7 Strange Sights From the Taipei Cycle Show

Mar 7, 2014
by Mike Kazimer  
Travelling halfway around the world to report on the latest cycling products can be a surreal experience. Combine jet lag and a language barrier with a massive amount of genuinely strange gadgets, and you have a recipe for real life that feels like a dream. Here are a few more strange sightings from the 2014 Taipei Cycle Show.

We were curious about the pleasure portion of this seatpost but unfortunately there wasn t anyone around to demonstrate.
We were curious about the 'pleasure' portion of this seatpost, but unfortunately there wasn't anyone around to demonstrate.

Haibike Nduro
26" wheels aren't dead, they've just been reincarnated into this abomination of a mountain bike. The Haibike Xduro Nduro Pro uses a 36 volt Bosch motor for electric assistance, just in case those transfer stages are a little too long. Fanny pack spare battery holder not included.

photo
Without a doubt the largest presta valve we've ever seen was on display at the both of a company whose specialty was just that - manufacturing valves for tubes.

photo
Who hasn't been on a ride and thought, "If only I could mount an expensive electronic tablet to my handlebars? That would solve everything."

photo
Details were scarce about this Ford Raptor fat bike, apparently created as part of a partnership between Dahon and the auto manufacturer.

photo
Hmm, just what kind of leather are they using for their bar tape?

Trade shows are tiring.
Trade shows are tiring.

Posted In:
Reviews and Tech First Looks Taipei Cycle Show


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119 Comments
  • 225 4
 I say nay to bar-tape made of horses.
  • 223 0
 That tape is definitely going to stirrup some controversy...
  • 90 2
 im surprised more people haven't chomped at the bit to be a part of this...
  • 164 0
 That's stuff night mares are made of! But that's my mane tape right there, I doubt that company will be around furlong.
  • 61 2
 i cantor figure out how they get it in so many colors
  • 42 4
 Glue.
  • 74 2
 that tape is horse shit
  • 126 0
 ^ he mustang out with the wrong people ^
  • 43 4
 the dead horse you are all beating with the puns...yep, definitely gonna be made into bar tape.
  • 56 2
 Screw the hay-ters! That tape is all time.
  • 21 6
 Shall we make more such jokes or are we just flogging a dead horse?
  • 38 3
 Great company, I wonder if they also make saddles...
  • 10 36
flag mtnfox37 (Mar 7, 2014 at 18:51) (Below Threshold)
 Can I buy it in bulk? I'll buy one roll for every time I've come around a blind corner into a horse pie, or had to huff the smell of poo while climbing a hill. This needs to take off and go huge.
  • 12 4
 Equestrian that a cant quite figure out is were the horses treated ethically and why hasn't anybody shoed these guys?
  • 33 0
 it's probably like 20 bucks a roll. I can't pony up that much money Frown
  • 69 0
 Dead Horse Dead Horse Dead Horse --- manufacturing chain for this company .. Smile
  • 34 0
 Well, with all these responses the guys at Good Horse probably think we're a bunch of nags. Tough for them. That doesn't look like a very stable business. Anyway I must go get a snack and I sea biscuits in the kitchen.
  • 7 2
 We all laugh, but I remember this company being around in the late 1980's! ( yeah. I'm THAT old!) Their slogan was "Performance is Our Chasing! I even remember MBA making fun of them THEN! Everything old is new again... Lolz
  • 34 0
 These horse puns are terrible. You should all rein it in!
  • 5 15
flag bonkywonky (Mar 7, 2014 at 23:57) (Below Threshold)
 You'd be surprised how many products on your bike are manufactured by companies with names like that, only to have a fashionable western name slapped on them.
  • 20 0
 That company also makes Shimano's jockey wheels.
  • 7 1
 i like horses, little bit of relish, they are delicious
  • 6 2
 Is this a TESCO's company?
  • 4 0
 What's wrong with cork bar tape? We've been using it furlong enough...
  • 10 1
 Whoaa whoaa! Hold your horses guys. Lets not put the cart before the horse and jump to conclusions. Quit horsing around and try to be serious about the topic. Just saddle up to your computers and read a little deeper.
  • 3 4
 Horses make up for good steaks and beef ...why not doing bar tape with the rest?? Razz
  • 6 0
 At least the bar tape will give you a 'stable' place for your hands...
  • 1 4
 Looks a bucking awesome product. Colt see me picking some up!
  • 1 4
 Although with a name like 'good horse' I suspect foal play... Anyone rodeo with their products who can recommend them?
  • 4 0
 I'm not in the market for bar tape, but if someone gave me some for free I wouldn't look a gift-horse in the mouth.
  • 1 3
 I'm guessing the "Horse" part of the name comes from the fact that the first ever bicycles were orinally called "Hobby Horses". Not that the tape is made from actual Horse.

