Industry Special EP3: The Rise of the Chinese Brands

They seemed to arrive overnight: Chinese bike brands turning up in the WorldTour peloton, in your local shop, and all over your feed. But almost no one inside the industry thinks it was sudden at all. Most of the bikes we ride have been built in Asia for decades, so perhaps it was only a matter of time before those factories started putting their own names on the down tube.

This episode digs into why these brands are expanding now, and the competition this poses for many Western brands who are already struggling. We cover China's national strategy behind the rise, the role COVID played as an accelerator, government subsidies, the domestic price war, and aspects of vertical integration.

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