Shanghai's time-honored brand has finally waited for this day, and Cityride has become a popular product | Bicycle | Shanghai
This year, following Citywalk, Cityride has also gained popularity. On Xiaohongshu, the topic of "Urban Cycling Plan" has 630 million views, far exceeding Citywalk; According to data from the e-commerce platform Pinduoduo, compared to the same period last year, the sales of complete vehicles such as mountain bikes, road bikes, and folding bikes have increased by 56%, with road bikes showing the fastest growth, with a growth rate of over 180%.
Cityride is booming, and bicycles, as a traditional means of transportation, have become a fashion icon for young people. Emerging brands are rapidly rising, and Shanghai national brands such as Phoenix and Everlasting are also taking advantage of this trend.
Seeking opportunities in danger
As a local Chinese time-honored brand with an 83 year history in Shanghai, when did Permanent Bicycle realize that "wolves have come"?
Perhaps it is because the demand for bicycles as a means of transportation has been decreasing year by year, or perhaps it is due to the sudden outbreak of the pandemic three years ago, or perhaps shared bicycles have divided up a considerable market share... Zhang Yanhe, the deputy general manager of Shanghai Permanent Bicycle Co., Ltd., himself is unaware.
"The reasons behind the lack of interest in products may be diverse. After 83 years of ups and downs, they have permanently gone through too many tests." Zhang Yanhe said that crises have given companies the ability to resist risks and develop in the long run, finding certainty in uncertain environments.
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Xu Li, the brand director of Phoenix Bicycle, described Phoenix's transformation in the past decade as "rebirth from nirvana". Shanghai Phoenix Bicycle, which used to be the number one brand in the country, has also experienced years of decline. "The challenge is to transform the inherent image of commuting bicycles in the last century."
Until this year, outdoor sports have become popular, and cycling has become the next "new favorite" for young people after camping and frisbee. According to data from the China Cycling Association, as of 2022, more than 100 million people in China regularly ride bicycles, with nearly ten million people participating in cycling.
The time-honored brands finally stood guard until the clouds opened and the moon shone. However, both Everlasting and Phoenix started with commuting cars, but now young people love trendy products such as mountain bikes and road bikes. Can time-honored brands hold onto the market?
The opportunity has come
Opportunities are always reserved for those who are prepared. In Zhang Yanhe's view, although international high-end bicycle brands have entered the Chinese market one after another, product prices are often high, becoming a threshold for many consumers to enter. "From the current market demand, high cost-effective products have great potential."
E-commerce data also shows that the "post-85s" are the main force of cycling consumption, while the "post-95s" have the fastest increase in order growth, with higher unit price and purchase frequency than other groups. However, young people's shopping habits are different. They value appearance and are used to searching and reading Xiaohongshu and Tiktok first, and then comparing prices and placing orders on major e-commerce platforms.
![Shanghai's time-honored brand has finally waited for this day, and Cityride has become a popular product | Bicycle | Shanghai](https://a5qu.com/upload/images/d437448a4612e0914a8da618688f9750.jpg)
So, time-honored brands are also constantly upgrading their products and changing their packaging designs. Phoenix launched the sub brand of "Phoenix", focusing on sports vehicles, such as mountain cars, road cars and other products, and opened small red book and Tiktok accounts to change the inherent impression of young people on Phoenix bicycles.
The sports car model launched by Phoenix
On the other hand, the sales model of bicycles, which mainly focuses on franchise stores, also needs to be upgraded. Phoenix and Everlasting have launched product lines and specialty stores in various e-commerce channels. Merchants assemble major components such as tires and car bodies in advance through pre installation and other means, and reinforce them with wooden boards during logistics. After receiving the car, the merchant will also provide comprehensive after-sales service, with video guidance for consumers to install small components such as foot pedals and car seats. Even if installation is difficult, consumers can still go to offline stores to enjoy the service, achieving "the same online and offline".
E-commerce platforms provide two-way assistance to cyclists and bicycle brands. Whether it's Taobao, JD.com, or Pinduoduo, each platform has its own unique audience target. "For example, on Pinduoduo, the product has a relatively high cost performance ratio, which can meet the consumer needs of the public and attract a large number of consumers' attention. At the same time, it also provides us with better sales channels and market promotion opportunities," said Zhang Yanhe.
On the permanent bicycle official website, you can directly reach various platform online stores
Xu Li said, "When selling bicycles online, you need to have a 'best-selling mindset', which means high-quality, affordable, and trendy appearance. In addition, you need to consider more for users, with convenient after-sales service, easy to buy and use, less maintenance, and less after-sales service."
![Shanghai's time-honored brand has finally waited for this day, and Cityride has become a popular product | Bicycle | Shanghai](https://a5qu.com/upload/images/beebb8f47cbad1cbdf0d1da8fc199744.jpg)
Data shows that last year, on the Pinduoduo platform alone, the total sales of permanent bicycles reached 430 million yuan, the total sales of Phoenix bicycles exceeded 300 million, and the highest sales of popular models reached 42000 units.
Sail out to sea
In addition to the domestic market, electric assisted bicycles are also a blue ocean overseas. Electric assisted bicycles originated in Japan and later grew in Europe and America. This type of bicycle adds a "power assist system" on the basis of traditional bicycles and operates in a hybrid mode of "manpower+electricity". In layman's terms, it is a bicycle whose electric motor only intervenes to assist when the cyclist steps on it. Without riding, there is no power supply. Compared to traditional bicycles, due to the intervention of the electronic control system, the frequency of pedaling is consistent when going up and down hills, long-distance cycling is not tiring, and the commuting range can be extended to 30 to 50 kilometers without generating carbon emissions.
Currently, the factory price of a lithium-ion assisted bicycle is more than 10 times that of a regular bicycle, and more importantly, the market size of electric assisted products will be several times larger than the current bicycle market. However, the development of electric assisted bicycles requires car manufacturers to put effort into core electronic control, motors, sensors, and battery systems, and the threshold for technical research and quality testing is very high.
Zhang Yanhe said, "The international market for electric assisted bicycles is constantly developing, and we will permanently advance our layout in the field of electric assisted bicycles. We will be the first to launch more than ten electric assisted products, continuously pushing high-end products to a broader market."
Phoenix Lithium Battery Powered Bicycle
![Shanghai's time-honored brand has finally waited for this day, and Cityride has become a popular product | Bicycle | Shanghai](https://a5qu.com/upload/images/9efaaa89e0388f81d319a69bd8db8d06.jpg)
In 2019, Phoenix Company began to establish a professional R&D and business team for lithium battery products, opened a professional lithium battery product manufacturing factory, and built an upstream supply chain for lithium batteries, increasing the joint development of core components in the field of "power auxiliary systems".
"The main markets for lithium-ion power products are developed countries in Europe and America, and the domestic market has also developed rapidly in recent years. A considerable number of users have already purchased lithium-ion products and experienced a completely different riding experience from traditional bicycles. In various popular cycling routes in China, we have seen the presence of lithium-ion power products," said Xu Li.
Last year, the quality testing center built by Phoenix Investment was certified at the national level, and the testing data results were globally recognized, which means that "Made in China" has more say in the global market; At the same time, Phoenix has also achieved comprehensive upgrades in other product lines of baby strollers, bicycles, electric vehicles, and medical equipment, and old brands are gaining a new round of growth.