World
Taiwan Bets On 32 Inch MTB’s
It’s been another tough year for the Taiwanese bike manufacturing industry. With things starting to get desperate, they’re piling their chips onto black 32 and crossing their fingers… Times have been tough for the Taiwanese bicycle industry, which for the past 30 years has been a key supplier of high end bicycles and components to…
Aussies at Taipei Cycle
Taipei Cycle was noticeably quieter this year. Unlike most previous years, show organisers did not publish attendance data immediately after the show and, two weeks later, have still not responded to my direct request for information. But for many years Australia has been a top 10 country customer for the Taiwanese bicycle industry in terms…
Exhibitors Look to the Future Despite Smaller Eurobike
Frankfurt, Germany The European bicycle market took a battering last year, with sales for the 2024 calendar year down significantly, particularly when measured by value. But early figures from the first quarter of 2025 are showing a strong recovery and there was a sense of optimism at this year’s Eurobike show. For a combination of…
New Products from Taipei Cycle 2025
Taipei, Taiwan Each year members of the bicycle industry from around the world gather for the annual Taipei Cycle exhibition. It’s a big show! By the numbers, visitors saw 980 exhibiting companies filling about 60,000 square metres of space across three huge exhibit halls. Taipei Cycle doesn’t just showcase Taiwanese manufacturers. There are dozens of…
Aussies at the Show
Taipei, Taiwan It felt like attendance numbers overall were down slightly at this year’s Taipei Cycle. In previous years, the show’s organisers were always prompt in publishing detailed attendance data. This year, despite multiple searches, I can’t see any such announcement, and other international cycling trade media have also reported not having seen attendance data.One…
Inside SRAM’s Factory. – New A$800 Million Factory Coming Soon
Taichung District, Taiwan Taiwan is an island that lies just 180 kilometres off the coast of mainland China. The entire island is barely more than half the size of our smallest state, Tasmania. Two thirds of Taiwan is covered by extremely rugged mountains, ranging up to almost 4,000 metres high. That’s great for providing some…
Is “Chinglish” an Endangered Species?
Taipei, Taiwan Back when I first began attending Taipei Cycle in the 1990’s, everywhere you looked, both inside the show, that was then held at the World Trade Centre building, and out on the streets, you’d see examples of “Chinglish”. Clearly, it’s not easy translating your message into a foreign language. Imagine if we tried…
New Tax Advantaged Ride to Work Scheme Launches in New Zealand
Tauranga, New Zealand There’s a new ride-to-work scheme available in New Zealand that has been set up by the bicycle industry members for the industry. Their target is helping independent bike retailers sell more bikes through supporting businesses implement Fringe Benefit Tax (FBT) tax offsets for their staff. The Wheel Deal has been developed by…
World News Briefs – December
E-Bikes Reach 30% Market Share by Volume, More by Value 30% of all bikes now sold in Europe are e-bikes according to a new report published by Bike Europe. Total analogue bicycle sales for the 27 European Union countries plus the UK were 11.7 million units in 2023, down from 14.7 million units in 2022.…
Taipei Cycle 2025 Books Out Months in Advance
Despite continued difficulties in the market, exhibitor booth spaces for Taipei Cycle 2025 have officially been filled and a waitlist has been opened. Taipei Cycle is scheduled for 26th to 29th March 2025. Attendance has been confirmed by 950 exhibitors from 35 countries who will take a combined standard booth space of over 3,500 booths.…