Taipei Cycle Show 2017: The good, the bad and the ugly - Warren Rossiter/Immediate media
This Girovita C1 city bike hits the mark when it comes to classic styling and modern (belt drive) simplicity - Warren Rossiter/Immediate Media
Clean lines, chrome and leather, and a matt finish frame all hit the high-watermark when it comes to style - Warren Rossiter/Immediate Media
De Rosa's awesome Pininfarina styled Super King SK is always worth a picture - Warren Rossiter/Immediate Media
Apro's disc e-road shows that the company can do a more understated finish - Warren Rossiter/Immediate Media
Yasijuro by Tange just produces some of the finest finished steel bikes... - Warren Rossiter/Immediate Media
The work and style in this monostay back end is wonderful... - Warren Rossiter/Immediate Media
as is the engraved 'Notcher' name - Warren Rossiter/Immediate Media
Beautiful welds and flawless paint mark out the Yasijuro Notcher - Warren Rossiter/Immediate Media
Even unpainted Yasijuros look awesome, and this one that shows the weld work also has a cool name - the Nudity road - Warren Rossiter/Immediate Media
Speed-One's city belt drive with the clean high-polish frame looks makes this urban machine anything but boring - Warren Rossiter/Immediate Media
Ideation industrial's kid's road bike with 20 inch wheels, so you can start 'em really young - Warren Rossiter/Immediate Media
Bianchi's Oltre XR4 carries off the bold well, even with the even bolder Zipp 404s - Warren Rossiter/Immediate Media
Cipollini's bikes can be loud, but we loved this more understated finish (even with the fluro graphics) - Warren Rossiter/Immediate Media
What sets this apart is that the carbon chassis is also available in a fully custom option - Warren Rossiter/Immediate Media
Riders of a certain age will have lusted after the Haro Master Freestyler, so its great to see it back... - Warren Rossiter/Immediate Media
And we like the chromed back end for the full-on eighties look - Warren Rossiter/Immediate Media
Stand has been making torque wrenches for more than fifty years. It also has this neat spider-based powermeter for Rotor 3D cranks that sells for $650, which is pretty cheap by current power meter prices - Warren Rossiter/Immediate Media
We're not fans of Pacific's mini-wheeled folder, but this single sided front and rear folder looks suitably futuristic - Warren Rossiter/Immediate Media
Another one for old school BMXers out there, Kuahara's 24" wheeled Survivor gets retro right - Warren Rossiter/Immediate Media
Not many bikes could get away with a white HED disc and Trispoke, but Japan's BOMA pista just about manages it - Warren Rossiter/Immediate Media
Another rarely seen Japanese manufacturer, Muller, had this rather special British style roadster that seriously impressed us - Warren Rossiter/Immediate Media
As did this stainless steel race machine - Warren Rossiter/Immediate Media
Some of the tube shapings Muller uses are pretty, and pretty impressive, like this spiral surfaced top tube - Warren Rossiter/Immediate Media
Wilier's Cento10 Air is one of our favorites in the current crop of aero road, and this superbike specced one with Lightweights looks the business - Warren Rossiter/Immediate Media
We thought we were over monochrome carbon road bikes, but Lapierre's Sensium disc that mixes anthracite with a bit of black and red highlights is a stunner - Warren Rossiter/Immediate Media
Kask's sister glasses brand KOO offers perfect colour coordination between glasses and lid... - Warren Rossiter/Immediate Media
We particularly liked the all-green match - Warren Rossiter/Immediate Media
Valen offers custom finishes for corporate clients, hence you get this floral inspired urban bike which just looks right - Warren Rossiter/Immediate Media
Limar's superlight 007 aero lid looks great in Dimension Data livery... - Warren Rossiter/Immediate Media
And you can add an integrated visor for the ultimate in aero - Warren Rossiter/Immediate Media
MHL gets the classic city cruiser thing, too... - Warren Rossiter/Immediate Media
