Where bikes are made: The silent manufacturers at the helm of the industry
Bike brands don't want you to know that your bike was likely made by a company you've never heard of, far, far away
The latest sponsor of the WorldTour cycling pro team XDS is not just a brand but also a Chinese bike manufacturing company that makes bikes for multiple bike brands.
In fact, many bicycle brands do not own factories and instead outsource manufacturing to third-party companies, of which a huge number of these are based in Asia.
According to EU data, the majority of bikes imported to the EU come from Taiwan, Cambodia, China and Bangladesh, while another data set shows the UK imports the majority of its bikes from Taiwan, Germany, Cambodia and China.
It is uncommon for a brand to acknowledge the factory in which its bikes are made unless it owns the factory, like Merida and Factor.
So how does it work and who makes what?
How it works
Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) agreements are contracts where a company manufactures products or components for another company to sell under its own brand name.
It's commonplace in multiple industries and is prevalent in cycling as it enables brands to reduce costs by outsourcing frame manufacturing and production.
While multiple brands have OEM agreements with the same factory, this does not mean that the bikes are the same minus the logos, as each brand retains complete authority over design specifications.
The main countries for third-party manufacturing of bicycles are Taiwan, China, Vietnam and Cambodia, and these factories tend to operate within special economic zones.
These are specific areas within countries which aim to promote companies to manufacture there, often incentivised by lower tax rates and simplified customs procedures to boost exports.
Like everything in life, however, there are different levels of quality and the same goes for OEM factories, a topic discussed by BikeBiz a few years ago.
Made in China
Many third-party manufacturers are based in China, including the aforementioned title sponsor of the XDS Astana team, XDS Carbon Tech.
Also called Xidesheng, XDS operates as an OEM and documents seen by Cyclingnews indicate that it makes bicycles for Trek, Haro Bikes, Lime bikes, and BH bikes. Documentation around UK-based bike brands using XDS (and other OEMs) is severely limited due to data privacy regulations, which means companies do not have to disclose import information.
XDS does not have any information on its website about which brands it manufactures and did not respond to Cyclingnews for comment.
What makes XDS stand out is that it also makes bikes under its own brand, X-Lab, a well-known label in China.
However, most crucial of all is that these bikes are now ridden by the XDS-Astana team marking the first time a fully Chinese-branded bike has made it into the WorldTour.
It's not uncommon for OEMs to make their own bikes, but these rarely take centre stage.
Unveiling secrets
While XDS keeps its OEM agreements as a closely guarded secret, other OEMs based in China are keen to share their successes.
Ten-Tech Composites is an OEM based in Guangdong, China, which purports to produce "world-class brand bicycle frames, front forks, rims and accessories, and the products are exported to developed countries such as Europe and the United States."
The company's website is not very up to date, but it does list some of the OEM's key accolades, which gives a strong indicator of which brands the factory produces:
"The world's lightest bicycle frame (700g) comes from our company; the competition bicycles of many countries in the 2008 Olympic Games were manufactured by our company; in the 2008 World Tour de France, the bicycles produced by our company took the top three places in the Tour de France."
This means that the Cervelo, Specialized and Ridley bikes ridden in the 2008 Tour were all made by Ten-Tech, which corroborates with documents seen by Cyclingnews, whereby Cervelo is listed as a top trading partner for Ten-Tech Composites.
Also bucking the trend of secrecy is Quest Composite Technology, which operates in both China and Taiwan. The OEM has pictures of Trek and Canyon bicycles on its website, readily showcasing that it manufactures these two brands, which is quite remarkable.
Similarly, Topkey, which makes bike frames and components in China and Vietnam, proudly declares on its website that it works "with customers such as 'Specialized' and 'Cannondale'" and claims to have more than 25% of the market share in carbon bicycle manufacturing.
It also notes that in 2010, Alberto Contador used a Specialized bike made by Topkey and won the Tour de France (although he was later stripped of his title).
What's more, Keentech Composite Technology is a subsidiary of Topkey based in Xiamen, China, and documents show that it also manufactures for Specialized.
Cambodian exports
A report by the General Department of Customs and Excise of Cambodia last year showed that the country exported $278 million (€256 million) worth of bicycles and e-bikes in the first eight months of this year, a 30% decrease year-on-year.
Despite this decrease, Cambodia is still one of the top five bike exporters in the world.
A&J is a key OEM in the region, with multiple manufacturing facilities in Cambodia and Vietnam. It produces bicycle frames for gravel, road, full-suspension mountain and e-bikes for global bike brands.
"Our production capabilities are robust, with the capacity to manufacture over 1.3 million frames annually," said Fraser Young of A&J.
"This volume reflects our commitment to meeting the varying demands of our clients and the global market. Production volumes are adjusted based on market trends and customer requirements, allowing us to maintain flexibility and responsiveness."
