Electric bicycles in China are usually divided into two classes: sidewalk-type electric bicycles (CEEB) and bike-type electric bicycles (BBEB). The main distinction between these two is their designs. For this article I am focusing on the rise of the BBEB Chinese brands of electric bikes. The bicycle industry in China has been an important part of the country’s manufacturing sector since at least the early 17th century. Today, China is the world’s largest national producer and consumer of bicycles. The industry is a major contributor to China’s economic development.
Early Days of Chinese Electric Bike Exports
A few years back in the early days of electric bikes with lithium-ion batteries I was a buyer in a major chain of cycle shops. I had been tasked with finding a couple of models we could trial to see if the electric bike market was something we wanted to enter. Before this time the type of electric bikes we had seen were unwieldy things with huge batteries. I reached out to some manufacturers and third-party sellers and soon I was test riding a couple of bikes a day. Some designs looked like they were trying too hard to be a futuristic bike, some still felt like you are riding a lump of lead. It was tough to find an electric bike that would ride well, did not feel odd to ride and didn’t cost the world. This was before I even took the bikes to our testing lab for our quality control team would take a look.
It was a tough time for anyone looking to sell a decent electric bike that would last for the customer and would not be a health and safety nightmare. This was the early days of Chinese electric bikes made for outside of China. For years the Chinese electric bike market was buzzing with all sorts of electric vehicles with low entry to market. Safety was far from the top priority for these domestic Chinese brands and in those early days safety and quality was not top of mind when they sent me those early models either.
Chinese Electric Bikes are now safer and more sensible
But fast forward nearly 15 years and a lot has changed in the budget electric bike market. Just as you can now buy a good budget Chinese mobile phone that will last, you can also buy some pretty decent Chinese branded electric bikes. The market for the low-quality rubbish has gone and has been replaced with a good set of options for those willing to pay out between $700 – $1500 for a decent commuter electric bike, that you can ride and be proud of. This market is not for the super fit, cycle market but for those who want to exercise and commute to work, but do not want to turn up to work dying of exhaustion.
The rise of Chinese Electric Bike Brands:
