Tech: Inside Giant's Taiwan bike factory, part one

Image 1 of 31

Giant's primary carbon and high-end aluminum frame factory is located in Taichung, Taiwan. We got an exclusive in-depth look inside - a privilege that apparently had been afforded to no other publication previously(Image credit: Jonny Irick)

No, this isn't an industrial wine cellar. Normally, spools of raw carbon fiber are racked up here so that they can be made into woven or unidirectional pre-preg sheets. Giant is one of an extremely select group of bicycle manufactures to actually produce its own starting materials - something that not only reduces costs over the long term but also gives the company more control over its processes(Image credit: Jonny Irick)

This article first appeared on BikeRadar.

Giant Bicycles truly lives up to its namesake as the undeniable 800lb gorilla of the bicycle industry. In 2012, the company generated US$1.8 billion (billion!) in annual revenue globally, both under its own label and as a builder for other brands. All of its carbon fiber and premium aluminum frames are manufactured in a sprawling facility in Taichung, Taiwan and BikeRadar brings you an in-depth, all-access pass inside.

Founded in 1972 by current company chairman King Liu, Giant first started as a contract manufacturer and things weren't looking too rosy from the outset. That year, Giant produced just 3,800 bicycles. That's all changed now, however, thanks to a hard-earned reputation for consistently delivering high build quality at reasonable prices – first in steel for Schwinn back in its heyday, then aluminum and now carbon fiber.

One of the biggest keys to Giant's financial success has been its long-standing decision to integrate as many parts of the manufacturing process under its own roof. According to Giant CEO Tony Lo, this not only helps to ensure quality but it also decreases long-term costs – after all, fewer outside steps means fewer markups along the way and fewer questions about whether something was done correctly.

For example, Giant doesn't just weld its own aluminum frames; it also smelts its own alloys and forms its own aluminum tubing. And for carbon frames, Giant likewise isn't merely content to take delivery of pre-preg carbon fiber sheets that were manufactured by a third party. Save for creating the fibers themselves, Giant is unique among large manufacturers in that it controls the entire process every step of the way afterward.

From here, the fibers are fed into what's best described as a huge, industrial loom that lays them out in even layers. Giant makes all of its unidirectional fabrics in-house but woven cloth – the mostly cosmetic layer that many people imagine when they think of carbon fiber – is purchased pre-made. Either way, all of that carbon fiber starts out dry and has to be impregnated with resin. Exactly how that happens has up until now been an extremely closely guarded secret but we were given exclusive access to view the process ourselves – and more importantly, document it.

Giant stores its custom two-part epoxy resins in separate containers that are combined only when needed in a special mixing applicator. The carbon fiber sheets are sandwiched in between enormous stainless steel rollers (picture a newspaper printing press) and that mixing applicator then applies the blended resins to one side of the sheet in a back-and-forth pattern. As the sheet is squeezed through, the rollers not only force the resin in between the fibers but they also guarantee a uniform distribution throughout the sheet.