Records show that A&J manufactures products for Scott, Trek, Canyon, Bianchi, Kona, and Specialized, although A&J would not confirm this.
"We collaborate with numerous esteemed bicycle brands worldwide, providing OEM and ODM [Original Design Manufacturer] services that uphold the highest standards of quality and confidentiality," said Young.
"Each partnership is unique, and we tailor our manufacturing processes to align with the specific requirements of our clients. Due to confidentiality agreements, we do not disclose the exact number or identities of our partners.
"In our facilities, each brand's products are manufactured on the same lines, based on the product specification. Frame and bikes are produced to each brand’s specific requests and standards. This approach guarantees the integrity of each brand's identity and product excellence."
Taiwan hotspot
Taiwan is another hotspot for mass-manufacturing bicycles.
Factor Bikes has carbon fibre manufacturing facilities in both Taiwan and China, where it makes over 12,000 frames per year. The most recent Factor models were made in the Taiwan facility.
"We are one of the very few brands that actually make their own bikes, especially at scale," said Rob Gitelis, CEO of Factor Bikes, who has been living in Taiwan since 1996.
"We have about 120 people in Taiwan who cover assembly and manufacturing."
Gitelis is well versed in the country's bike manufacturing industry, as previously he was involved in manufacturing bikes for other brands. 18 months ago he decided to stop offering OEM and now everything in the facility is purely the Factor brand.
"We don't want to be manufacturing products for other companies because it gets a little confusing, and we don't want to ever have a situation where we have to make a decision inside of our own factory based off of any sort of capacity constraints," he said.
Despite the perception, Gitelis says much of the carbon manufacturing industry has actually left Taiwan.
"Other than Factor and perhaps some very small factories, there is no carbon fibre manufacturing really left in Taiwan," he said.
"While the factories in China, Cambodia, Vietnam, Myanmar all have Taiwanese ownership, they're no longer based here in Taiwan."
"The industry matured in China, and as soon as the industry got to any scale everybody knew we needed to move it to China because it's not really feasible to be making these carbon frames in Taiwan."
Merida powerhouse
Also based in Taiwan, Merida is a very large bicycle manufacturer and currently employs 3,000 people in the country. It produces bikes for its own brands and in the past has been known to produce bikes for other companies under OEM agreements.
"We are very proud of the fact that we are one of the very few major brands that design, test and manufacture our bikes in-house, giving us full control of the process, from design concept to delivered product," said Jon Woodhouse of Merida.
"We always have and will continue to evolve and innovate, with investment in production technology as well as bicycle design, so we aim to always stay at the cutting edge of the industry. We also focus on keeping very high standards of worker and environmental protection so that we can continue to sustainably create high-quality bicycles in Taiwan, long into the future."
Previously, Merida had been known for producing bikes for multiple brands, but it says it no longer has any significant OEM agreements.
"Making bikes for multiple brands is a story we left behind around 25 years ago to focus on our own brand," added Woodhouse.
However, while Merida says it does not operate in the OEM market anymore, it owns 49% of Specialized and records show it is a top shipping partner for the US brand, suggesting that its OEM arm still exists with Specialized.
According to US import data, Specialized appears to have a diverse supply chain, partnering with multiple OEM manufacturers, including Merida, Speedtech (also based in Cambodia) and Topkey. When pressed, Specialized would not give out further information and offered this comment on the topic.
“To protect our product innovation leadership, we prefer to not disclose in-depth information on this topic. We are proud to partner with manufacturers all over the world who share our dedication in crafting innovative, premium products for riders. Our focus is on quality, safety, and performance, ensuring that every bike meets the high standards that riders expect from Specialized.”
Specialized was not the only brand reluctant to talk about their OEM operations.
No comment
Giant started in Taiwan in 1972 and gained global recognition as the largest bike manufacturer, making bikes for third parties as well as its own brands.
However, Giant's company policy is not to comment on anything related to third-party manufacturing, despite being a huge OEM manufacturer itself.
It's well known that Giant has manufactured bikes for brands like Trek, Scott, Colnago, and Specialized in the past, and a series of photos taken during a Giant factory tour in 2012 showed products for Scott, Bontrager, Colnago and Giant all being made in the same factory.
Despite Giant not wanting to chat, we can deduce some information on its current OEM functions.
According to the Group's most recent annual report, 70% of the company's products are Giant's own brand products (GIANT, Liv, Cadex and Momentum), which leaves the remaining 30% likely earmarked for OEM.
The company writes it "devised the strategy of equal importance on OEM/ODM and proprietary brands more than a decade ago. It designs and manufactures for reputable global brands as well as operates a global distribution network for its proprietary brands.
"OEM/ODM customers consist of reputable brands around the world, and there is no sign of concentration to any particular customer"
The group says it sells its own-branded products "through its marketing subsidiary".
