Giant

Giant is a bicycle manufacturer based in Taichung, Taiwan. The company produces a range of bikes, from road, gravel and electric to cyclo-cross and mountain bikes, as well as clothing, equipment and tools. Giant is seen as the largest bicycle manufacturer in the world.

History

Founded in 1972 by King Liu and his associates, Giant started as an original equipment manufacturer (OEM) for other companies. By 1977, it had struck a deal with US brand Schwinn to produce its bikes.

Giant’s deal with Schwinn helped the company to nurture its production practices so that when Schwinn decided to switch suppliers in 1986, Giant was ready to go it alone. This transition also came at the same time as Taiwan was developing into a technology manufacturing hotbed.

The company launched its first carbon fibre road bike in 1987, with the Cadex 980 C featuring carbon frame tubing and aluminium lugs all envisioned using computer-aided design - a first for the industry.

The late 1990s and early 2000s saw further innovation by Giant as, in collaboration with British bicycle designer Mike Burrows, it launched the Total Compact Road (TCR) frame, its first road bike model with a sloping top tube. The TCR would soon be used by ProTour team ONCE on its way to two Tour de France podiums.

Giant continued to expand its road and MTB ranges as the years went by, with 2008 marking a key point in the business’s history. The company launched Liv/Giant, a new cycling brand manufacturing bikes and equipment dedicated solely to female cyclists worldwide. Liv/Giant would later be renamed Liv in 2014.

In the past decade, Giant has continued its expansion into other cycling markets, from e-bikes and city bikes to gravel and more in between.

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Pro cycling

Current sponsorships: Team Jayco-AlUla, Equipo Kern Pharma

Highlights:

• Joseba Beloki achieved back-to-back podiums at the Tour de France in 2001 and 2002 whilst using Giant’s TCR frame.
• Riding the Giant TCR Advanced SL, Rabobank Cycling Team’s Dennis Menchov achieved Giro d’Italia success in 2009.
• Marcel Kittel won four stages at the Tour de France in 2014 - the first year of Giant-Shimano’s team sponsorship.
• In 2015, John Degenkolb pulled off a Milan-Sanremo - Paris-Roubaix double, sprinting to victory at both Monuments. The German became just the third rider in history to win the two races in the same season.
• Team Sunweb’s Tom Dumoulin won two stages and the overall GC at the 2017 Giro d’Italia. The team followed this up with four stages and points, mountains and super-combativity classifications at the Tour de France.
• Team BikeExchange-Jayco won three stages, including two ITTs, at the 2022 Giro d’Italia.