Taipei’s Bike Tunnel
I was just in Taipei on a group trip with other bike industry folks. The visit was sponsored by the Taiwan Government to promote excellence in manufacturing. TAITRA is a trade organization that covers all types of factories and vendors there, including the bike, and they were our host.
My new hat represents the two, no three, cultures: bike, American, Taiwanese.
We saw examples of manufacturing excellence at Giant and Ming, but the biggest takeaway from this trip to Taiwan is the enthusiasm. Being a maker is what’s cool in the States. “Maker” is a geek-codified word to describe entrepreneurship and those that make and sell products on Etsy, Kickstarter, and in booths at Maker Faires. In every nook and cranny across an entire country, people are selling and hustling something. From a pack of tea to a new ABS system for bikes, Taiwanese are makers, and their National pastime is the bike.
Taiwan is the center of the bike universe with a strong gravitational pull for a bike blogger like myself. In my bike-blogging travels, never seen so many shiny, happy people that wanted their photographs taken. People riding to work in Amsterdam are on task, traveling to and fro and not just enjoying themselves on a new bike path. In the few years I’ve traveled there to Taiwan, I’ve seen the first bike path, then more along the river, and now there’s one that replaces an old rail line.
I don’t know if any magazine rates paths, but Taiwan’s have to rank as the best in the world. They’re well designed, thought out, and include art. They’re not cheezy with Chinglish either, just a pleasure to ride on while enjoying the time without scooters or cars buzzing you. I was so impressed, I shot a thousand photos while there and an hour of video. During this week, I’ll publish those and share more from the trip.
Wheels being made, by hand and tensioned by machine
Pulleys and wheels
Again, what I want to express is that Taiwan makes bikes, all by hand and by people named Chin, Lin, and Tsai. There’s an American-centric viewpoint expressed in the term “handbuilt,” and the show that promotes what’s really craft building. I’ve been to the biggest bike company, a billion dollar one, and seen them produce bikes like Ford used to make cars. Giant is best in class too, manufacturing the high-end brand names you either ride now or covet. My point is that we seem to think, whether deliberately or just from being uninformed, that bike culture is European/American, white, and based in a few urbanized cities.
Containers of bikes
In truth, Taiwan has embraced the bike and the culture—and that includes tall bikes and fixes. Have a look at the photos I’ve processed so far. There’s much more to come and movies, too. My view was just broadened about where/how bikes get made and who rides them.
Tall bikes too
I’m back in Seattle and waking up from jet lag, but I’m more enchanted than ever by the bike.
TPE Fixed
Carlton Reid shot the photos of me in the tunnel and wearing my new hat.
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