Inspiring Bicycle Trends From Taiwan at Eurobike

Sep 08, 2016

"Ride into the future with bikes from Taiwan" was the motto under which several leading bicycle manufacturers unveiled their new products for the upcoming season this Thursday. Between 13:00 and 14:00 in the Paris conference room at the largest event in the industry, executives and product specialists presented their latest and most innovative designs and provided insight into the recent trends from the Taiwanese bicycle industry. The press conference, organized by the Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA), as every year, was well attended by representatives of the world’s bicycle industry’s media.

Professor Dr. Jhy-Wey Shieh, representative of the Taipei Representative Office in the Federal Republic of Germany, opened the event by highlighting the importance and growing popularity of bicycles in Taiwan and the world. Antony Lo, CEO of the Taiwan Bicycle Association and of Giant Global Group, took the stage next to give an indication of the industry’s business climate. He painted a positive picture for Taiwan and the industry as a whole, mentioning Taiwan’s burgeoning cycling culture and the success of this year’s Velo-city Global conference in Taipei that brought thousands of bike enthusiasts to Taiwan. “The industry is strong, the future is bright, and we see a positive trend going into next year,” said Lo.

The press conference also featured five of the most prominent Taiwanese players in the global bicycle industry, who presented their new products and provided information about the future direction and vision of their companies.

Global Product Marketing Specialist Mathias Aaftink presented for the world's largest bicycle brand Giant. Under the motto "Power Your Journey" the brand introduced their new full-suspension E-bike the "Full-E +", which features a lightweight but strong AluxX SL frame and Maestro rear suspension with 140 mm travel. Riders of the new bike will be able to take full advantage of a Yamaha SyncDrive system, making light work of even the steepest hills.

Al Clark, Global Product Manager of Kenda, a leading tire producer the industry, and Hubert Hager, Marketing Manger of Kenda Europe, presented novel carcass constructions in their EMC and K-Armor models. The innovative EMC design offers more control, better handling and better puncture protection than standard mountain bike tires and thus can bear the higher weight of E-bikes, even taking the higher torque into consideration. K-Armor technology in turn is characterized by a particularly lightweight material and a tighter weave than more traditional puncture resistant tires, making for an especially strong and defect-free casing with a lower rolling resistance.

Adrian Bleiler, International Sales Manager at KMC, a leading manufacturer of bicycle chains, acquainted the press conference with the company's new X11 Speed Chain, which optimizes the performance of single chainring drives. KMC also presented its X-eBike series, including the X11e, X10e and X9e, being 20% more durable than conventional bicycle chains and boasting the highest pin power on the market, which leads to increased durability and better torsional stress resistance.

The company Roxim, known for its innovative and revolutionary solutions for bicycle lighting systems, was represented by its president Jerry Liu. Here Mr. Liu debuted the new Raptor X3 series. The unique lighting system offers cyclists a full headlight with 180 degree panorama in the near vicinity, as well as 80 degree light distribution. Employing a "USB Burst" feature, the Raptor X3 bicycle light series has increased brightness by 20%, that is by up to 350 lumens/40 Lux. Moreover the product stands out from the crowd in terms of weight, coming in at only 120 grams and making it a true featherweight.

Last but not least out of the product presentations was Tern, manufacturer of innovative urban folding bikes. Team captain Joshua Hon introduced attendees to the world's leading folding E-bike, the Elektron. Here, the Elektron combines the advantages of folding bikes with those of E-bikes, where multimodal commuting and portability meets high acceleration and a space-saving design. Catching the subway, bus or other transportation is no problem for the Elektron, it collapses down to a tidy and compact footprint. The Elektron is the ideal companion for the city.

Taiwan Excellence

The symbol of Taiwan Excellence was founded in 1992 by the Taiwanese Ministry of Economic Affairs, and introduced the following year. Nominee selection is based on the criteria of research and development, quality, design and marketing. Taiwan Excellence has since awarded products that have been singled out as particularly innovative, of the highest quality, and have represented Taiwan on an international stage in such a way as to strengthen consumer confidence in Taiwanese products. This year marks the 24th selection, with honors already having been conferred. Since its introduction, the Taiwan Excellence icon has established itself as a prestigious accolade for Taiwanese companies that strive for a worldwide reputation.

Source: Taiwan Excellence