13 Chinese cycling brands you don’t know about, but should

13 Chinese cycling brands you don’t know about, but should

China is making big inroads into the Western cycling market. These are the companies that should be on your radar

Simon von Bromley / Our Media


Over the past few years, Chinese cycling brands have progressively become mainstream, and that's certain to continue. While Taiwan has been a mainstay of frame and component production for years, much of the actual manufacturing was quietly outsourced to contract manufacturers in mainland China.

Those Chinese brands built up expertise in production, but also in R&D, product development and quality control, and the best have now put those skills to their own use, launching product ranges of their own. Often, they're not only significantly cheaper than better-established competitors, they're also up there in performance, so that there's an increasing number of Chinese brands in the WorldTour and supplying their products to the top tier of cycling.

What these brands often lack is international marketing and large-scale distribution, so it can be quite hard to find out about a Chinese company and its products, let alone buy them.

That’s changing rapidly, though, as XDS, iGPSport, Magene and others prove. In October 2026, powerhouse UK distributor Madison, which works with prestige brands including Shimano and DT Swiss, took over iGPSport UK distribution.

Third-party sites such as Panda Podium offer access to a wide range of Chinese-made products, too.

So, which Chinese cycling brands could become household names for cyclists in the next few years? Here’s a rundown of the brands that are increasing their worldwide profile and what each offers.

XDS

Despite its looks, Davide Ballerini's X-LAB AD9 weighs only 7.5kg. Simon von Bromley / Our Media

XDS was the first Chinese brand to sponsor a WorldTour team, with its X-Lab bikes. It boasts complete in-house design, testing and manufacture, which it claims results in more consistent quality and fewer warranty problems.

XDS was founded in 1995 in Shenzhen and claims annual bike sales of 8 million from its five factories, with more than 14,000 employees, and sales and distribution in 50 countries worldwide. Although its international focus is on performance drop-bar bikes, it makes mountain bikes and utility hybrids for the home market, too.

The XDS-Astana team rides the X-Lab AD9 aero bike. Our bike check of Davide Ballerini’s AD9 at the 2025 Tour de France revealed it weighed only 7.5kg, despite the broad tube sections and 60mm-deep Vision wheels.

XDS sells the similar-looking AD8 and the DB01 time trial bike, which is also used by XDS Astana. 

For climbers, it has the RT9, with a claimed 540g frame weight, 55g less than the 595g claimed weight of the S-Works Aethos 2.

X-Lab has recently launched the GT8 gravel bike and an electric commuter bike retailing for under $2,000.

Elves

Pack shot Elves Vanyar Pro Disc road bike
We rated the Elves Vanyar Pro Disc as brilliant value, although it's let down a little by the 8.2kg weight and the ride quality. Liam Cahill / Our Media

Its name may be Tolkein-esque, but Elves makes bikes to satisfy the swiftest of Nazgûl. It was founded in 2006 and, as with many Chinese bike brands, it began as a contract manufacturer, first producing Elves bikes in 2016. It develops its bikes in Taiwan, although manufacturing is based in China. 

There’s a hefty range of frames available, including the Falath EXP, which has a seat tube cutout reminiscent of the Trek Madone. Elves claims it improves frame stiffness and comfort, as well as providing aero benefits. It’s sold as a frameset or equipped with the brand’s own carbon wheels and a Shimano groupset. At under £1,000 for a UCI-approved frame, it undercuts the mainstream competition by a flying mile.

Other options include the Vanyar Pro, with a claimed 7.1kg weight, the Eglath ARX all-road bike, Nandor Pro hardtail MTB and Amanyar 1.0 tri bike, which lacks a seat tube. There’s a free custom paint option for most frames if you want something even more distinctive.

Winspace

Winspace T1600 seatstays
The Winspace T1600's novel seatstays are designed to channel airflow around the rear wheel. Weight Weenies / Winspace

Winspace’s global bike range is less extensive than Elves’, but ever-expanding and it now sells Shimao and SRAM-equipped complete bikes as well as framesets. 

Again, it started out in contract manufacturing and is vertically integrated, with frame building and quality assurance handled in-house. It claims to build 5,000 carbon road bike frames a year and offers custom painting.

Its range covers aero bikes and climbing bikes, as well as endurance and gravel framesets. It claims a 705g weight for its SLC5.0 lightweight frameset, while the UCI-approved T1600 aero frame has slots around its seat tube, which are claimed to contribute to a 5.5 watts power saving over its previous-generation T1550.

