March 15, 2024 - (Taipei, Taiwan) Taipei Cycle ran March 6-9 with a total of 27,000 visitors, including 4,000 international visitors from 80 countries along with 23,000 domestic industry attendees.
The event has grown to a point where it now fills TaiNEX Hall 1 and half of Hall 2, and brings together 950 exhibitors across 3,500 booths. The show is one of the major showcases for the cycling industry and draws attendees and exhibitors from Asia, Europe and North America.
The top five buyer countries at this year’s event included Japan, China (including Hong Kong), the USA, South Korea, and Singapore.
Walking the aisles of this year’s show there was a sense of optimism that permeated throughout, as evidenced by the size of the crowds that filled the halls. Cycling continues to gain headlines worldwide as many exhibitors hoped to procure business.
Yet the talk at the show was dominated by the current state of affairs that sees high inventories due to low consumer demand. Many bike companies are on hold and not buying more stock until they can clear out some of the overstock.
As such, suppliers also have excess inventory, including unfulfilled manufacturing capacity expectations.
Many industry observers suggest that if all goes well, the current bottleneck is expected to be cleared throughout the first half of this year.
This year’s Taipei Cycle offered a special focus on four key themes: Micro Mobility, Green Action, Startup & Innovation and Cycling Culture and Lifestyle, reflecting the industry’s commitment to sustainability.
E-bikes continued as one of the hottest growth categories at the show with more companies offering many different models and more entries into the e-drive motor category.
Bafang’s booth was busy as usual as the company recently celebrated its 20th anniversary. Their compact, lightweight and powerful M820 motor with 75Nm of torque continues to set the bar high as one of the smallest lightest and most powerful mid-assist motors on the market.
Launched last fall, SRAM’s new e-MTB Eagle Powertrain drive system combining its Eagle Transmission and AXS wireless technology, was also on display and creating a buzz.
Powered by a motor manufactured by Brose, it features 90Nm torque and 680W of peak output. The system pairs with a compact 630Wh battery or a high-capacity 720Wh battery with an optional 250Wh range extender also available.
The new e-drive keeps it simple offering only two power level options, Range Mode for longer routes, and Rally Mode for shorter rides, along with two shifting modes, Auto Shift and Coast Shift for a “seamless and holistic system.”
SR Suntour, renowned for their suspension systems, was showing their 250W HESC rear hub motor that offers 60Nm of torque. Their e-drive system was developed for the utility and gravel bike markets and includes a heavy-duty front shock to absorb the stronger forces.
Hyena introduced their inaugural mid-drive motor, the Unidrive 70, in conjunction with the show. The new compact motor supplies 70Nm of torque and weighs 2.4kg, marking the company’s strategic expansion into the broader e-bike mainstream market.
“One of the benefits that we offer is connectivity to the cloud and other devices,” commented company CEO, Charlie Chuang. Hyena also introduced the BS-B540+ integrated battery that’s compatible with the new UniDrive 70, along with their new color screen HMI Vivid Series.
MicroSHIFT’s new iShift electronic derailleur was also on display at their booth at the show and is compatible with Hyena’s e-bike software that also works with RST suspension forks and KS dropper seatposts.
More companies are also partnering to create dynamic relationships. Delta, another e-bike motor company, is in development with TRP, a high-end division of global brake supplier Tektro, to launch a small mid-drive motor later this year that features up to 90Nm of torque. This could be something to watch given Tektro’s market reach and experience.
Another key theme at the show was sustainability as the cycling industry aims to demonstrate how it’s embracing an environmental focus. The show featured many companies that are utilizing waste materials to manufacture new products.
Giant Bicycles has launched bottle cages that are made out of recycled fishing nets recovered from the oceans around Taiwan.
Formosa Taffeta, a fabric supplier to global brands such as Patagonia, Nike, Columbia and Adidas, is also using recovered fishing nets to make new nylon material called Seawastex that becomes Etycord, which bcompanies such as Maxxis are using in the beads and casings of their Green Recycle city-bike tires.
In fact, the winner of the Taipei Cycle d&I Green award went to Vittoria, based in Lombardia, Italy. Their new Terreno Pro T60 Mixed gravel tire uses 92% of renewable and recycled material in its construction, while maintaining ride quality and durability.
Award-winning reTyre AS, out of Norway, displayed a range of environmental tires made of thermoplastic elastomers that are fully recyclable, sustainable and made without rubber.
With the popularity of micro mobility and e-powered vehicles, the recycling of batteries is also becoming a concern. Phylion Battery Co., a manufacturer of lithium-ion batteries based in China, has developed a sodium ion-based battery that is non-toxic and simple to recycle which promises more charge-cycle life and greater capacity. While mass production is about five years away, this technology could prove to be a boon to e-bikes that are experiencing battery safety issues as well.
Lezyne was showing many cool items at their booth including their E-Bike Fusion HB STVZO E550 rear light.
One of the surprising trends at the show was e-bikes for kids, as some wondered if they really need any assistance. One manufacturer commented, “It’s so the kids can keep up with their parents who are also on e-bikes.”
Another noticeable trend is the use of belt drives for e-bikes. While they offer a bit more friction compared to chains, this can be easily overcome on an e-bike, and belt drives are much cleaner and easier to maintain.
Of note, Argon 18 was the lone Canadian company showcasing their top-level road and gravel bikes at the show. The gravel line has an interesting storage panel behind the water bottle cage for extra tubes or tools that may be needed to address the demands of gravel riding.
Taipei Cycle has announced its 2025 dates as the show will be held from March 26-29 next year at TaiNEX Halls 1 and 2. If things go according to plan regarding inventories, and the trends and popularity of cycling continue, it will be even busier as companies look to the future for more growth.
