May 5, 2025 - Taipei Cycle, one of the world’s most important shows for the global cycling industry, was held March 26-29 at the Taipei Nangang Exhibition Hall in Taiwan.

The show is a meeting place for global manufacturers and their customers, and this year saw 980 companies from 35 countries exhibiting with 3,600 booths. Attendance was close to 17,000 visitors from 80 countries which marks a reduction from last year.

The top five buyer countries were Japan, China, the United States, South Korea, and Singapore.

Under the theme of Ride the Revolution, the show focused on four core initiatives including Innovation Drive, Green Forward, Smart Cycling, and Cycling Ecosystem, highlighting the developments in ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) and sustainability, as well as innovation with the Bike Vision aspect of the show.

The mood was upbeat, yet lingering issues of excess inventories for manufacturers and distributors will likely take another year to be cleared up.

In addition, the shadow of US tariffs created uneasiness as companies began exploring alternative Taiwanese suppliers to fill in for their current Chinese vendors who face high tariff levels.

The green initiative of many companies was at the forefront of the ESG movement. Maxxis continues to use recycled fishing nets in their tire casings for a 49% reduction in carbon emissions. As well, they’re using sustainable rubber in their tires to minimize deforestation. In addition, they’re utilizing rice husks, a waste item, in the manufacturing process which reduces the use of silica sand, further reducing carbon emissions by 50% in the process.

Schwalbe Tires and Pyrum Innovations AG have agreed to a second framework contract for the purchase of rCB (recovered carbon black) at a fixed price for 10 years. The aim is not to incinerate tires or send them to landfill, but to preserve the raw materials for recycling within a closed-loop economy system. Schwalbe is planning to use the valuable secondary raw materials generated during the recycling process of old tires to produce new products.

While Giant is involved in using recycled materials in several of their products, the biggest initiative they have undertaken is to recycle and reuse waste carbon fibre in a chopped form. They have produced a children’s push bike that is mostly made of recycled carbon fibre which reduces CO2 output by 50% and results in a super cool bike in the process.

Other companies such as TransX have focused on only using green raw materials such as sourcing aluminum made from hydroelectric processing. In addition, they are recycling scrap to produce green packaging.

Innovation is what drives the cycling industry, and e-bikes remain at the forefront. One of the highlights at this year’s show was Star Union’s new Magnetic Gear Motor (MGM) featuring a frictionless design. The first of its kind, it weighs 2.3kg and offers 75Nm of torque, with a 90Nm version planned.

The company debuted a prototype at Eurobike last year, aiming for production in 2025. While the Star Union booth was tucked in the bike demo area of the show, it still drew attention from many major bike brands such as Trek, Giant, Specialized and Moustache.

During our test ride, the motor performed well with silent and smooth power engagement between power levels. The bonus is that when the motor is not engaged it rides like an acoustic bike with no motor drag.

“We’ve had lots of interest and offers, some even looking for exclusivity,” commented Cash Wei, Global Trade Director, who confirmed they’ll be at Eurobike again this year.

Bafang showcased their new H730 3-speed automatic shifting rear hub motor that weighs 3.6kg. Part of the company’s new GVT (Gear, Variable, Transmission) technology platform, the H730 is out in the market now in small quantities to evaluate before going large scale.

Bafang also has a mid-motor with internal gearing in development as motor design for e-bikes continues to evolve with several companies showing a motor with internal gearing. This innovation may prove to be a significant development, as it could do away with the external gearing such as derailleurs, while keeping all parts protected in the motor casing.

Hyena showed its new lightweight MRC-F250 rear hub motor with a hollow axle that supports a 12-speed cassette and is targeted to e-road and e-gravel bikes. Weighing 2kg it delivers 35Nm of torque. They’ve also launched a Dealer Service Portal to provide aftermarket support and diagnostics, and to help differentiate them from other companies.

Batteries for e-bikes continue to be a strong area of innovation. Last year we reported on the potential of sodium- based batteries which are still several years away from making it to market.

According to battery company Phylion, the future is a solid-state battery with no liquid in it to ensure the battery cannot catch fire or explode. The size and weight are also greatly reduced along with the charge time. A 5-min charge is claimed to be able to power a car for up to 400km, and the first automobile adopters of this technology are said to be Volkswagen and Mercedes in 2027.

Since a solid-state battery is smaller for a similar output as a lithium battery, it will ultimately provide a longer range. The main disadvantage is the cost, which is claimed to be 200 times more expensive than current batteries. Yet as more companies start to use them the price will decrease.

We ran into legendary Gary Fisher, who is launching his new Morrelle e-bike brand which reportedly can fully charge in only 15 minutes. The new commuter-style e-bike will retail for approx. $3,000 USD and will debut at Sea Otter. Fisher also talked about another new project that he’s working on that would see 32” wheels on a mountain bike.

The 32-inch wheel size seemed to be gaining some traction at the show with major brands like Maxxis displaying a 32” tire. DirtySixer, a niche bike brand, was also showing 32” wheeled bikes that are designed for taller riders. Scott Bicycles is rumoured to have been working on a 32” wheeled bike as well but have since put the project on hold.

Tektro has really stepped up its game with several new offerings. including a new road/gravel group, Vistar, that provides wireless shifting. The shifters speak to the derailleur wirelessly and offer crisp, quick shifts. They’ve partnered with internal hub brand Classified to replace the front chainrings and derailleur with a 2-speed rear hub.

Tektro and Bosch have partnered to launch the AESI A12 rear derailleur that’s powered by a Bosch CX Performance mid motor. It connects wirelessly to the shifters to offer auto-shifting which is based on speed, cadence, and the angle of the trail to determine the best gear. A mountain bike–version is slated to be launched in Europe over the next few months and make use of Bosch’s ABS braking system as well. Approvals are also in the works for North America.

Abus was showing their new GameChanger 2.0 RF (Round Fit) helmet designed to fit rounder-shaped heads better than traditional helmets. It is also thicker in the front, giving it a better fit for Asian customers. They also featured their Yando bike lock that makes use of fingerprint recognition technology to open the lock, making keys unnecessary.

There were several Canadian companies present at the show, with RideWrap making a debut at Taipei Cycle. Based in Whistler, BC and with offices in the US, Australia and the UK, their unique extruded film system offers manufacturers with frame protection options. RideWrap also uses recycled materials in their process adding environmental value to their products.

Quebec-based Argon 18 was also at the show to showcase their line of road, time trial, triathlon and gravel bikes for their Asian distributors.

Finally, Canadian bike rack brand Swagman, based in Penticton, was showing off their new innovative Swivel that allows any hitch-mounted rack to be swung away from the back of the vehicle, providing easy access to the rear. The Swivel can swing in both directions and has a load capacity of 300 lbs. i.e. heavier e-bikes.

The show dates for 2026 haven’t been announced yet, but the show will be in March.