At Taipei Cycle, WBIA made the case for cycling as a serious transport infrastructure. Panels covered market realities, policy demands, circular manufacturing and supply chain realignment.
As the United Nations Decade of Sustainable Transport begins in 2026, the World Bicycle Industry Association (WBIA) used the first day of Taipei Cycle to bring together industry experts from Taiwan, Europe, India and the United States. The clear message: if governments are serious about decarbonization, public health and urban mobility, bicycles should be treated as transport infrastructure, not as a side issue
The session was moderated by Elisa Chiu, CEO of Anchor Asia. Before the main panel, WBIA president Bayram Akgül had already placed the industry in a broader political contest over how sustainable transport will be defined and financed, calling the UN decade “a once-in-a-generation moment for cycling.” Robert Wu, chairman of the Taiwan Bicycle Association, framed net zero as a twin challenge: reducing manufacturing emissions and expanding cycling culture. “We have only one earth. There is no plan B,” he said.
The first panel segment moved to the state of the market. Bob Margevicius, WBIA vice president and a senior executive at Specialized, offered the bluntest assessment: “The industry has moved and it’s changed from chasing and fighting growth into now fighting for lower costs and efficiency,” he said. “We’re in a different world today, a world that’s really being shaped by tariffs, by geopolitical issues. And we’re also starting to see a lot of supply chain realignment.”
Yet the panel’s broader argument was that cycling’s commercial troubles should not obscure its strategic value. “All of the people here are looking to solve a problem that’s been created by four wheels, with two wheels,” Margevicius continued. “The bicycle is the most efficient mobility machine ever created. So if we’re serious about sustainable transport, our moment is now.”
That gap between praise and policy was a recurring theme. Anke Schäffner, chief policy officer of the German industry federation ZIV – German Bicycle Industry, brought the European regulatory perspective. “We need stable conditions, we need clear regulation,” she said. Increasingly complex EU rules could become “a competitive advantage rather than merely a regulatory burden” – particularly relevant as companies prepare for sustainability reporting and tools such as the Digital Product Passport.
The second panel turned to sustainability in production. Ann Chen, CEO of Velo, argued that the industry should stop relying on the bicycle’s inherently low-emission image and focus on how products are made. “Your waste can be my treasure,” Chen said, distilling the logic of circular manufacturing into a single line. She pointed to Velo’s cooperation with U.S. component maker Sram as a practical example: Sram’s carbon scrap is being used in Velo’s saddle production, already replacing up to 60% of the required material. Chen also made clear that sustainability is more than a talking point for her – briefly interrupting the panel to suggest the venue turn down its air conditioning. The room responded with quick approval.
Charlie Liu of Giant and BAS reinforced the importance that sustainability should have for the cycling industry, arguing that “strategy execution requires scientific management and alignment with international methodologies to showcase a steady, continuous journey toward sustainable transformation.”
The third segment shifted to production geography and supply chain strategy. Schäffner noted that the post-pandemic push for reshoring had given way to a more pragmatic approach. “Nearshoring makes more sense,” she said. “You produce where your markets are.” She pointed to the European Commission’s Industry Accelerator Act as a political signal that production jobs should return to Europe – but acknowledged barriers including high energy costs and a shortage of skilled workers. Schäffner also argued that the industry needs to grow the overall market, noting that women still cycle less than men and that Gen Z remains surprisingly car-focused despite its sustainable self-image.
Karan Aggarwal, Director of Amar Wheels, representing the Indian federation AICMA, offered the Indian perspective. India is largely self-sufficient for domestic bicycle production, he said, but still depends on imports for electronics, batteries and advanced materials – gaps that could be addressed through joint ventures and technology transfer. His broader argument: the global manufacturing map needs to become more diversified rather than consolidating around any single region.
Margevicius agreed, predicting that production will evolve into a distributed, multi-regional ecosystem shaped by tariffs, geopolitics and logistics. But he added a practical challenge: with their many individual components, e-bikes are not designed for efficient manufacturing. “We have to work on simplifying,” he said. “We have to work on ways to become more efficient and more productive.” He called for harmonized product standards, transparent trade rules and consistent safety regulations across markets.Taken together, the Taipei discussion suggested an industry making two arguments at once. The first is outward-facing: governments should stop treating cycling as an optional extra and start supporting it with safer roads, connected networks and credible funding. The second is inward-facing: the industry itself needs to align on standards and make sustainability claims that can withstand scrutiny. Whether policymakers respond remains to be seen. But in Taipei, the industry sounded more coordinated than before – and less willing to accept that cycling should remain the transport solution everyone applauds and too few actually prioritize.