There are 4 major bicycle manufacturers in the world. They are Trek, Specialized, Cannondale and Giant. These 4 make up the mass distribution of the bicycle industry the way Ford, Chevy, Toyota and Honda rule the auto market.
Giant Bicycles is a Taiwanese company whose roots in cycling are found in every corner of the globe. Before Giant was an independent brand, it was the main source factory for not only the other big 3 names, but several others as well. And where as the other 3 companies have strong back-grounds in the USA market, none can match Giant’s world wide presence and experience.
Giant makes bicycles in almost every medium: steel, aluminum and carbon fiber. While Giant represents a lot of bikes for a lot of people, we have honed in on a few that we find particularly interesting. We have selected models for racing (road, crit and TT), training, commuting, mountain biking and even electric hybrid.
Of note is Giant’s ability to produce bicycles out of carbon fiber. And since carbon is without question the most advancing medium in the high-end bicycle market, it is worth noting what Giant does here that is different.
Did you know that there are only three bicycle manufacturers in the world who produce and weave their own carbon fiber? Only Giant, Time (of France whose niche boutique bikes are also available at our store) and Serotta control their carbon fiber process 100% from start to finish. They start with spools of raw carbon yarn and weave every sheet of cloth or tube they use.
This is a big deal in structural engineering because this allows Giant to get exactly the type of weave they want, where as others must buy the weaves that are available, Giant does not have to settle.
If you are interested in a little hidden insider info about carbon fiber and how it relates to the cycling industry, here are some fun notes spanning the last few years…
Circa 2006, much of the cycling industry starting using a 12K weave cloth. “12K” can be easily seen by the eye as it resembles a large checker board print. Prior, almost everything had been 3K, which visibly has a much tighter checker pattern – it’s a much finer weave. Beyond the marketing hype, there was a reason for this industry wide transition; it was the availability from the carbon factories.
Toray of Japan, the world’s largest global supplier of carbon fiber was getting choked by Boeing and Airbus. Suddenly the availability and prices of carbon sky-rocketed and distributors starting selling off whatever they had on the shelves at double market value. This was particularly hard on the cycling industry. Boeing, for example, was taking up more carbon for one wing spar than the top 4 cycling brands would use in all of their bikes combined. If you’ve been following, you will recall the spike in prices, particularly at the smaller custom builder level.
The 3K weave we were used to seeing was popular because of its properties, ease of use and its finished look. – followed by the 5K pattern (which really never showed up much anywhere). Another weave called “12K” was not so scarce. Distributors had it on the shelves and it was never a big seller. So when the 3K dissolved, they were left sitting on rolls of 12K.
While 12K was fine, it was not as easy to work with and cosmetically had not really been tested in the marketplace. At first, there was fear of consumer resistance due to the distinct visual difference of the 12K cloth. A couple of years and some marketing hype and spin later, and people don’t seem to mind the visual.
The point behind all this? Simply that accepting and using 12K carbon weave was initially a compromise. Prices moved up a bit as it required more finish re-works, sometimes paint to hide visual blemishes and a high level of QA on the assembly line. And despite all that fuss, Giant – because of their own internal controls and ability to weave their own carbon, managed to steer clear of the storm. Today, they use a blend of weaves and strengths tailored exactly to the spec they want, without compromise of any distributor’s pre-fabricated materials availability. It’s probably more a fact than an opinion that Giant has the world’s most advanced carbon fiber research, engineering and manufacturing.
But Giant’s forward thinking is not limited to choice of materials. Giant was also the first brand to introduce and go the top of UCI racing points on compact geometry which is now the mainstay of their product and ubiquitous throughout the industry. At the turn of the millennium, the idea of a Taiwanese built, stock frame in compact geometry road bike showing up in the pro peloton was unheard of. At that time, everything was custom. Today, Giant continues to dominate as one of the most winning bicycles in the field. Right out of the box.
Have a look at our collection of Giant bikes. Whether it’s your first commuter or the dream race bike you’ve been saving for – we have an excellent selection for you.