On the other hand. Who knows hat kind if animal protection/cruelty laws they have half way around the world?...
  • 1 0
 New it would come
  • 1 0
 Those in favor say "I." Those against say "NEIGH."
  • 1 0
 So a hoarse walks into a bar
  • 43 1
 I like that they've gone all the way with two iPad mounts. Imagine that on a Scott, you could have two shifters, a dropper post, two suspension controls and two iPads on your handle bars
  • 17 1
 And bell, of course...
  • 71 0
 Just download a bell app, problem solved
  • 6 0
 just link everything up to wireless and let the Ipad control everything.
  • 15 0
 And play downhill supreme while your riding!
  • 3 0
 Semi autonomous bike that you just turn on and it rides for you while you sit at home. The future!
  • 2 0
 Now you can watch you live gopro footage from your helmet cam and chesty wile you ride..
  • 2 0
 Imagine trying to actually ride like that, using the ipad to see the trail and ride........
  • 1 0
 Who needs night lights when you have a 360 degree infrared display mounted on your handlebars?
  • 1 0
 Best application is for the trainer... You can run Strava and watch videos at the same time.
  • 37 2
 Ford probably claimed a few million carbon credits for putting their sticker on their bike, and tout is as their contribution to reducing their GHG emissions.
  • 1 0
 right, that's how they boosted the average fuel economy of their fleet
  • 20 4
 I think the fat bike comes standard with the f150 so that when it breaks gou dont have to walk.
  • 16 7
 I guess I'll be the first to say it... That electric bike is sweet! Sure you might get called lazy for not pedaling everywhere, but I'd take that penalty in exchange for, well, not having to pedal everywhere. It's like a silent, semi-dirtbike. Props to them
  • 13 0
 We've had a lot of dealings with these bikes, and can honestly say that they are 100% legit.
Firstly they are power-assist, not throttled. This means that they will only 'drive' you whilst you are pedalling, and they don't have a throttle. They can also be ridden with the assistance turned off, just like a normal bike. This is not a Stealth.
We've had every type of customer interested in them; from younger riders with heart problems, through to playboy townies and older folk looking to extend their riding lifetime.
All have the same in common: they are going further on their bikes than they would do normally, and having a whale of a time whilst doing it.
It's also worth noting that they use a lower spec. model as hire bikes in Morzine; itself a proving ground for all things two-wheeled.
They're not for everyone, (myself included) but they are doing a huge amount to get people out on bikes; which can't be a bad thing.
  • 8 11
 No they're not. Trekking bikes, XC hardtails - perfectly fine. Mobility to the masses, so long as they stick to the kind of terrain those bicycles allow them to ride. But this Haibike is emphatically not that. Especially given the prohibitive pricetag, it merely has the potential to get ignorant people into places quite simply above their ability level. People oblivious to the amount of sweat otherwise necessary to get up to a trailhead. The kind of mindset that disrespects that may as well be the same mindset that disrespects the demands of a difficult trail. "I have 7 inches of travel to iron all that sh*t out", after all.

