Bucking the downward trend within the bicycle industry, Glory Wheel has been expanding both its customer base and portfolio, while also showing an appetite for aftermarket business.
At the turn of the century, most large Taiwanese manufacturers set up factories in China to reduce production costs and remain competitive in volume segments. Around that time, Charles Lee founded Glory Wheel, opting instead to set up his new factory in 2001 in Taichung’s bicycle industry cluster in the Daya District. Nowadays the company mainly operates from its brand-new headquarters at Taichung City Precision Machinery Technological Park where it relocated in 2025, and where many players of the bicycle industry have set up facilities.
Nearly 25 years in, Glory Wheel’s biggest product categories by turnover reflect major trends within the industry. Thru-axles account for a big portion of the turnover, while headsets and solutions for fully integrated cable and brake line routing, such as the Full ICR platform, make up another large part of the company’s business. These are built as part of OE partnerships, as Glory Wheel does business with more than 100 bicycle brands. Other product categories include suspension seatposts, seatpost clamps, hubs and wheels. Thru-axles and hubs remain at the core of the business, while in 2025, the company launched a new strategic focus on complete wheel systems, including a full line of aluminum and carbon wheelsets and rims.
Glory Wheel has also invested in a wheel building and service center in Northern Italy, a service center in the United States and a factory for hub production close to Ho Chi Minh City. The company has also been busy finding smart ways to save energy and reduce the eco footprint of its operations. “Our strong emphasis on in-house production is driven by more control over the quality, but also by our drive to reduce our eco-footprint,” Lee explains. “With more energy-efficient machinery, the lower operating costs can offset a higher initial investment, which is part of our ESG efforts.” Other measures include using the heat generated by CNC lathes to keep anodizing fluids at the right temperature, collecting aluminum chips for reuse and the energy-efficient cooling system of the building.
Last year, Glory Wheel made headlines before Taichung Bike Week when it acquired Spank and Fratelli Industries. Spank is known for its high-performance components across rims, wheels, pedals and cockpits, with a strong global aftermarket presence. Fratelli specializes in handcrafted wheels, adding artisanal expertise and boutique positioning to the group. Through these acquisitions, Glory Wheel has firmly entered the aftermarket business with established brands and distribution channels in place across many countries worldwide.