth that defines the Bike Days: collect a bike, ride the gondola up, rock the trail, come back, eat something, get sidetracked somewhere, talk tech, look at the next bike – and eventually realise that another half-day has somehow disappeared.

The Good Souls

Amid it all are the people without whom none of this would work. Friends, helpers and Patreons who assist with setting up and packing down, while taking care of countless other things in between that ordinary visitors never even notice.

Roland himself is rarely in the same place for more than a few minutes. A conversation here, a photo there, then another ride, with some organisational problem quickly solved in between.
The fact that so little of this hustle spills over to the visitors may be one of the more remarkable achievements of the weekend.

Back in Wiener Neustadt in 2024, this very combination of personal contact, an absence of back-to-back appointments and enough time for people was already a key part of the Bike Days. Two years later, now with a mountain backdrop added to the mix, the principle still works every bit as well.

When Calm Returns

Each day drew to a close with the now-traditional raffle of various prizes provided by sponsors and exhibitors. It was one of the few moments when almost everyone gathered in the same place at once.

Afterwards, the little tent village slowly emptied again. The light grew warmer, and the calm with which everything had begun a few hours earlier gradually returned. Time for us to catch the last gondola, soak up the remaining rays of autumn sunshine and once more follow Reiteralm’s trails, shaped with plenty of care and feeling.

And as the mighty south face of the Dachstein sinks into the red glow of the setting sun, that thought returns: perhaps the Japanese garden analogy is rather fitting after all. And if this has made you want to join in: The Bike Days will return to Reiteralm in 2027. From 17 to 19 September 2027, there will once again be three relaxed event days in the Preunegg Jet car park.

Links: