Under the ride of cycling

Source: China News Weekly

This summer, Alex often rides on Beijing Chang'an Street at night. There are more friends who are "like dumplings", and almost every intersection is crowded with eighty bicycles waiting for charge. Alex only joined the QNQ club last year only three or four people, and now it has developed to 40 or fifty people, and the bicycle brand's own club has a larger scale. Each event can be called on hundreds of people.

Why do you like cycling? "Enjoy exercise, conquer unknown, meet more partners, and watch more beautiful scenery." From the mountains to the highway, Alex, who has been riding for more than ten years, can list more benefits of cycling. Yes, more and more people have participated in cycling since the epidemic.

The uncertainty and gathering risks of the epidemic have highly respected private travel methods and sports health, and the two needs have been perfectly matched in cycling. Meituan bicycles have counted that in the spring of 2020, when the epidemic had just been controlled, the average daily cycling volume across the country increased by more than 4 times during the outbreak of the February epidemic. This riding heat has continued to this day. As of now, there have been more than 1.2 million notes on "cycling" on social platforms, which are mainly sharing lifestyle.

The hotness of the cycling movement drives the development of the entire bicycle industry. According to data released by the China Bicycle Association, in the first half of 2021, in all 19 large industries of Light Industry, bicycles were one of the few industries with a growth rate of more than 30%, which was 18.4 percentage points higher than the national industrial growth rate.

But for the increasingly high -end riding demand, Chinese bicycle independent brands seem to be caught off guard. The domestic bicycle industry was depressed for a long time, and a large number of bicycle manufacturers closed down. Around 2017, the rapidly rising bicycle shared bicycles crazy to seize the development space of brand bicycles from both ends from the factory production capacity and market demand, and the bicycle brand suffered another blow. Faced with this turbulent sports ride, domestic brands are far from being ready.

From receiving products, to assembly and inspection, and finally sealing the warehouse, there are more than 20 links in the entire assembly flow line of the bicycle. Photography/Magazine reporter Li Mingzi from receiving products, to assembly and inspection, and finally sealing into the warehouse, there are more than 20 links in the entire assembly flow line of the bicycle. Photography/Reporter Li Mingzi

Middle and high -end highway cars are "difficult to find one car"

At 7 o'clock in the evening, before the opening of the business of Ruibao Beijing Tiantan Store, a female rider rushed to the high temperature and rushed away, and took away an entry -level endurance road car priced at 7,699 yuan just set up on the booth.

"This one is only gray XS now, and other colors and models are all sold out." Kong Lingman, the person in charge of the Ruibao brand area, told China News Weekly that he was responsible for the three regions of Northeast, North China and Inner Mongolia. The demand for sports bicycles in Beijing is strong, and the same car in second- and third -tier cities is difficult to find. Factory orders are basically ranked until 2023.

SEKA, which has been founded for five years, has also sold the same sales. "Beginning at the end of last year, domestic and overseas markets can only accept orders. There are no stocks, and the average wait 2 to 3 months." Said Liu Zhiquan, the person in charge of the SEKA brand.

There are many types of bicycles, including folding bikes, mountain vehicles, highway cars, dead speeds, and small wheels; top brands are usually common cars in Tourism bicycle competitions, Trek (Trek) and Specialized It is a high -end series in the minds of riders. Brands with high market cognition in China include Giant and Merida in Taiwan.

A bicycle salesman revealed that many models of mid -to -high -end brands such as Giant, Merida, and Cuke are currently in a state of stock, and mid -to -high -end bicycles and its core kits have been fired as "wealth management products". British bicycle brand Brompton (Xiaobu) is loved by its brand culture, and some people even regard it as "art". On the second -hand trading platform, BROMPTON second -hand cars with an original price of over 10,000 can basically be sold at the original price. If some parts are discontinued, and the "out -of -print" small cloth with rare colors and a newer color, it can even be sold higher than the original price.

High -end road cars are difficult to find, and it reflects the significant changes in riding demand. The "2021 China Sports Bicycle Survey Report" (hereinafter referred to as the "Report") released by the professional information platform shows that the proportion of mountain car cycling users has fallen from 65%in 2017 to 48%in 2021, and replaced by it is the replacement. The proportion of road vehicles users, from the proportion of mountain users in 2017, climbed all the way to 74%in 2021. It ranks first in the list. Essence

The "Report" found through thousands of questionnaire surveys that the proportion of "middle-aged" people aged 31-40 has increased year by year since 2017, and currently accounts for about 1/3 of the bicycle sports group. More than 60%of cycling enthusiasts live in first -tier cities such as Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen, and capital cities. 91%of the respondents participated in the cycling to "exercise and maintain health."