Winspace also sells wheels under its Lun and Hyper brands, with the latest Hyper 5 offered in 40mm, 50mm and 60mm depths, with 23mm internal width, ceramic bearings and carbon spokes. The 40mm wheels have a claimed 1,195g weight.

In addition, it sells all-rounder and race-oriented gravel bike wheels under its Lun brand.

Quick Pro

Harry Hudson won the UCI men's junior road race in Kigali on a Quick Pro AR One. Dario Belingheri/Getty Images

Quick Pro was founded in 2012, with a focus on racing and the tagline ‘anyone can race’. Again, it boasts vertical integration with its own factory and R&D facility. 

It has the distinction of a former world champion riding its bikes, in the form of Team GB rider Harry Hudson, the 2025 men’s junior road race winner in Rwanda, who soloed 35km to the win. 

In Rwanda, Hudson rode the Quick Pro AR One, an aero/lightweight bike with an 800g claimed frame weight and complete bike weights that Quick Pro says can be as low as 6.6kg. The brand’s range includes the ER One, a more aero-oriented frameset, but with complete bike weights from a claimed 6.8kg.

There are also options for time trialists and gravel riders, and hardtail and full-suspension mountain bikes in the range and the brand now sponsors the L39ion of Los Angeles pro team.

The brand’s Canwin wheels include 50mm-deep carbon-spoked and steel-spoked options, with claimed weights from 1,260g, and other Canwin components include the Zephyr SSL bar/stem fitted to Hudson’s bike.

Incolor

Incolor designed these distinctive helmets for the Chinese team at the Paris Olympics. Alex Broadway/Getty Images

Incolor was founded in 2016 and sells a small range of aero and lightweight road and gravel bikes, which includes the SSR, SR+, SR and Voyager, alongside the TTR tri bike. It has its own aero wheelsets and bar/stem too and, unusually, also sells drivetrain components including a carbon crankset and 12-speed anodised cassette. 

It has a range of 3D-printed computer mounts, which include options for Pinarello and Specialized bikes, and the brand sells its own lightweight Universal Derailleur Hanger. 

Perhaps its most distinctive products, though, were its helmets. Worn by the Chinese track teams at the Olympic Games, these featured Chinese masks and other traditional designs.

Amflow 

DJI Amflow electric mountain bike with DJI Avinox M1 motor
Amflow's DJI motor is super-powerful but controlled. Scott Windsor / Our Media

Amflow is a spin-off from drone supremo DJI, making electric mountain bikes. Its Amflow PX full-suspension trail eMTB was a 2026 MBUK/BikeRadar Bike of the Year contender. It boasts a DJI Avinox M2S motor with category-leading 150Nm peak torque, 1,500 watts peak power and a 700Wh battery in a bike that weighs only 21.3kg. 

The Amflow has 160mm of front and 150mm of rear suspension and is kitted out with own-brand bars, stem, grips and carbon wheels. 

At present, there are only two bike specs on offer, the Amflow PX Carbon and PX Carbon Pro, differing in their groupsets, suspension and finishing components, but sitting on the same frame and wheels.

DJI’s motor gains plaudits for its predictable assistance, notwithstanding the raw power on offer, and is now available on other brands’ bikes too, although we reckoned we didn't need all the power on tap and it's resisting a growing movement to limit ebike motor power.

Elitewheels

Elitewheels supplies the Team Solution Tech - Vini Fantini UCI Continental team with its Drive wheelsets. Luc Claessen/Getty Images

Elitewheels, as you'd expect, focuses on wheelsets, with options covering road, MTB and gravel, as well as triathlon, where it sells some of the lowest-priced disc and solid-spoke wheels available.

Road wheelsets include carbon rim-brake as well as disc-brake options, again at prices that undercut the mainstream brands by a huge sum.

Its flagship road wheel is the Drive SL 58D CS, with a 58mm depth and 25mm internal width, carbon spokes, a single-piece 62-tooth titanium ratchet and freehub and a weight claimed at 1,330g.

The brand was established in 2015 and supplies several UCI Continental teams.

L-Twoo

Rear derailleur from the L-Twoo eGR electronic gravel groupset
L-Twoo's groupsets include electronic and mechanical options for road, MTB and gravel. Warren Rossiter / Our Media

While the brands above sell frames, wheels and some components, L-Twoo focuses on groupsets. The company’s founder worked for SRAM for a decade before founding L-Twoo in 2016, when SRAM moved its manufacturing to Taiwan.

L-Twoo’s flagship product is the ERX 2x12-speed electronic road bike groupset, which is designed to rival Shimano Ultegra. It features carbon fibre, a similar two-lever shifter to Ultegra, flat-mount and post-mount brake calipers and an in-frame battery.  