Its high-grade luggage is an ideal match - Warren Rossiter/Immediate Media
The Coast Buzzraw certainly divides opinion, but this one accessorised and equipped with the powerful 1000w assistance looks like the e-bike Mad Max would ride - Warren Rossiter/Immediate Media
FLR's road shoe comes in this great dazzle camo finish - Warren Rossiter/Immediate Media
Selle Bassono's top line saddle features a carbon base and rails and this wonderfully antiqued finish olive gree leather cover, and its damn light at just 139g - Warren Rossiter/Immediate Media
Japanese tyre manufacturer IRC's Formula Pro tubeless road tyres use a compound that contains Rice Bran, which it claims aids grip in adverse conditions. We just think it'd be cool having rice in our tyres - Warren Rossiter/Immediate Media
Gios's patriotic Vintage is a proper crowd pleaser - Warren Rossiter/Immediate Media
THM's Tibia stem mates understated simple finish with an outwardly simple design... - Warren Rossiter/Immediate Media
But the carbon construction, and sheer quality... - Warren Rossiter/Immediate Media
not to mention the franky astonishing 78g weight (for a 100mm) makes it one seriously desirable bit of kit - Warren Rossiter/Immediate Media
This Casati Vision looks like a beautiful steel machine from afar... - Warren Rossiter/Immediate Media
But up close when you see the hand-filigree work applied to the Campagnolo Athena groupset... - Warren Rossiter/Immediate Media
do you realise this bike is as much art as it is bicycle... - Warren Rossiter/Immediate Media
to the point of would you ride it or hang it on a wall? - Warren Rossiter/Immediate Media
BREV's range topping e-bike the TR81 looks e-mountain but it's more aimed at urban use with the occasional off-road jaunt, and we like the moto inspired design - Warren Rossiter/Immediate Media
Whilst we can appreciate the concept of this prototype folder, with the designer aiming to create a bike that folds up within a 21" square space with none of the oily bits or sharp bits exposed for easy carrying, we can't help but think the sheer complexity of the design is gonna hold some issues when it comes to production, never mind actually using day-to-day... - Warren Rossiter/Immediate Media
Just the double-chain drive alone gives us set-up and maintenance chills - Warren Rossiter/Immediate Media
MCC's Electro FBB. It's like the designer had all the ideas, all at once - fat bike- check, folding bike - check, e-bike - check - Warren Rossiter/Immediate Media
Under the folding main beam is an e-motor driving the BB - Warren Rossiter/Immediate Media
The chunky display looks tidy, but isn't it going to get in the way when folding it? - Warren Rossiter/Immediate Media
When e-assist mountain bikes go wrong… long, long back end mated to a steep tall front, and lets not even get into fluro orange and neon green for the paint scheme - Warren Rossiter/Immediate Media
Amoeba's disc pad designer cares about cooling fins, and we mean really, really cares - Warren Rossiter/Immediate Media
More braking bad. This not exactly aesthetic bit of engineering is an anti-lock system for your front brake - Warren Rossiter/Immediate Media
Fat bike in monochrome, Pinion gear box. Well, that works, but we're just not convinced by the old-school Scott e-stay style back end - Warren Rossiter/Immediate Media
Ever had one of those days when you can decide between riding your road bike or hybrid? - Warren Rossiter/Immediate Media
Well, with this natty solution you can do both. Really, you can. Go on, you know you want to - Warren Rossiter/Immediate Media
I'm not sure if it’s the adult sized scooter I object to, or the 80's style mag wheels, the sheer unecessary-ness of the disc brakes, or the circa 1983 Atari styled font - Warren Rossiter/Immediate Media
Pacific's long serving micro-wheeled folder is something I've never really seen the point of though it keeps producing them so they must sell to someone - Warren Rossiter/Immediate Media
Apparently this madness has Italian DNA - Warren Rossiter/Immediate Media
No, just no - Warren Rossiter/Immediate Media