"Considering the safety and comfort of cycling, riding friends are willing to pay for the brand's difference and advantage." Alex said that bicycle campaigns are imported products. There are decades of cultural accumulation in overseas. The international top -level competition service providers such as Huanfa will indeed bring a better cycling experience. The wind resistance is smaller, lighter, and more comfortable.

The "Report" shows that nearly 80 % of the respondents believe that "brand" is important, and nearly half of them are interviewed that "brand is very important." Alex said that the Qianxian car can only be regarded as starting in the cycling circle. The car of 350,000 yuan is a mid -range. The price of the top car is basically around 100,000 yuan. By more than ten or 200,000 yuan. Most of the mid -to -high -end sports bicycle brands are concentrated in European and American countries, such as Italian plum blossoms, the United States Trek, and Canada Volo. The highly recognizable domestic brands are Grandte and Merida in Taiwan, China, and mainland local brands such as Ruibao and Seka. It only obtained market recognition in the year, and it cannot change the situation where the high -end market is monopolized by international brands for the time being. For the cycling market, the most entry -level bicycles with the largest amount of preserved quantity are more than 50,000 to 10,000 yuan. The "2021 China Sports Bicycle Survey Report" shows that in 2021, consumers with a car purchase budget at 8001 ~ 15,000 yuan accounted for the most, reaching 27.88%. For high -end brands such as Specialized (Lightning), consumers who buy 30,000 to 40,000 yuan a car generally get started; when you feel more fun of riding, you will upgrade the car. This will be upgraded. This will be upgraded. This will be upgraded. Some people choose bicycles with a unit price of more than 50,000 yuan.

The trend of medium and high -end consumption in the Chinese bicycle market is becoming more and more obvious. The "Report" shows that the consumption of more than 3,000 yuan for "buying a vehicle" has increased for four consecutive years. Compared with the outbreak of the epidemic, people with a budget of more than 15,000 yuan have increased significantly. Riding enthusiasts with a car purchase budget of 150,000 yuan accounted for more than 1/4, second only to the proportion of people with a budget of 0.8 to 15,000 yuan.

If you want to upgrade to a higher configuration, you need to invest more. For cycling enthusiasts, there is no upper limit for playing cars. In order to make the car more secure, faster and better, Xiao Zhe spent more than half a year for three rounds of modification. Except for the frame, other parts are almost fully replaced. Essence "Some people say that I pay IQ taxes, but this is my attitude towards life. It takes time and energy to create a bicycle that belongs to my own."

The more professional the rider, the more professional the pursuit of unique equipment and experience, and will continue to change the components on the car. As a cycling accessory, shots, riding uniforms, glasses, gloves, helmets, etc. Each type has a price option from low to high. It is a typical assembly and "burning money" movement.

"The bicycle itself also assumes the demands of personalized expression, decorating personal life like trendy items, appearing in different cycling scenarios, and satisfying a variety of matching British brands. The blogger's joy told China News Weekly that just like girls buying red, they will not be loyal to a brand of a brand. Once they enter the pit of a bicycle, they can't help but "chop their hands."

For a long time, bicycles have low repurchase rates, but according to the "Report" survey, the more often the bike is ride, the higher the frequency of the car changes. 47.35%of users who insist on riding a bicycle will change the car within three years. When Xiaoshe upgraded the commute folding train to the top, in order to experience the different riding feelings of other brands, he successively purchased 4 small cloth and highway cars suitable for long -distance cycling.

According to the analysis of the "Bicycle Industry Report" released by CITIC Securities, in the context of the consumption upgrade of the epidemic securities, the bicycle has gradually upgraded to a sports consumption leisure product. According to data from the China Bicycle Association, in the first half of 2021, domestic competition bike imports increased by 49.5%year -on -year.

The hot sales market has led to the growth of the company's performance. At the end of March 2022, Giant Group announced the latest financial report. In 2021, the annual sales were NT $ 81.8 billion (about RMB 18 billion), an increase of 17%over 2020. According to data from Merida's 2021 financial report, the net profit before tax reached NT $ 6.2 billion, a new high of the past years. Data data from the leader of the bicycle transmission and spare parts show that the bicycle department's net sales in 2021 were 443.678 billion yen (US $ 3.839 billion), an increase of 49.0%year -on -year, and operating income increased by 82.7%year -on -year.

