Early last month, 3 of your most enthusiastic REV-Heads set off on a pilgrimage to one of the mecca's of the cycling industry, being China Cycle 2024.  This MAMMOTH 4 day Expo brought together thousands of Exhibitors filling 12 halls, with exhibits from the major international brands such as Bafang, Shimano, Gates, Magura & Dahon, to a plethora of up & coming brands in the cycling and e-biking realms.

Having 3 days at this event was barely enough time to simply walk past everything on offer! With row upon row of 'bike-porn' to excite the possibilities, it was like being a kid in a candy store, or rather, in Willy Wonka's chocolate factory!  As well as the awesome array or products, virtually every booth had fancy shell-schemes, nice open-plan site layouts, and fantastic lighting.  This made me envious, as for us exhibiting at events here in Australia, its so expensive to decorate sites so professionally. And coordinating this type of event at this level simply blows my mind!  Below is the signage for ONE of the 12 halls!

We saw so many inspiring new motors, though they were of course mainly made for the factory e-bike market. A couple of major newcomers which show promise are Lexy and Vinka, these are our picks to rival Bafang in the Chinese mid-drive space.  But there were literally DOZENS more, ready and willing to step into the mix, if any OEM manufacturers will give them a chance.

 

But then we came back to earth, remembered our roots and our passion, which is to Up-Cycle existing bikes. (Also, possibly the realisation that our cashflow might limit the possibilities of us ordering 100 of any such 'dream e-bikes'). So, we honed in on the coolest gadgets for the Conversion space, from colour displays and battery cases, to tyres, bags, lights, and even base bikes.

Watching the new Lexy mid drive motor performing underwater all day, and seeing the interest in the attractive new cylindrical designs of the Vinka motors (made for factory-made e-bikes), it seemed like we were watching the future unfolding.

Mainly, seeing the enthusiasm which China has for meeting the ever-changing demands of the e-bike industry, was inspiring.  There are so many start-ups, and older companies also jumping into the e-bike space to play. 

The game-changing factor in the mix is that it seems obvious that the quality of production in China is consistently improving, in fact it seems to have taken some large leaps forward over the last couple of years.  Sure, we saw quality of many components drop in the frantic days of the pandemic, but the bounce-back seems to have brought with it a new sense of pride in their part in the international e-bike industry, and a desire to compete at a higher level.. which is an important step forward for China.

Following the Expo, we took a bullet train out of Shanghai (at over 300km/h!) to a couple of outlying cities (Suzhou and Changzhou) where we spent some quality time with our major supplier partner, who escorted us around to several motor and battery factories which supply our components (including Bafang and Tongsheng).. a journey to be expanded on in the next instalment. 

This trip was a collaboration between RevBecca from REV HQ, Edward EOM from Wagga, and Derek from BikeFix in Port Macquarie. I thank these guys for their enthusiasm and dedication, and for making this trip happen!