This is like the fever dream drawings of someone who once saw a Moulton Speed, speeding by, in the fog - Warren Rossiter/Immediate Media
Plus sized e-mountain bike but that head angle makes it look like it's already run into a wall - Warren Rossiter/Immediate Media
SE Racing's OM Duro, like a classic BMX, only massive, and I mean massive… - Warren Rossiter/Immediate Media
I drift between liking and not liking Carrera's Phibra - Warren Rossiter/Immediate Media
Carrera's aero road machine is some parts BMC, some parts Look, so far so good... - Warren Rossiter/Immediate Media
But the lurid purple paint just seems to emphasise the gappy shut lines in the complex cockpit arrangement - Warren Rossiter/Immediate Media
I thought we were over filling frames with anocryms about every feature, but at least they're all on the top tube so you've got something to read whilst you ride - Warren Rossiter/Immediate Media
Messrs Richards, Cool, and Bontrager does this appeal? - Warren Rossiter/Immediate Media
Superlong, big sized low rider in predominantly black you can get away with just about... - Warren Rossiter/Immediate Media
Move to fluro pink and maybe not so much - Warren Rossiter/Immediate Media
This low rider perfectly shows how much is too much when it comes to chrome - Warren Rossiter/Immediate Media
Now green anodising I like, but add in animal print and it all goes a bit Tight Fit in the jungle - Warren Rossiter/Immediate Media
CKT seems to be the ultimate purveyor of VERY SHOUTY GRAPHICS. Underneath we reckon there's probably a thoroughly decent bike - Warren Rossiter/Immediate Media
Most of BESV's range of e-bikes hits a pretty stylish marque, but this one's combination of Y-frame and cheap bits just misses the markv - Warren Rossiter/Immediate Media
Just what the world needs, an e-BMX - Warren Rossiter/Immediate Media
Hiding your e-assist within the frame is all well and good, but making the down tube so, so massive as a result? Not so much - Warren Rossiter/Immediate Media
This is the Candir 'Classic sport moto bike fashion' - would you let your kid ride it? - Warren Rossiter/Immediate Media
Someone needs to stop step-walk bikes now - Warren Rossiter/Immediate Media
This full-sus rig has the most-apt-name-ever, the Optimist - Warren Rossiter/Immediate Media
I just threw up a little in my mouth - Warren Rossiter/Immediate Media
Manga inspired wear belongs at comic conventions - Warren Rossiter/Immediate Media
CKT's Grade aero e-road bike is somewhat compromised by the battery taking up all available bottle space - Warren Rossiter/Immediate Media
WTF - Warren Rossiter/Immediate Media
Taipei’s bike show is at its most interesting when it’s at its most weird, niche or out-there. The annual event showcases just how varied bikes can be with some truly interesting concepts on show. It’s here that you get to see what happens when designers and engineers are unfettered by the rational. Some of it is good, some of it is bad, and some of it is downright ugly. Take a look at the gallery above to get your fix.
Warren is our senior technical editor for road and gravel. With 27 years of experience, he’s been testing bikes since before BikeRadar and the internet existed!
With an encyclopedic knowledge of bikes and what some would consider an excessive bike collection, Warren has been the mastermind behind our road Bike of the Year tests for over a decade. He has penned more than 2,750 bike tests.
His words have been published in Cycling Plus, Bikeradar, Mountain Biking UK, What Mountain Bike, Urban Cyclist, Procycling, Cycling News, Total Bike, Total Mountain Bike, T3 and a whole host of other publications. You’ll also find Warren as a regular on the BikeRadar Podcast and our YouTube channel.
He’s covered all the 21st-century innovations in cycling and ridden in Europe, Asia, Australasia, America and Africa. He’s been a judge for the Eurobike awards and judged handmade bikes at Bespoked.
Height: 6’2”/188cm
Bike size:58cm/L/XL
This website is owned and published by Our Media Ltd. www.ourmedia.co.uk
