Where is My Electric Bike Made?

Have you ever wondered where your ebike is made? Maybe you’ve been told that all ebikes are made in China and you want this article to confirm or deny that? Maybe you’re looking for an all American made ebike? Well, let’s dispel some myths with this article and try and set the record straight on a few things.

This statement is entirely untrue. But it comes from the idea that a LOT of the parts for bikes do come from China and a LOT of them are entirely made in China. Some of the most necessary parts to make an ebike like the motor, battery, controllers, and display screens are made in China. So no matter where your ebike is assembled, it is hard to avoid some of the parts coming from China. Some of the largest brands in Europe and North America rely on a steady stream of parts that are manufactured in China. There are also a significant number of manufacturers and parts suppliers in Taiwan,and while some people like to lump Taiwan in with China, they are different countries and operate business differently as well. There are many companies in both countries that create great products.

Brands that are manufactured entirely in China:

• Ariel Rider

• Himiway

• Lectric XP

Brands manufactured entirely in Taiwan:

• Rad Power Bikes

• DOST

This is a bad stigma and it is not a statement that is relevant to the times. There are a number of parts and bike manufacturers in China that create excellent products with long-standing reliability that should be trusted and sought out by consumers in North America and Europe. Here’s just a few examples of those products:

Bafang is one of the largest electric motor manufacturers in the world and if you’ve been out testing a number of ebikes or are using micro mobility ride sharing in your city, chances are you’ve ridden a Bafang engine. Bafang engines have completed long range tests with motors lasting more than 10 years of service and are used in a number of successful ebike brands like Rad Power Bikes, Dost, and Frey as well as large bike and scooter sharing companies like Spin (owned by Ford) and Lime Bike. Bafang is here to stay and they make great engines.

Kingmeter is one of the leading manufacturers of LED and LCD displays for ebikes. While they seem like simple displays, these are actually complicated communication protocols between the bike engine, controller and the rider and having these work with precision is important to the functioning of your ebike. Kingmeter has some of the most attractive display units on the market including the “Just One” which is an integrated handlebar and display.

Juiced bikes are great products and the majority of their manufacturing is done in China. Juiced bikes have won several awards and stand as examples of what a great ebike should be with a high-value product offering for consumers.

There’s a difference between manufactured and assembled and companies don’t always use these terms the same. Some just use the term “made in….” which is also used interchangeably. Manufactured usually would mean that the product is entirely made in that country whereas assembled would mean either full or partial assembly of finished parts. As an example our company, Lyric Cycles, is assembled in Canada. Lyric brings in many of our parts from Taiwan and China with some parts from the USA and Canada. Our factory assembles all these parts and tests them before we package and send out to our customers. This model for manufacturing is followed by many large brands like Santa Cruz, Trek, and Specialized. For some companies this can mean as little as opening the box and adding the grips to the handlebars and this can still qualify as “assembled” in that country, but most do the majority of the assembly in the country that they state it happens in.

Where your bike is made may not be as important as you think. There are good factories and bad factories all over the world so painting any one country with a broad brush isn’t a sound strategy. Get to know the different parts that make up a bike and understand which are the reputable suppliers. Bikes are usually a sum of the parts, and if you spend enough time scanning the spec sheets of different bikes you'll know what I mean. These parts come from all over the world, and that a good thing. Have an open mind, get to learn a bit about the company you’re trying to buy from, and chances are, you’ll be getting a great product whether it comes from the USA, Canada, Germany, China or Taiwan.