You can go on thundering about how politically incorrect I may be, but honestly, I don't want to see people, who think that particular bike is a good idea, fumbling around on trails that require that amount of suspension travel. I just really don't.
  • 2 0
 What about people with out cars who want to ride to the trail? My only experience with pedal assist was on a hub motor and it sucked. I want a motor that can be taken off at the trail head and locked up. Also stop putting the battery ON the bike. Carry it in a back pack
  • 12 0
 Pleasure post has me interested!
  • 22 1
 ....and those weren't presta valves either.
  • 2 0
 I think you need to plug it up with that dirty talk buddy.
  • 8 0
 One of the best cycling websites in Asia. Way to set your sites on mediocrity!
  • 6 0
 so basically you walked around spoke to nobody and learned nothing, great piece
  • 5 0
 Oh, good. A folding Ford Fat bike.
  • 10 0
 America cornering the marked! Now where's my cowboy hat helmet and water bottle holster!
  • 1 0
 Ha ha... Holster... goo.gl/RLzBJs
  • 1 0
 It's definitely not a folding bike. Just a Ford fat bike...with F150 tires...
  • 2 0
 It has folding pedals, therefore....still absolutely in no way a folding bike Smile
  • 2 0
 Ford's "Folds Flat" Fat Bike

It's harder to say than it is to assemble.
  • 4 0
 I want a giant presta valve on my bike!!
  • 2 0
 That also doubles as a massive butt plug.
  • 4 0
 This page is full of funny, haha , thank you everyone
  • 7 6
 I've seen enough people hate e-bikes for their stupid ego. They never learn to respect. I'll get the haibike, cause it is amazingly designed.
  • 2 3
 How stupid do these firms think we are though surely they cant believe that we cannot see the difference between the original brand branding and their awful copies let alone the quality and longevity issues the same thing happens in th motorcycle world its absolute crap a Chinese moto x bike lasts about two years if ure lucky wank this branding copying is an absolute joke do they really sell more of their crap this way i urge you all to stay away from this utter rubbish and protect ure fave tried n tested brands
  • 1 1
 I found it bit hypocritical to say how bad it's to make tape from horses and on the other hand it's alright to make it from cows or other animals. Unless they are making it from dogs Big Grin
  • 7 5
 I wonder if they meant to leave the bars crooked, or if it broke down like every other Ford.
  • 5 7
 Its a ford its supposed to break with in the first mile
  • 2 0
 Fast Only Rolling Downhill Farmers Only Reason for Drinking
  • 2 0
 Found On Road Dead
  • 1 0
 Haha never noticed that. Maybe you're supposed to ride with them at 90 degrees O.o
  • 3 0
 If haibike made that bike without the electric thingy it'd be pretty nice
  • 4 2
 what's wrong with ebikes
  • 2 1
 They do actually. You can get it with or without. I would take it with though... those long boring fire road uphills at 30km/h... Smile
  • 7 1
 If ebikes are used by those that wouldn't be able to mountain bike with out electric assistance say due to illness or injury then I totally agree with them anything that can get people on a bike that ordinarily couldn't is a good thing in my mind. BUT if they just get used by fat over weight unfit lazy people who will wizz past me on the uphills just to hold me up on the downhills then they should be cut up and melted down to get my baked beans from the plant to my plate.
  • 5 5
 only fat people like ebike.
  • 3 2
 Hummm I need to climb for 2000ish feet to ride down. No lift, No car cause it's not a turn back route. Can someone show me how to do that on a 6 inch on a summer day. thank you.
  • 2 0
 @Speeder123, the rest of us do that all the time in our pedal bikes. Yeah, climbing might not be the most fun part of riding, but really? 2000 feet vert on a six inch bike in the summer? Even with our summer temps over 100 we do that all the time here in Utah and I grew up doing that in Colorado where it doesn't get quite as hot but there is even more climbing (and DH) to be had.
  • 1 0
 @mrpowerjd, I'm from a place where mtb trails are undeveloped and undiscovered. Yeah u have great stamina, but sometimes it's hard and dangerous to do that, and to be honest one don't have to be great athlete to enjoy riding. I guess Utah is not as humid as my area back in China, humid hot days is just unbearable for me. With e-bikes there will be more trails and rideble areas discovered. What I am saying is we got reasons buying a nicely made product without being blamed, and we are having fun without hurting others' benefit. But some it is people here who just have plain hatred and prejudice based on their own limited experience towards e-bike makers and customers that piss me off.
  • 2 1
 @Speeder123 - You don't have to be a great athlete to enjoy riding, sure. A lot of people enjoy riding mediocre trails, after all. But you bloody well ought to be an extraordinary athlete if you wish to be able to reach extraordinary places (in a reasonable amount of time). It is a perfectly logical and fair tradeoff.