But in this "feast", there are not many cakes that domestic brands can share. Europe is currently the largest market for bicycles in the world. The Netherlands and Germany are a relatively mature market for the bicycle industry, and high -end cycling brands are concentrated. And China has become the world's largest bicycle production and exporter with low cost of labor and raw materials, as well as comprehensive supply chain and assembly capabilities, and has more than half of the world's production capacity. China has formed three major bicycle cluster industry belts mainly based on Tianjin Bo Bay, Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Shanghai, and Pearl River Delta.

In order to survive, a large number of bicycle manufacturers started to pick up the bill of shared bicycle companies, but the original marketing bicycles that were not highly proportioned due to their competitive attributes and special use scenarios, but avoided the fierce competition of "serving the last mile of the last mile". Some independent brands who insist on not doing foundry began to wait until spring.

"At present, the production and sales of bicycles have been prosperous, and the order has been ranked next year." Wang Chunqing, general manager of Shandong Taishan Ruibao Composite Material Co., Ltd., said that the factory not only produces its own brand Ruibao bicycle, but also for other international high -end carbon fiber sports bicycles. Almost full load operation, still in short supply.

"There is still a lot of room for development compared to the 40%of the ride population in Europe and the United States, and there is still a lot of room for development." Wang Chunqing said that the situation may last for about 3 years. In addition to the surge in demand, because of insufficient production capacity, it is mainly limited to the supply of core component transmission. "Card Neck" transmission

Public data shows that Chinese bicycle production accounts for nearly 70 % of the world's each year, but core component transmission has long been dependent on imports for a long time.

Yu Shiguang, a member of the technical committee of the China Bicycle Association, once introduced in the media that the annual demand for a bicycle transmission of more than 1,000 yuan in the domestic market is about 8 million units, and the 95%share is in the Jibali and the United States. It also occupies a monopoly position.

Founded in 1921, Ximano was called "the company with the strongest profitability in the bicycle". In the 1980s, Ximano foresight market adjustments. In the later stage of heavy industry development, the main functions of bicycles will shift from transportation to sports and leisure, so enter the development of mountain car parts. At that time, the Xide Cold forging technology introduced by Xi Mano at that time achieved the micron -level accuracy control of the bicycle parts and was called "Intel in the bicycle industry". Human reputation and continuously expand the product protection of the product through patent protection.

According to incomplete statistics, the two transmission companies of Ximenano and Sugo have applied for 56,000 patents worldwide, and the number of patents in China also exceeded 2,400, which almost sealed the road of chase of the latecomers. At present, Campagnolo (referred to as CP), which is currently ranked third in the market, is also subject to this. "Many users vomit CP hand -changing for Europeans. Asians are not applicable. In fact, the patent problem is still the most humane structure and location of the hand. Foshan) Liu Weibing, general manager of Foshan), told China News Weekly.

The whole set of gear device seems simple, but it is very precise and complicated. A set of transmission usually includes six major parts, and each component contains multiple small parts. How to coordinate hundreds of parts is not only a problem of engineering system, but also involves the choice of materials and forging processes. The crisp and smooth sound heard when the gear shift is shifted involves the elastic proportion relationship of dozens of springs. "Imitation is not complicated. The key is how to avoid existing technology patents and develop products with independent intellectual property rights." Liu Weibing analyzed.

The premise of bypassing the patent is to understand the existing technical routes and then propose different product solutions, but the learning and breakthrough process seems to disassemble a black box. "Simply put, it is to constantly exclude the error scheme and propose a guess. The verification results. If it falls into the existing patent category, it fails, and it can only be pushed down." In 2014, they left foreign companies and started entrepreneurship. The company was invested in research and development in the first three years.

In 2017, Liu Weibing led the team to launch the first self -developed mountain bicycle transmission system, but encountered new problems. There were no overall brands in China. "Can your transmission bring a higher premium to the bicycle brand? Or can it be lower than the price of imitation products?" Liu Weibing was most often asked about these two questions at that time. Can only go to sea. After hundreds of years of development in the European and American bicycle sports market, the consumption psychology is relatively mature, and the dependence on big brands is low. Liu Weibing believes that the quality of the product itself can speak. This summer, the Suduida M610 set helped the Focarini team in the Italian E-MTB endurance competition to win the women's championship. With market verification results and new brand stories, Suduida returned to the domestic market in June this year.

"Laboratory products are not commodities. The stability of domestic transmission has not been verified by the market. Once used in batches, 100,000 or 200,000 bicycles are put into the market. In case of problems, the trial and error cost of car companies is huge." The person in charge of the vehicle brand told China News Weekly.

A saying in the cycling circle: The quality of a bicycle is determined by the level of Ximano. Once the Ximano transmission is used, the price of bicycles rises one or two levels immediately. Stimulated by the global epidemic and bicycle demand, Ximano has risen twice in recent years, about 10%each time.

Affected by the epidemic, Ximano had discontinued production in factories in the Philippines and Singapore, and the delivery period was uncertain. At present, a whole set of products are actually produced by factories in different countries. They are in batches. They have to wait for a long time to make up a set of transmission, which seriously squeeze the capital chain of the vehicle brand. Wang Chunqing admits that the factory period of customers and other factories is actually the intersection of key components. He laughed at himself that the bicycle brand seemed to be working for suppliers.

"The price increase of the transmission is not the result of the negotiation, but the supplier directly notified that no matter whether the B -end vehicle factory or the C -end user, no one wants to fall into such a passive situation." In 2014, in 2014, a well -known bicycle accessory accessories After the large factory closes the Chinese factory, a number of domestic transmission brands have emerged in China. Individual companies have adhered to today. With technology and production progress, the products are no longer just cost -effective "substitutes". Adopt some domestic replacement.

Compared with the competitive structure that is stable in the field of traditional mechanical transmission, some people in the industry proposed that in the field of electronics, almost at home and abroad, almost standing on the same running line, and maybe there is hope for curve overtaking. "The layout time is the same, and it does not mean the same." Liu Weibing said that Ximenano and the Speed ​​also saw the future of electronic changes. According to him, these two companies have paved more than half of the technical forces to electronic transmission to electronic transmission. In the research and development, there are about 40 new patents related to electrical transformers each year, and about 20 quicksons are about 20 new patents. It is not easy to surpass. The long journey of breakout

Before the establishment of the Seka brand, Liu Zhiquan was a senior Fitter (helping riders to evaluate the needs) to understand domestic users' demands for bicycle geometry. With the growth of domestic cycling groups, more and more Chinese people want to buy domestic bicycles with good exercise performance, geometric comfort, high face value, and high cost -effectiveness. This is also the starting point for SEKA to develop.

For a long time in the past, local bicycle brands are mainly commuters with high price -performance and low added value, and most of them are made of aluminum alloy. Although China's imported bicycles are less than one thousandth of the total exports, the unit price of imported mainstream bicycles is about 17 times the main type of exports. CITIC Securities Research pointed out that domestic bicycles assembled OEM/ODM manufacturers' output accounted for more than 60%of the world, but the profit was small and the gross profit margin was less than 15%. The average gross profit margin of traditional bicycle brands is close to 30%. The production capacity is concentrated in the low -end and low product profit margins, which is the pain point of China's bicycle industry.

In the domestic civilian market, high -end bicycles are still mainly imported. The European and American bicycle brands have long received the entry voucher for the 100 billion club. According to the customs data compiled by Zhiyan Consulting, China's imported models are mainly price -type bicycles, with an average price of more than 1,000 US dollars, and the export is mainly "unlimited bicycles" with relatively low prices. Ordinary bicycles for competitions, mountains, off -road.

Many overseas riders will find ways to get the "public model car" of domestic factories. Although there are no brands, no highlights, and no after -sales service, the advantage is that the cost -effectiveness is high. "Everyone knows that high -end bicycles abroad are also foundry in the mainland. The production process and technology are qualified. The quality of public model cars is not bad and cheap, but the factory thinking just limits domestic companies to create their own brand." Liu Zhiquan analyzed that the factory has drawings with drawings. The production line, just production, regardless of the market, does not understand the needs of domestic consumers. Bicycles designed by Europe and Americans are not suitable for Asian cycling.

Alex also recognizes this, but high -end brands have their own solutions -provide Bike Fitting services. That is, after a series of data assessment, according to the rider's physical condition and demands for cycling, such as comfort, stepping frequency, etc., help the riders find the most suitable cycling posture and vehicle settings. Positive angle.

