The whole Taiwanese industry competes each year to reach the Gold and
Silver National Awards of Excellence. This year, nine bicycle products
were chosen at the 9th Annual Awards of Excellence. Giant, Merida and
Taiwan Hodaka were each awarded this honor. The awards shows how important
the bicycle industry is to this Asian country and what and important source
of richness and creativity it has.
These are the awarded products:
GIANT:MR4 Compact Folding Road Bike
All in one: Road bike, foldable, suspended.... A try to make the classic racing
bicycle a little more friendly than usually. When folded, it just takes 30x60x70
cm (11.8x23.6x27.5 in), it can be assembled without tools, and its weight is
just 10.5 kg (23.17 lbs). It mounts 24" wheels and features a four linkage
rear suspension for very plush rides.
LAFREE (GIANT): Think Electric Folding Bike
"The Total mobility solution". That is how Lafree describes this
product. Lightweight, foldable and electrical: maybe the solution for the daily
traffic jam. If there were more bikes like this, maybe gasoline were cheaper.
Merida: Metropolis & Maglight 909
The metropolis is a bicycle that joins beauty and convenience. Its suspension
frame, three strut "aero" wheels, hidden rear derailleur and single
arm. The frame is made from magnesium; light, comfortable and safe. And all
this can be turned into a very little package thanks to the symmetrical placement
of both wheels when folded.
The Maglight 909’s frame is also made of magnesium alloy, weighing only 7.5
kg (16.5 lbs). But being a light road bike doesn’t mean that it is not comfortable.
Its monocoque frame allows an outstanding shock absorption, even when it is
also really stiff. And magnesium is too and environmentally friendly.
Taiwan Hodaka (Fastrak): RSC Lite & F4 S C
The RSC Lite is a road bike with a Scandium SC 7000 aluminum alloy frame
and a impressive set of components, Dura Ace. The weight, just 7.6 kg
(16.7 lbs), and it has the feeling when ridden as being one the best racing
machines.
The F4 SC is also made of SC 7000 aluminum, and ads an advanced rear
suspension system and a Rock Shox SID fork for increased performance
in all type of terrain without paying the toll of energy losing or increased
weight. Its Sram componentry follows the same philosophy.
Dahon: Presto
The Presto weights only 7.9 kg (17.4lbs) due to its radial butted Omega
aluminum frame that features the I-Beam technology which allows it to
be easily folded. The amazing weight is achieved by optimizing every little
piece of this bicycle, from its carbon fiber seat post to the aluminum
spoke nipples through kevlar brake cables or SRAM composite brake levers.

Falcon: Trigger Shift Lever & VS Hidden Rear Derailleur
The Trigger Shift lever features a liner wire pull mechanism that allows a
lighter action and increased precision, while the gear display makes unnecessary
looking the sprockets while riding. It is designed the way it is really
ergonomic and can be mounted combined with any brake lever in the market.
The VS hidden rear derailleur features a direct cable routing and inverse parallelogram
displacement that results in a light operation and an outstanding precision.
By placing the spring out of the main body, the system becomes smaller
and hides under the chainstay. Its nice carcass protects and makes it
good looking.
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