Over the last few days, Shanghai was host to China Cycle. Although we often overlook it in the west, it’s a fair that’s been growing in importance. This year, there were 1,600 exhibitors on a total of 160,000 square meters. The 13 different halls in which they were spread cover such as big area, that there’s a special taxi service to bring you from one side of the fair to the other.
However, China Cycle isn’t just only relevant in terms of size. Over the last few years, it has traditionally been a fair that was very much inward-oriented, to the local Chinese market. The Chinese cycling industry holds a share of around 60% in the worldwide supply chain of the bike industry, so it’s no wonder more and more western brands, distributors and media are finding their way to Shanghai. Many exhibitors confirmed that there were significantly more overseas visitors than in previous years.
That’s also a recognition of the growth that the Chinese cycling industry is going through. Not necessarily growth in volume, but rather in quality. More and more Chinese factories are producing products that aren’t only up to western standards, but also align with western design ethos. Many of us have – maybe unknowingly – already been riding with and on Chinese products for a while, but we’re now getting to the point where it’s not just about Chinese products, but also full-on Chinese brands.
Many such brands were exhibiting at China Cycle. Of course, there was also plenty of remarkable, unique or simply weird-looking tech on display. From crazy time trial bikes to super lightweight wheels and from 3D-printed titanium to aero road bike trends, let’s take a look at some of the most interesting tech we spotted at China Cycle show.
Let’s kick things off with Chinese brand Overfast, which specialises in lightweight products. Such as these carbon thru-axles weighing around 30-31 grams a pair. Carbon thru-axles might sound a bit scary, but I’ve heard some positive comments about these.
Overfast also brought a new crankset to the show, the Mono RS, weighing a mouthwatering 249 grams. These aren’t available yet, but a spokesperson for the brand told me they should be soon.
It doesn’t just do lightweight.
One of the booths I was most impressed by was Elite Wheels’. The wheel brand is one of the few Chinese brands that’s…
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