Therein, I believe, lies what you consider prejudice against (specifically) e-bikes like this one. If you put an electric motor on a simple hardtail or a trekking bike, that's fine. It doesn't change things much. Fire roads will never get too crowded. Put it on a 7 inch quasi-enduro machine and you might find that people who previously couldn't bother, now go 'shuttling' some gem of a trail high up in the mountains, one for which you had to sweat like crazy to reach it.

I know I'll never be fit, experienced or brave enough to conquer the most epic rock climbing routes, the kind that make it into posters for outdoor clothing companies, however much I'd love to (and trust me, I would). That doesn't mean I'd endorse making a lift to the summit because it would make it accessible to me.
  • 7 7
 I somehow find rude when people is making fun of "lost in translation" things. I mean these guys are trying their best to be part of the marketshare, they are just trying their best in order to bring food home.
  • 5 2
 I see what you're saying but sometimes it looks like some of these guys are COMPLETELY out of touch with the industry. It's true with all the trade shows but especially Taipei. Perfectly nice people can have rubbish ideas.
  • 9 1
 No those people have rubbish ideas because they only care about money, not the bikes. There's a lot of things manufactured in Taiwan and China, but most things aren't designed there. To design a successful bike you need passion first.
  • 5 3
 I totally agree with what you're saying. But those facts do not give any right to anyone to make fun of their foreign language skills, between a couple of friends is fine, but on a public website is different. Smile
  • 2 1
 Well there are lots of expats teaching English all over Taiwan and China, you can find them pretty easily, and they'll happily translate a few words in exchange for the price of a beer, so there is no excuse for using Google translate and making your company into a laughing stock for the sake of saving a couple of dollars.
  • 3 0
 Finally a F-150 I can afford !!!
  • 7 6
 Electric mountain bikes are motorbikes, keep them out - and I mean right out - of mountain biking. That is, electric bikes in Mountain biking? No, no, no, no, NO!
  • 3 0
 Electric bikes don't erode trail like dirt bikes. I say no to cars no no no. The only bit of bush near me for building is being torn up by dirt bikes I wish I had an electric bike to get to clay soils.
  • 2 1
 When the seat posts are used for pleasure their the post that I like bestWink
  • 1 0
 Pick your pleasure...hard or soft.
  • 2 0
 I can see the handle bar iPad thing being good for the gym
  • 3 3
 So the e-bike is an abomination?????? Thats racism! You dont like this amazing ebike and gonna say that you love motocross and all that noise and smell of the smoke???
  • 2 0
 Say that again please...?
  • 9 1
 So the e-bike is an abomination?????? Thats racism! You dont like this amazing ebike and gonna say that you love motocross and all that noise and smell of the smoke???
  • 2 0
 Say that again please...?
  • 1 0
 That guy is still lying there. He collapsed from exhaustion after a 26 vs 27.5 argument.
  • 1 0
 Do you think that the writers for "One of the Average at Best Cycling Websites in Asia" are at the bar partying?
  • 2 0
 "One of the best cycling websites in Asia" is... Down ! : )
  • 1 0
 So uh... the stem on the fat bike is sideways. Good job ford.
  • 7 7
 Most useless thing iv ever seen... lets put an electric motor on something that doesn't need it..
  • 16 1
 If humans all thought that way we would be fred flinstoning it around town...
  • 10 0
 Yeah, why would anyone put a motor in a carriage when you have horses....
  • 61 2
 apparently we don't need horses anymore....so they are making them into handlebar tape
  • 4 0
 That comment made me laugh haha ^
  • 5 0
 That name too. Xduro Nduro haha.
  • 3 0
 @Judgerider348 with the only clever horse joke on here haha that was good
  • 7 0
 Ignoring the whole electric mtb debate, that bike doesn't look all that bad compared to a lot of electric bikes. At least it still looks more or less like a bike
  • 1 0
 Honeslty I was expecting to see some Taipei hostess in plural.
  • 1 0
 Ford's fat bike- they're doing it wrong. Including the handlebars...
  • 1 0
 HaiBike I like minus the battery...
  • 1 1
 They never give up in making suspension seatpost for like thousand years.
  • 1 1
 I am hoarse from laughter
  • 3 4
 A dildo to blow up your ass! Presto!
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