The west stumbles, China accelerates: the bike industry is at a crossroads. Who will rise to the challenge?
2025 brought back into focus two key trade shows for the bike industry: the Taipei Bicycle Show, which for decades has represented the productive heart of the industry, and the Shanghai Bicycle Show, which is now emerging as the new hub of China’s transformation.
Direct observation of these two events reveals a profound systemic imbalance — but also a concrete opportunity for those ready to respond.
Taipei 2025: the decline of Taiwan as a global stage
This year’s Taipei Bicycle Show revealed a struggling industry. The booths of the major brands – Giant, Merida, Shimano, SRAM – were present but lacked energy. More symbolic than strategic, they seemed bound by local pressure, institutional relationships or public incentives. The booths were less crowded, and the energy in the air was thin.
The real protagonists were second- and third-tier brands looking for visibility and new business opportunities. But even here, fatigue was tangible: rising costs, low product differentiation, and difficulties in securing B2B orders. Most importantly, a fundamental question lingers: is it still worth investing in a physical trade show, without digital support tools, in a market flooded with oversupply?
Many manufacturers have started to answer “no,” opting instead for leaner, trackable, and more direct alternatives: proprietary events, online initiatives, platforms, and influencers. Those who haven't yet embraced this shift often find themselves spending money on visibility without returns.
The paradox? In Taipei, marketing has never been more essential, yet those who most need visibility often lack the resources to pursue it, risking their survival before even reaching the market.
Shanghai 2025: when manufacturing becomes brand
The Shanghai Bicycle Show, by contrast, was driven by a nearly opposite feeling. There was a sense of momentum, structure, and ambition. Chinese manufacturers have reached full industrial maturity after twenty years of OEM experience for Western brands. But now they’re taking the leap: they want to become brands themselves, not just suppliers.
This doesn’t apply only to large companies, but also to emerging small and medium-sized brands who demonstrate one essential quality: they know exactly who they want to become. They have a clear vision of their positioning, their target markets, and their product categories. Some already have a solid international footprint and are ready for expansion.
The so-called “Chinese speed” is astonishing. Fast decision-making, immediate execution, full openness to change. Sure, something is still missing — the ability to tell compelling stories and build emotional, sophisticated branding like many Western brands. But they’re learning. Fast.
In a world where consumers always want the same things – top quality, low price, immediate availability – the ones who can combine manufacturing, branding, and distribution will win. And the Chinese players are getting there.
The market won’t wait: we need a new-generation infrastructure
Taiwan is slowing down. China is accelerating. But the truth is, no one can manage today’s market complexity alone. Product data is fragmented, sales channels struggle to adapt, and the gap between manufacturer and end-user remains wide. Inefficiency is the common thread across the entire value chain – or better said, the chain of disvalue.
The problem isn’t just “where you manufacture”, but how you communicate, how you distribute, how you transform a technical spec sheet into a usable, engaging experience. This is why the market now needs a structural platform that connects the dots in the supply chain, enhances data, and builds a collaborative system.
EurekaBike: a real answer for those ready to act
In this context, EurekaBike is the missing infrastructure.
For established Western brands, it is a tool to optimize product data management, dramatically reduce multichannel distribution costs, and preserve their competitive edge through a solid and visible digital ecosystem.
For emerging Asian brands, it is an accelerator for internationalization: helping structure product information, enter the European market with precision, and gain visibility at scale from day one.
EurekaBike is a neutral platform, but it’s built to empower those who are ready to evolve. Through a shared, intelligent system based on collaboration across the bike industry, it creates distributed value – for manufacturers, distributors, and consumers alike.
Who will seize the opportunity first?
The bike industry is at a turning point. Those who cling to the past will be swept away. Those who adapt can still lead the change.
The question isn’t whether transformation will come. The real question is: who will be ready to adapt and secure their survival in the process?
EurekaBike is ready. The future starts with data.