There are also mechanical shift options with up to 12 speeds, electronic and mechanical gravel bike groupsets, the latter with up to 13 speeds, a wireless electronic MTB groupset and mechanical MTB groupsets with up to 13 speeds. There are further products for folding and electric bikes.

L-Twoo doesn’t yet sell its own cassettes, but don’t discount it adding those.

Whaleroad

Whaleroad R7 14-speed cassette
The Whaleroad R7 groupset includes a 14-speed cassette and electronic derailleur. Nick Clark / Our Media

Mainstream brands may be tentatively upgrading from 12-speed to 13-speed groupsets, but Whaleroad is already one jump ahead of them, with the 14-speed 1x electronic Whaleroad R7.

Debuting at Sea Otter Europe in September 2026, the R7 cassette fits on a standard Shimano HG freehub and has an 11-46 tooth range. The derailleur is powered wirelessly via an onboard battery with a 1,500km claimed range and has an adjustable clutch, as well as an impact protection system.

It's another argument in favour of a switch to 1x, offering closer ratios across a wider range.

Wheeltop

Wheeltop GEX rear derailleur.
The Wheeltop EDS GeX rear derailleur is wireless and electronic. Stan Portus / Our Media

Wheeltop is another challenger groupset maker, selling wireless electronic road, gravel and MTB groupsets, minus the cassette, which are compatible with up to 14 speeds. There are cable and hydraulic brake options and it sells its own hydraulic calipers. 

In 2025, it bought Madrid-based Rotor and has incorporated its electronic shifting tech in a new Uno groupset, Rotor’s first new groupset since its original Uno a decade ago. 

Rotor claims its new Uno will be a reliable alternative to Shimano and SRAM, although you’ll need to add brake calipers, as well as a cassette and chain for MTB use; the gravel spec includes calipers.

Elilee

Matej Mohorič Bianchi Specialissima RC at the 2026 Tour de France
Matej Mohorič's Bianchi Specialissima RC at the 2026 Tour de France. Simon von Bromley / Our Media

Elilee is another Chinese brand that's now represented in the WorldTour, with its carbon crank power meter, developed alongside SRM, used by the Bahrain Victorious team. We did a bike check on Matej Mohorič's Bianchi Specialissima, fitted with Elilee's cranks, in Spain ahead of the 2026 Tour de France.

Elilee also sells non-power crankset spiders, as well as road and tri wheelsets and disc wheels, with prices as low at £499. There's a road frameset with a claimed 680g unpainted frame weight and a one-piece cockpit in its range too.

Magene 

Magene QED groupset on bike.
Magene sells groupsets, power meters and a range of electronics. Some of its products are now in the WorldTour. Stan Portus / Our Media

Switching to electronics, Magene partnered with MagicShine to develop and market its radar taillight. 

It’s branched out on its own worldwide now, though, selling a range of cycling electronics including pedal and crank power meters, carbon cranks and chainrings. Its dual-side pedal power meter is priced at only £399 / $499 / €499.

At Eurobike in June 2025, it showcased complete QED and PES electronic groupsets, designed to compete with Shimano Ultegra and 105 Di2 respectively.  

It became another Chinese sponsor to the XDS-Astana team, providing its cycling computers, heart-rate monitors, lights and smart trainers to the team from 2026. 

Magene’s range extends to three depths of its carbon wheelset, with carbon spokes and claimed weights from 1,280g. It also has a range of ebike control systems and develops its own apps for its devices. 

It’s another brand founded a decade ago, with its own R&D and production, claiming a staff of more than 400 engineers and over 1,000 total employees, with 12% of its revenues spent on R&D and nearly 250 patents to its name. 

iGPSport

iGPSPORT BiNavi Bike Navigator computer
iGPSport's BiNavi has an unusually large screen for the cycling computer's size. iGPSPORT

Another challenger Chinese electronics brand, iGPSport’s bike computers are used by Groupama-FDJ United in the pro peloton. It has a similar range to Magene, selling GPS cycling computers, rearview radars, lights, and electric and optical heart-rate monitors, as well as a smartwatch.

It was founded in 2012 and in 2024 signed up Chris Froome as its global brand ambassador.

Its latest products include the £220 BiNavi, which majors on navigation with a 3.5-inch touchscreen, the lighter-weight, lower-priced BiNavi Air and a compact rearview radar/taillight costing £80. It claims the BiNavi can produce a 1,000km route in one second and it will even draw your Strava art routing for you to follow. 

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