Why do some brands not want to talk about it?
Giant's reluctance to comment on third-party manufacturing was noteworthy, given the group's well-known enormous manufacturing capabilities. Ribble also refused to comment, while Trek did not respond.
"I think that some people just try to protect their intellectual secrets and I think that a lot of companies don't want to let their customers know that really they are a design and development company and not a manufacturer," said Gitelis.
"People are always very surprised to find out that most bicycle companies are really marketing companies with design and development, not manufacturers. There's still a little bit of smoke and mirrors when it comes to that."
In the case of Giant, perhaps the reluctance comes from the potential consumer confusion of a huge, well-known brand producing other brands, and for it to be seen as a conflict of interest.
Elsewhere, brands might not want to talk due to certain perceptions. For example, delve into a few bike forums, and it's easy to find people worried about their Cannondale SuperSix having a sticker saying Made in China.
The phrase has in the past had a stigma attached to it because of connotations around cheap low-quality labour, but the emergence of XDS Carbon Tech onto the WorldTour scene could dispel that.
At the same time, the emergence of XDS and the X-Lab brand as a big player in the UK and European cycling scene could negatively impact premium brands that use XDS as an OEM, as the supplier becomes a major competitor.
Homemade matters
While many bikes are made in Asia, there is a strong handful of brands that have localised production. To name a few, Basso manufactures in Italy, Orbea in Spain and Portugal, Massacan in Italy, and Stinner Frameworks in the US.
Stinner Frameworks has an OEM arm which, since the threat and introduction of Donald Trump's tariffs, has seen an increase in demand from both US and European brands interested in moving their production to the Santa Barbara facility.
Called Stinner Manufacturing, the OEM facility will officially launch in April, although it has been accepting work and operating for over a year.
"We are becoming as competitive as overseas, especially when you factor in shipping container costs and minimum quantities needed," said Aaron Stinner, founder of Stinner Frameworks.
"We operate under a lot of NDAs, mostly non-compete clauses, to ensure our clients have the utmost protection when it comes to their designs."
Stinner consumes a lot less carbon as the brand focuses on manufacturing steel, titanium and aluminium bikes, which it sources domestically, rather than carbon fibre.
The ethical choice
Should consumers care where their bike comes from?
Third-party manufacturing has long been the subject of accusations of poor working conditions and modern slavery, and it turns out the OEM bicycle industry is no different.
Le Monde diplomatique published a piece earlier this year on the working conditions in Taiwanese bicycle factories, reporting that indicators of forced labour were rife, especially debt bondage. In response, the Taiwan Bicycle Association said the Bicycling Alliance for Sustainability (BAS) will release the ‘Human Rights Code of Conduct’ for all BAS members and following action plan. Members include Giant, Topkey and Merida.
There have also been reports of modern slavery at bike factories in Malaysia and Cambodia.
While much has been reported on the conditions of other industries, like fast fashion workers in China, information on bike factory conditions in the country is hard to come by.
"I don't think it's particularly important to know where but I do think it's important as a consumer to trust the brand," said Gitelis.
"There are bikes being made in Bangladesh and Myanmar at the moment, and I don't feel like those countries have the best human rights records.
"It's funny as you often hear about the sweatshops of China, there's no sweatshop in China, what a Chinese person is now making is on par with what a European person is making in a factory.
"But in places like Myanmar, Bangladesh, I still have some concern about the conditions that people are working in, so I think to that extent, people should know what they're buying and I think you should buy from trusted brands."
Cyclingnews could not verify Gitelis's claims but while not bike industry specific, worker safety and justice is an ongoing issue within both Bangladesh and Myanmar .
Stinner agreed, pointing to the example of Columbus which makes steel tubing.
"It's an easy choice to source from them as they are so transparent and welcome factory visits," said Stinner.
"There's a lot of smoke and mirrors in this industry, especially when it comes to the country of origin of a bike."
But how can we make an ethical choice if brands won't be transparent about where their bike frames are made?
Sensitive topic
The phenomenal and largely silent OEM supply chain based in Asia is evidently at the helm of the bike industry, but due to operating under strict NDAs, many details are closely guarded secrets.
I think it's intriguing to know where a bike was made, regardless of what the brand's marketing team wants you to think, and as consumers that information could help us make better, ethical decisions.
I could speculate the reasons for the silence - an indicator of a brand's confidence in their supply chain or issues around sustainability or ethics - either way, it's a sensitive topic.
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Emma Cole is a gold-standard NCTJ journalist who loves anything to do with adventure, sport and sustainability. Alongside writing about these passions for Cyclingnews, her work has also featured in Cycling Weekly, Outdoors Magic and Cyclist Magazine - where she previously held the role of Features Writer for over two years. Emma hosts her own podcast, The Passion Stories Podcast and has a first-class degree in French and Politics.
