We were very proud to be represented at the recent Taipei International Cycle Show by our good friends at Shenyang Bicycle International, who make the trip from the south of the island, near Tainan, to the north, for this big event on the international calendar.
Traditionally, Taipei serves as a meeting place for cycling industry insiders. It’s where the big companies meet with the factories who produce their bikes, and where component makers fete bike makers in an attempt to get them to include specific parts on their stock builds for the coming season. A lot of new products debut there, and the season’s trends begin to emerge.
A few things from the show piqued our curiosity this year. First of all, a surprising number of builders brought Ti bikes, confirmation that one of the materials we’ve been working with for decades is in something of a renaissance among riders who treasure its durability and superior ride quality. The other thing we noticed is the preponderance of drop bar bikes with disc brakes.
Thanks to William at Shenyang, we are present in Taipei each year, making the reverse trip most American bikes make. Instead of being built in Taiwan and shipped to the US, we are built here and shipped to Asia. Given the nature of the show, our partnership with Shenyang seems both supremely important and also a little subversive.