Dan Taylor Shadow optic: the manufacturing partner paradox Who really makes your bike? It is a simple enough question. Country of origin has traditionally been a touchy subject for brands that rely on Asia-based manufacturing partners , let alone revealing who the partners are. Discovering the factory behind the brand is a stubbornly topical pastime amongst bicycle … Read more
Middle East cycling lost in Asia? In 2005, the UCI introduced major reforms to disrupt the Euro-centricity of professional cycling and promote the sport s globalisation . Tomorrow, the 2.HC-ranked Tour of Qatar will initiate the 8th UCI Asia Tour season. Cycling iQ investigates the reform s outcomes in the Middle East and asks a … Read more
Full circle? Bicycle brands resist costly China In an effort to curb the rising costs of doing business on the mainland, Advanced International Multitech Co Ltd (AIM), a publicly-listed OEM to some of the world s most evocative bicycle and golfing brands, intends to migrate Chinese production lines back into its Taiwan operations. With annual … Read more
MIYATA: Japanese road bicycle legend re-born 120 years since a former gunsmith, Eisuke Miyata, built the first Miyata bicycle, this esteemed name in Japanese bicycle history is returning to its manufacturing roots, with a new project that promises to deliver catatonic doses of nostalgia to Baby Boomers and Gen X ers. Unlike modern-day bicycles, dimensions … Read more
Taiwan s quality strategy: why your $3,000 bicycle comes from China Any attentive cyclist riding Melbourne s Beach Road regularly in recent years would have noticed two things; there are a lot more people cycling, and; there are a lot more people cycling on nice bikes. It would appear that, in order for leisure riders … Read more
Vertical limit: 10 years on, the first cracks appear Year 2001. Taiwanese OEM production hummed along, retail prices were buoyant, and cycling was enjoying an upswing in popularity across the Asia-Pacific region. However, as the new millennium s first decade matured, so too did a trio of inter-related trends that would upset the bicycle industry … Read more
Vertical limit: the long and short of bicycle manufacturing Free-market capitalism, a cycling boom and supply-chain protectionism made the 1990 s a financial boon for bicycle brands, their distributors and retailers. The highly profitable business model of selling bicycles manifested in scaled-up physical supply nodes designed to cope with increasing volumes and demand. It was … Read more
UCC bicycles: not another giant Siloed in the NE Asia market (with Indonesia an exception), UCC might well be the biggest bicycle brand you never heard of. Since inception five years ago, Universal Cycle Corporation s year-on-year growth is modest in the context only a Chinese start-up in a country with 8-10% annual economic growth … Read more
Australian Retail Cycle Traders Association Amongst the 220 delegates attending the inaugural Asia-Pacific Cycle Congress in Brisbane, peak bodies of the Australian bicycling industry were also contributing. Retail Cycle Trade Association Executive Officer Graham Bradshaw met with Cycling iQ to explain how. Who is RCTA and what are the organisation s objectives?Retail Cycle Trade Association … Read more
This is my life: the rise, fall and dreams of Li Fuyu When I first emailed Li Fuyu (???) last week to see if we could have a chat on Friday, the only condition stipulated by the 37-year old Shandong native was that I call after midday, because he was going riding in the morning. … Read more