International
Product Briefs: Early Investor Support for First Automatic E-Bike Motor
Girona, Italy An Italian start-up’s campaign to develop the world’s first automatic motor for e-bikes has attracted a rush of investors before its fund-raising campaign has gone public. Niche Mobility, based in Girona, is developing an Automatic Digital Transmission System (ADTC) complete with regenerative breaking. The company had scheduled to begin its Crowdcube fund-raising campaign…
Giant Profits Halved But Mid-Term Optimism Remains
Taipei, Taiwan Giant Group’s nett profits have halved in the first quarter of 2023, compared to the same period in 2022, the Taiwan-based company revealed in a financial report released last week. Its consolidated financial report for the 2023 first quarter shows the group’s nett profit after tax was NT$836 million (A$40.49 million), a decline…
OKGO Takes Digitisation Further
Taipei, Taiwan Taiwanese manufacturer OKGO is continuing the progression of e-bikes towards integration and digitalisation, with its carbon-framed Smart E-Bike unveiled at Taipei Cycle. With a futuristic monocoque carbon frame that hints at the technology contained within, the urban e-bike has a handlebar-integrated Smart Bike Display that receives voice commands, can use fingerprint scans to…
Business Focus Gives Huge Sea Otter an Interbike Feel
Monterey, US A total of 528 exhibitors, representing more than 1,000 brands, came to the Sea Otter Classic last month, jamming the Laguna Seca Raceway exhibition area, setting records for attendance, reaffirming the event’s hold on the US bicycle industry, and enhancing its growing cachet among a bevy of foreign exhibitors. Australia was represented by…
Hargroves Rebrand Completes 99 Bikes Purchase
Southhampton, UK Pedal Group has begun a rebrand of the UK retail chain, Hargroves Cycles, it purchased recently. The Queensland-based company last week began converting the four Hargroves outlets into 99 Bikes stores, consistent with its retail operations in Australia. Hargroves founder Peter Hargroves said on social media site LinkedIn the rebranding was an end…
Product Briefs: Mavic E-Bike Motor, Greater Bosch Security and More
Annecy, France French brand Mavic has unveiled its own superlight e-bike motor, the X-Tend, as the company searches for a partner to help take the motor to production. The X-Tend’s release prompted recollections of another electronic innovation by Mavic, when it led the shift to electronic derailleurs with the launch of its Zap system in…
Recall for Shimano’s PRO Vibe Stems
Eindhoven, Netherlands Shimano has issued a ‘stop riding’ and recall notice for a range of head stems sold under its PRO brand, after it was discovered they were prone to developing cracks. Shimano Europe B.V., the owner of the PRO brand, issued the recall on 30th March for certain PRO Vibe alloy stems purchased during…
Taipei Cycle Award Refocuses Attention on Sodium-Ion Batteries
Taipei, Taiwan Chinese manufacturer Phylion has triumphed at Taipei Cycle’s 2023 Development & Innovation Awards with its first-generation sodium-ion battery cells, as the technology firms as an alternative to lithium-ion batteries for e-bikes. Phylion used Taiwan’s global bike trade show to highlight its self-developed sodium-ion battery cell models, the Golden Brick Version 30110 and 19118…
Letter from America – New Bugbears for US Industry
SANTA FE, New Mexico It seems the US bicycle industry has set aside – at least for the moment – worries over supply chain disruption, overseas shipping costs, and tariffs on some Chinese imports. That’s not to say these concerns are unimportant, but the industry is moving full speed ahead into other hot button issues.…
Giant Foreshadows Delayed Economic Recovery
Taichung City, Taiwan Inventory issues and the “headwind of economic outlook” will continue to affect short-term revenue and earning performance in the global bicycle industry, Giant Group declared in its 2022 financial year report released this month. The Taiwanese company says the bike market’s balance of the supply and demand is yet to normalise, although…