Cycle Chris subsidiary Joyland creates e-bike frames that can accept various motors, reducing mould costs and development time.
Cycle Chris was established in Taiwan in 2001 and went on to set up an office in China in 2006. Although the company focused on ODM bike frames and forks, product development covered TPU tape/patch production, helmets, and bags and incorporated a gamut of manufacturing techniques including injection mold, CNC, die casting, and carbon fiber processing. “In view of the rise of the e-bike market, we registered and established Joyland Sports Technology Co., Ltd. in Kunshan in 2013,” said Joyland President, Charles Chiao in a recent interview with SHOW DAILY. “It is focused on the design and R&D of e-bikes, including assisting qualified factories to serve as OEM production bases,” he added.
Lower mould costs, higher production speed
An important part of e-bike frame manufacturing is being able to accommodate different motor types as there are more entering the market every year, Chiao went on to explain. “Once a frame mould is developed, it cannot be modified to accommodate motors of different sizes or angles. So, what happens if you need to change the motor for the same frame geometry? By simply replacing the connecting piece next to the motor bracket, over 90% of motor replacement issues can be resolved,” he said. “This approach helps customers save on mould costs, accelerates production speed, and allows them to freely choose motors with different power levels, specifications, and prices. It also enhances product competitiveness.”
A recent E-MTB project that incorporates a 4-bar linkage had relatively high frame development costs and a complex design. Joyland designed this frame from the get-go to allow customers to choose different motors and can accommodate Bosch, Shimano, as well as Bafang, OLI, and other Chinese motor brands.
From gravel to cargo bikes
Joyland works with a partner factory that employs more than 200 staff and has an area of 40,000 square meters. The facility is complete with CNC machining, a painting line, and an assembly workshop, which has produced frames for a number of international brands. “Currently, the monthly production capacity of frames is 30,000 to 32,000 pieces,” said Chiao. “We design new frame styles for world-renowned international brands in all categories, from gravel to cargo bikes and even e-cargo folding, e-tricycle and e-tandem bikes.”
The e-bikes comply with the EN 15194 standard and have more than 40 certifications from SGS and TUV. They are currently exported to over 20 countries, including the United States, Europe, and Australia, with annual sales of e-bikes reaching 300,000 units. To address the issue of European anti-dumping duties, customers can choose to assemble the bikes in Taiwan or Europe. “We have qualified partners in these countries. We can provide official certificates of origin, allowing our customers to confidently entrust their projects to us,” he said. A recent milestone was the establishment of the Joyland integrated E-Bike assembly line in China, Taiwan & Poland in 2018.