Every year, Taiwan exports more than 2 million traditional bicycles globally. Road bike exports have comprised a stable 20-30% share in the past few years, while mountain bikes now take up 60% of the exports to the US as ‘mainstream demand is on the rise’.
A release from the Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA) notes that…
‘In contrast, due to the increasing popularity of various high-profile cycling events and of leisure riding recently, the demand for road bikes in the European market is almost equivalent to that of mountain bikes, and the Asian market also shows a similar rising trend year by year.’
TAITRA adds that… ‘Giant and Merida, the two major bicycle companies in Taiwan, have become leading brands in the world, and their road bikes are often selected by professional cyclists and their teams for competitions.
‘Take Giant, for example, it became the CCC team’s new partner last year. It supported the professional male team with the latest TCR, Defy and Propel road bikes and Trinity Time Trial Bikes for competition and training. Their professional female team opted for Liv Langma and the brand new EnviLiv aerodynamic road bikes as their racing bikes.’
Alongside the two leading brands, other Taiwanese rising brands such as DIZO, BESV, and VOLANDO also hold prominent places in the road bike industry. DIZO derives its name from the Taiwanese homophony ‘customized’, indicating that its products are made in Taiwan and tailored to customers’ needs, featuring unique and bespoke designs. In 2016, it launched the limited-edition Hero Series co-branded with Marvel as the world’s first carbon fibre road bikes featuring the hero concept.