However, the carbon fiber material competitive bicycle used by the bicycle national team has been purchased from overseas for a long time, and the price is expensive. It is also necessary to line up. It is difficult for domestic athletes to use top -level equipment as soon as possible. In 2009, Shandong Taishan Sports, which has become the biggest equipment supplier of the Beijing Olympic Games, was invited to take over the R & D of Athletic Bicycles and established Ruibao in the second year.

Ruibao's research and development path starts from competitive sports bicycles, and then technical dimension is reduced to civilian markets. Huang Haiqing, Minister of R & D Minister of Ruibao R & D Department, said that the pursuit of speed and safety of the competition is reflected in the dynamic balance of elements such as quality, rigidity, and strength on bicycles. Get advantage in second competition.

Of course, considering that daily cycling is different from the competition, in order to improve the comfort of cycling and reduce the risk of secondary damage to the high -strength movement, a series of parameters have been adjusted before the promotion of civilian bicycles.

The most significant advantage of high -end bicycles is "light", which is shaped by carbon fiber materials and its special stacking process. More than ten years ago, it was difficult for mainland China to find a mature carbon fiber bicycle production line. The three major brands of domestic bicycles, Phoenix, Flying Pigeon, and permanently being thrown back in this wave of sports cycling, which dates back to around the 1990s. At that time, domestic commuting bicycles had tended to be saturated. In the mid -to -high -end market, many post -90s first mountain cars come from these two brands.

By 2016 Liu Zhiquan's business, the regional characteristics of the domestic bicycle industry gathering place have basically formed. In the concentrated areas of the three major industries, factories that undertake tens of millions of vehicles are mainly concentrated in Tianjin and the Yangtze River Delta region. The main production of aluminum alloy bicycles is mainly exported, while factories that can produce mid -to -high -end carbon fiber bicycles are Mainly gathered in the Pearl River Delta region. "Moderate production capacity of the factory and more suitable for startups, because there is experience in high -end sports bicycles of foundry, which can save communication costs." Liu Zhiquan recalled that at the beginning of 2016, he visited more than a dozen companies from north to south, and finally chose to choose A factory in the Pearl River Delta.

It took nearly three years since the establishment of SEKA to launching the first bicycle, and Ruibao took 7 years to move towards the civilian market. "R & D Sports Bicycles is a labor -oriented job." The person in charge of the above -mentioned vehicle brand said that the market share of sports bicycles is not large. This is why the old domestic brand has no motivation to do this market. In order to satisfy the performance of sports and competition with international big names, the cost of R & D investment is very high. After the actual production is put into production, it is subject to high core component costs, and the gross profit margin is not high. "A few years ago, it has continued to lose money." Wang Chunqing, general manager of Shandong Taishan Ruibao Composite Material Co., Ltd., recalled that for "making money to support their families", for stabilizing production technology, the Ruibao Factory has been connected to carbon fiber bicycle foundry orders from 2013 Essence Initially, it can only be connected to OEM business, that is, to complete production according to the brand's drawings, accumulate certain experience and technology, upgrade ODM business, according to the needs of the brand, the factory produces a design plan and completes production. At present, Ruibao's own brand has occupied half of the company's revenue.

The changes in the sports bicycle market depends on the base of the cycling crowd. "In all sports choices, riding in China is still a niche movement. The TV broadcast of the Lianyuan event in the early years cannot be seen." Liu Zhiquan said, but he also mentioned that the current wave of cycling is hot. Increased, riding culture will also be popularized. After all, the strong overseas riding atmosphere is also the result of decades of precipitation.

An article reposted by the State General Administration of Sports in 2018 shows that the proportion of French and British bicycles in the total population of 47%and 13%, respectively, and the proportion of sports bicycles sales accounted for 55%and 62%of total sales, respectively. The proportion of China is 0.4%and 6%, respectively.

IResearch data shows that the size of the Chinese bicycle market in 2021 was 194.07 billion yuan, and it is expected that the bicycle market size will exceed 200 billion yuan in 2022. The mass travel methods that have changed due to the epidemic and the influence of the national "dual carbon" policy, the trend of recovering the Chinese bicycle market in the future is obvious, and the market size will be expanded. It is expected to reach 265.67 billion yuan in 2027.

"The upward trend of the overall development of the market is undoubtedly conducive to the rise of domestic brands, but no matter what kind of development path and market positioning, the brand is destined to be formed a day." Wang Chunqing said that for the growth of domestic brands, consumers and enterprises themselves themselves themselves More patient.

(Editor in charge: Chang Shuai Shuai)

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