Taiwan – a country that is often referred to as the 'Silicon Valley' of High Tech bicycle building. Indeed, many of the highest quality bicycle components are made on the Asian island. The first STEVENS Bikes were assembled there as well. In the meantime, this has reversed somewhat: STEVENS Bikes are mostly made in two German assembly plants and have been sold to bicycle enthusiasts and vendors for some years now.

Cycling is booming in Taiwan. It is a new popular sport and shows a new awareness among the local population. The most developed country next to Japan, 'Formosa' doesn't play such a large role in major sports, but it sets the pace for recreational sports. During weekends, whole pelotons of hobby cyclists can be seen riding the most scenic routes on the coast or in the highlands.

The sale of modern racing bikes, predominantly of European brands, has grown steadily during the last five years. Hank Liu, 34, runs a wholesale business with several brands and has been an importer of STEVENS since 2009.

On this year's Taipei Sport Show he introduced STEVENS Racebikes 2011 programme with his company, Rui Jin Sports. His new booth immediately caught the eyes of visitors: Action shots and STEVENS technical details as background themes, production bicycles, custom-made bikes and racing frame kits adorned the booth with its bright and practical appearance.

Hank's conclusion after four days of the fair: “The interest in racing bikes is enormous. Especially the new STEVENS models, particularly the design award-winning Ventoux, but also the extravagant SLR or the light SLC carbon frame caught on with the audience. We have decided to add the Stelvio and Aspin models to our programme. They are very popular models for beginners in bike racing in Taiwan at the moment. We also get optimal coverage from tests in magazines.”