JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #114 - July 2017 - 35

SPORTS & LEISURE
CFRP

China: carbon fibre bikes accelerate
the upgrade of sports bicycle market
In the wake of Xiaomi's QiCycle and LeEco's smart road bike, many Chinese
factories are now developing their own carbon fibre bikes. They are stimulated
by a reviving domestic bike market that fully benefits from the growing Chinese
middle class and government policies.

T

to a strong and lightweight carbon fibre
handlebar. The extensive use of carbon
fibre keeps the bike at just 8.4 kg. LeEco's
other model, the LeEco smart mountain
bike, features a Toray T700 carbon fibre
frame and handlebar, and weighs in at
12.2 kg.
These edgy bikes "are made by YongQi, an
OEM factory based in Changzhou, Jiangsu
province, whose owner is from Taiwan",
specifies Lucifer Chou, project manager
at the Asia Bike Trade Show. They are
not representative of the common carbon
fibre bike offer in China, where smart and
electric bikes are just a two-year-old small
niche. But they are evidence that, unlike
during the 20th century, bikes are now
trendy and an epitome of modern China.
"Our estimated figure from China and
Taiwan carbon suppliers of manufactured
frames is approximatively 1.2 million,
the rest of the world being at 0.4 million.

LeEco Smart Road Bike :
the extensive use of
carbon fiber keeps the
bike at just 8.4 kg.

N°114 July 2017

/ jec composites magazine

Feature Sports & Leisure

raditionally, China has been the
world's largest market for bicycles.
In 2015, the total bicycle production in China reached 80.3 million units,
with 72% of them being exported and
28% (22.8 million units) being used domestically, according to figures provided
by the Asia Bike Trade Show, which takes
place every year in September in Nanjing.
Previously overshadowed by the car,
which was more a status symbol for the
increasingly rich Chinese, the bike has
come back in full force since the beginning of the 2010's. There are many reasons
for this, starting with the Chinese government's support, which encourages sport
and outdoor activities and fosters environment protection policies. The China
Daily national newspaper reports that,
while in Tianjin for the World Economic
Forum in June 2016, the premier Li
Keqiang lifted a smart bicycle made from
carbon fibre and took it for a test ride at
a Flying Pigeon experience store, which
features 100-year-old brands. "I would
like to tell Chinese bicycle companies that I
support the smart upgrading of the "Made
in China 2025" strategy," he said.

Oversupply
Emblematic start-ups of the Chinese
new economy have developed their
own carbon fibre bikes. In June 2016,
smartphone maker Xiaomi launched its
QiCycle Mi electric folding bike. Sold at
the very low price of 2,999 yuan (about
US$ 460), the bike is made of carbon
fibre and weighs 14.5 kg, with techy
aspects like a Bluetooth connection that
lets a smartphone app monitor ride stats
and GPS navigation.
The LeEco Chinese conglomerate also
recently launched two new electric "smart
bikes". The LeEco smart road bike, which
won an award at the Consumer Electronic
Show 2017 in Las Vegas, features an aerodynamic Toray T700 carbon fibre frame,
fork, seat post, handlebar and wheels.
Other components include a lightweight
brake set with dual-pivot technology,
paired with shift/brake levers mounted

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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #114 - July 2017
