The eyes of the cycling world are on TAIPEI CYCLE 2010 at the TWTC NANGANG Exhibition Hall. They’re searching out indicators on the direction of the bicycle industry over the coming year - and this is the place to find it. In its 23-year history TAIPEI CYCLE has grown from an offshoot of TaiSPO to become Asia’s largest cycling tradeshow and one of the three largest in the world.

And this four-day March 17 to 20 event is more than just a show, but a movement that embraces every feature and passion for the bicycle. It has everything from the Tour de Taiwan to in-depth seminars that work out market strategy. This is the place that will sign the deals that deliver parts to the distant corners of the world. More than 5,000 buyers will be scouting this show dedicated to fielding the best in quality, creativity, and value.

Besides featuring the world’s leading cycling companies, such as Giant, Merida, Ideal, Kenda, Maxxis, Shimano, SRAM, Continental, and Colnago, the show will aim to include some of the latest R&D from off the beaten track. That’s why TAIPEI CYCLE welcomes China Motor Corporation (CMC) from Taiwan and Sanyo Electric from Japan to display their hottest models of electric bicycles. Here we find CMC having shifted up to applying its car-making tech to E-bikes.

Another new feature of this year’s show is the addition of a French Pavilion organized by UBI France. The pavilion consists of 14 well-known French suppliers from the cycling industry, such as Time Sport International, who will exhibit their products from a unique national perspective, adding even more global flavor to the show.

WHERE CYCLING REACHES RECORD HIGH!

Taiwan’s strong cluster supply chain and cutting-edge R&D has let it maintain healthy growth which has been enhanced with TAIPEI CYCLE’s new showcase venue at the larger NANGANG Exhibition Hall. The record-size venue includes exhibitors from a total of 36 countries as diverse as the U.S., Hong Kong, Japan, Germany, Canada, Italy, Belgium, Switzerland, the Netherlands, the UK, and Taiwan.

In all, 894 exhibitors will be occupying 3,018 booths, representing a 17.3% growth and 4.5% growth, respectively, on 2009. Due to the record number of exhibitors for this year’s show, the exhibition space will be expanded to the fifth and sixth floors and will include a larger outdoor exhibition area.

The 2010 show unfolds across three main theme areas: Complete Bicycles, Bicycle Parts and Accessories, and Light Electric Vehicles (LEVs). With growing interest on environmental issues LEVs has skyrocketed in importance and TAIPEI CYCLE 2010 has flexibly adapted to accommodate this new breed of LEV manufacturer who enjoy twice as much floor space as last year.

The Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA), chief organizer of this year’s show, has also planned a complete schedule of supporting events, including the International Bicycle Design Competition (IBDC) Award Ceremony, Taipei Power Forum-2010 LEV Symposium, an International Bicycle Trend Forum, Taiwan Cycle Night, an outdoor cycling test ride area, and a special exhibit of entries for the IBDC and the Innovative Products Competition Award. The final leg of the Tour de Taiwan will also be held in Taipei’s Hsinyi District to coincide with the closing of the exhibition on Saturday, March 20, creating a spectacular weekend of fun for cycling enthusiasts.

Design Competition sets the pace

This year’s 14th annual IBDC received 720 entries from 49 countries, all competing for the grand prize of NT$ 500,000. Of these entries, 22 were chosen to advance to the final round of voting. These final 22 designs include city bikes for easy commuting, easy-to-carry folding bicycles, eco-friendly electric bicycles, and many other bikes with multi-purpose applications. Among these entries are the “Shopping Bike”, a commuter bicycle that can either be folded away for easy storage or transformed into a shopping cart for indoor use; “Solar Knight”, which integrates sporty features such as an adjustable seat and handlebars with a solar-powered panel that provides power for the headlight and brake light and for uphill riding; and “TakeOn”, a low-cost, easy-to-maintain city bicycle that includes an environmentally-friendly, bamboo-metal compound frame.

East meets West at the Trend Forum

The 2010 International Bicycle Trend Forum covers two main themes, ‘Effects on Global Bicycle Industry after the Copenhagen Climate Council’ and ‘When the Orient Meets the Occident – The New Aesthetic Mobility.’ Phase One features an in-depth analysis of the recent Copenhagen Climate Council and what the cycling industry must do to maintain the difficult equilibrium of stabilizing the global economy and strengthening the global ecology. Phase Two  features guest speakers Mark Sanders, the world-famous British designer of the Strida & iF Mode folding bikes, and Shikuan Chen, Vice-President of the Compal Electronics Design Center in Taiwan, who share their expert views from distinct Western and Eastern perspectives. This contrast of ideas is sure to inspire new challenges for Western and Eastern designers alike to guide cycling into a new era of aesthetic, ergonomic design.

With green technology becoming a necessary focus of industries around the world, interest in LEVs has reached new heights in recent years; accordingly, LEVs will be a major focus of this year’s exhibition. TAITRA has partnered with German cycling organization ExtraEnergy and the Industrial Technology Research Institute of Taiwan (ITRI) to organize LEV test drive at the exhibition hall’s fourth-floor eastern cargo ramp. The event offers buyers a chance to experience first-hand the convenience of LEV riding.

And to hear an in-depth analysis and discussion on the burgeoning LEV industry, visitors can attend the Taipei Power Forum-2010 LEV Symposium on Thursday, March 18, an all-day event organized by TAITRA, ExtraEnergy and ITRI. The symposium explores future trends in the LEV industry through three different vantage points: international markets, regulations, and environmental standards. The organizers hope the event will not only instill buyers with new knowledge of LEVs, but will also consolidate Taiwan’s position as a global leader in the field.

Interest in cycling will not be confined to the show ground during the week of this year’s show, as TAITRA and the Chinese Taipei Cycling Association have once again teamed up to host the Tour de Taiwan, an annual around-the-nation professional cycling race that is part of the UCI’s Asia Tour. The seven-leg event starts Sunday, March 14 and wraps up at Taipei City Hall on Saturday, March 20 with the closing of the exhibition to add a special WOW factor to the show and the race.

Taiwan’s bike industry remained resilient event in the face of global economic downturn. Average unit price of exported bicycles rose from US$257 in 2008 to US$291 last year, a 13.09% increase which well mitigated a 20.37% drop in export quantity. This upward shift in value per unit reflects how Taiwan cycling industry is gradually winning a global reputation for quality and value.

With all this and much more TAIPEI CYCLE lets you green the future and gives you the edge on Asia’s greenest and best bicycle venue

Getting about!

With attendance numbers and exhibition space reaching new highs each year, transportation challenges in and around Nangang and the surrounding Taipei area have also grown. TAITRA is trying to help visitors by providing shuttle bus services between Taoyuan Airport, the TWTC NANGANG Exhibition Hall and nearby hotels. In addition, the new line of the Taipei MRT, which opened in July 2009 and links Nangang and Neihu District with the rest of the Taipei area, will make travel to and from the exhibition site much easier.

Foreign buyers who are approached by our questionnaire staff will be given tickets to world-famous Taipei 101 observatory and the cherished National Palace Museum. Tickets are provided by the City of Taipei Department of Information and Tourism.