Giant Bicycles

Giant was established in 1972 in Dajia, Taichung County in Taiwan (now district of Taichung City), by King Liu and his partners. A major breakthrough came in 1977 when Giant's chief executive, Tony Lo, negotiated a deal with Schwinn to begin manufacturing bikes as an OEM, manufacturing bicycles to be sold exclusively under other brand names as a private label. As bike sales increased in the U.S., and after workers at the Schwinn plant in Chicago went on strike in 1980, Giant became a key supplier, making more than two-thirds of Schwinn bikes by the mid-1980s, representing 75% of Giant's sales. When Schwinn decided to find a new source and in 1987 signed a contract with the China Bicycle Company to produce bikes in Shenzhen, Giant, under new president Bill Austin (formerly vice-president marketing at Schwinn), established its own brand of bicycles to compete in the rapidly expanding $200-and-above price range. In 1984, Giant also set up a joint venture, "Giant Europe", with Andries Gaastra of Dutch bicycle manufacturer Koga-Miyata. In 1992, Gaastra sold his shares back, and Giant became a full shareholder of Giant Europe.

By 2018, Giant had sales in over 50 countries, in more than 12,000 retail stores. Its total annual sales in 2017 reached 6.6 million bicycles with revenue of US$1.9 billion.

Most of its merchandise is destined for the European Union, the United States, Japan, and Taiwan.

Working conditions

Migrant workers at Giant factories in Taiwan have reported poor living conditions in crowded rooms. Vietnamese and Thai workers reported paying high recruitment fees, up to $6,500, to secure a job at Giant, as well as service fees to labor brokers. Once employed, workers said the company withholds a month's pay until the end of their contract. Workers faced fines and deportation over mistakes on the job. Following a 2024 exposé of these practices, Giant committed to a no-fee recruitment policy and an end to its wage withholding practices beginning in 2025. Workers hired before then did not have their recruitment debts forgiven.

COVID-19 pandemic

With the coronavirus pandemic, the demand for Giant's bicycles increased. Bicycle manufacturing skyrocketed in Taiwan, fueled by global demand sparked by fear of contracting the coronavirus on crowded buses and trains in Europe or America, or by the need for outdoor activities after weeks of confinement. With this increase in demand, Giant is planning to build a new large plant in the European Union. In addition, the company is moving factories from China to Taiwan.

COVID-19's effect on the bicycle industry is evinced by a 55% increase in Giant's revenue in the first quarter of 2021. E-bikes have accounted for 30% of sales.

Sub-brands

Mosh BMX

In 1996, Giant established their Mosh BMX division with the help of Redline Bicycles founder Linn Kastan and racer Jason Richardson. Mosh manufactured BMX bikes and parts, as well as managed a professional BMX racing team. In 2002 Giant signed a three-year sponsorship deal with Satellite Sports Group (a company that then managed the former GT Air Show) to begin manufacturing Giant branded bikes to boost the Giant label. These bikes were priced between $150 and $350, filling in the open entry level price gap that their Mosh labeled high-end bikes could not. Giant made bikes using the Mosh name until 2003 when it switched to labeling all high end stunt specific parts as Mosh parts. The parts were sold separately as well as on Giant labeled BMX bikes. In 2008, Mosh was disbanded.

Liv

In 2008 Giant launched the Liv/Giant sub-brand with products focused exclusively on the female cycling market.

In 2014, the Liv/Giant sub-brand was re-branded to Liv. The re-branding was meant to further differentiate the Liv brand products with existing Giant product, communicating the concept of "designed by women for women". All Liv products are designed from the ground up including frame geometry and carbon layup, and utilizes separate molds and designs that separate it from Giant branded products. As part of the rebranding, dedicated Liv stores and Liv zones within most Giant retailers were introduced.

Momentum

In 2009, Giant launched its Momentum brand commuter bikes for Chinese market. Later, in 2015, Giant announced the global sale of the Momentum lifestyle bikes. The first two models, the iNeed Street and iWant Park, had an ARP of US$425 and were aimed at a younger, more urban demographic than Giant's more expensive performance road and mountain bikes.