Zeno Cycle Parts is focusing on hydraulic brake systems and how to make living with and maintaining them as simple as possible.
Zeno Cycle Parts positions itself as a link between Taiwan’s industrial production know-how and brands or consumers looking for solutions that make their everyday lives easier and their bicycles work even better.
From metal works to injection molding and the production of carbon parts, the industrial cluster found halfway down Taiwan’s west coast can supply all the parts needed for high-quality bicycles and components. Founded in 2014 and counting 10 to 15 employees, Zeno Cycle Parts relies on this cluster, according to the company’s founder Tang-wei Wu: “We focus on product development and sales, and since we partner with specialists for each process we rely on expert subcontractors for most of our production. To assure that our products are up to their respective task we conduct in-house quality controls at every stage and insist on keeping the final assembly in our own facility in Changhua.”
Zeno Cycle Parts was initially known for brake accessories such as rotors and brake pads. Based on feedback from riders and shops, the focus switched to hydraulic lines as early as 2018. “Despite being essential to braking systems on modern bikes, hydraulic lines are often overlooked. Thus we developed the Q-Connector series, a product designed to solve the specific challenges of internal cable routing on modern bikes”, Wu explains. “The latest Connector V2 comes with a reduced outer diameter of only 6.5 mm, further facilitating assembly on frames with full internal routing and resisting up to 5000psi pressure.” Earlier iterations of the Connector launched in 2022 featured a larger diameter and were designed with external routing in mind.
Once installed, the hydraulic lines can be taken off and get reinstalled on both master cylinders and calipers without having to bleed the system. Since brakes are essential for safety, Wu stresses the importance of having the company’s connectors installed by professional mechanics. To make sure the parts are properly fitted to the lines, Zeno Cycle Parts also markets a specific pair of pliers and boxes with spare parts for workshops of independent bicycle dealers. The line-up also includes a wide range of adaptors to match various sizes of rotors and calipers, floating disc brake rotors with an alloy spider available for both 6-bolt and center-mount standards, a remote handlebar lever for dropper posts and mechanical disc brakes.
As for the company’s name, Wu says it is from the Greek philosopher Zeno and his dichotomy paradox. Based on the observation that a moving object must first get halfway, then half of the remaining distance, and so on in an infinite series of steps, Zeno claimed that the object could never reach its destination. Rather than seeing this as a limitation, Wu considers this as the very essence of cycling: a continuous, driven pursuit of progress.