China races ahead with smart-bike exports

TIANJIN, July 23 (Xinhua) -- China, long famed as the "kingdom of bicycles," has now raced ahead of the field with smart technology, wooing global bicycle lovers with smart bikes and high-end models at favorable prices.

Golden Wheel Group, a leading Chinese bicycle enterprise, exports various e-bikes that incorporate its patented technology.

The company's latest smart model, equipped with a removable, multi-application module battery, was launched in the European market in the first half of 2023, giving a boost to its H1 exports revenue, which hit 85 million U.S. dollars despite a downturn in the overall market.

The company is headquartered in north China's Tianjin Municipality, known as China's largest bicycle production base and distribution center. In addition to bike exports via offshore shipping, the port city has seen an increase in bicycle exports via the China-Europe freight-train service.

In the first five months of this year, the train service from Tianjin, which is more than a month faster than delivery through offshore shipping, handled 13.02 million U.S. dollars of bicycle exports, up 11.5 percent year on year.

The export price of a China-made bicycle averaged 90 U.S. dollars in 2022, an increase of more than 20 percent year on year, according to data from the China Bicycle Association.

"As a bicycle production and sales country with a global market share of over 70 percent, the price hike is considerable," said Guo Wenyu, secretary-general of the association, attributing it to the global trend for more intelligent and high-end bicycles.

Riding on this new wave, Golden Wheel Group, for example, has developed a smart bicycle with built-in artificial intelligence technology that can learn the rider's riding habits and autonomously adjust the motor system and speed according to the road conditions, thereby achieving a longer battery operation range.

Aima Technology Group Co., Ltd., another leading Chinese e-bike manufacturer, has launched an integrated digital ecosystem composed of a cloud platform, enabling interactive and intelligent functions that connect the rider, the e-bike and the helmet.

"This year, 50 percent of Aima's new bicycles are equipped with smart technology, and that will rise to 90 percent by 2025," said Xiao Bing, director of Aima's research center.

Chinese bicycle producers have observed that the function of bikes has evolved over time, going from a mere transport tool to a system for exercise and entertainment.

"Made-in-China smart bicycles have become widely recognized in the global market," said Yang Yufeng, general manager of Golden Wheel Group.

He said Chinese firms are committed to leading new trends in the bicycle industry, as the industry increasingly integrates new energy, new materials and new technologies.

The company has exported products to more than 120 countries and regions. It set up a factory in the Czech Republic in 2016. It now boasts branches in the United States, Britain and Japan.

In March this year, the company's new R&D and marketing center was officially established in Frankfurt, aiming at the high-end market in Europe and the United States. The center will focus on the development of bicycle applications for the Internet of Things.