Taiwan bicycle makers in limbo over tariff threat

Weeks after Donald Trump's global tariff bombshell, Jeff Chen's factory in Taiwan is as busy as ever turning out carbon and alloy wheels for high-end bicycles bound for US and European markets.

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But he wonders how much longer it will last. The US president's initial 32 per cent tariff on Taiwan stunned the island's bicycle manufacturers, who were racing to meet orders ahead of the northern summer before the new toll was announced. Some US customers immediately cancelled or postponed shipments, only to reverse their decision when the hefty tariffs on Taiwan and many of America's trading partners were paused for 90 days. With a global IO per cent levy still in place and no clarity on what happens once the three months are up, Taiwanese bicycle companies and US buyers are in limbo.

"They don't know what to do. There's no time to respond," said Chen, general manager of Joy Group, which makes wheels and hubs in Taichung. Joy Group, founded by Chen's grandfather in 1971, is one of more than 900 companies assembling bicycles or making components, including wheels, pedals and frames, mostly in central Taiwan, the island's manufacturing heartland.