The China International Bicycle Fair took place from May 5 to May 8, 2026, at the Shanghai New International Expo Centre (SNIEC) in Shanghai, China. As one of the premier events in Asia, it serves as a typical trade show platform for industry, media, and cycling enthusiasts in general to get together and geek out over the latest wares. This being in China, there's a smattering a brands you've never heard of before, even if some of the designs look suspiciously...similar. Andi Sykes trawled the aisles for Vital, and this report is what he came back with - dig in!
Guard Dog 2 is an odd name but in Chinese it sounds very similar to ‘Commencal’. This pink model costs around £2200 with the spec seen here.If you were looking for something little cheaper, this (Kona Process) version costs around £1900.Last year HM Bros had a bunch of cheap and cheerful DJ bikes, this year they came back with free ride, downhill and park bikes.I’m sure I’ve seen a linkage like this before!Another HM Bros model this time taking inspiration from the Commencal FRS park bike.Not as refined as a Commencal but they do look similar!Frog Wake is a new brake brand. They released a host of 4 piston brakes and are already sponsoring domestic and Indonesian riders on the DH circuit.In addition to brakes, Frog Wake makes CNC stems and glow in the dark discs.Forget FOX, what you need is a pair of CAT 38’s on your rig!EXA Form, a sub brand of KS. Popped up on a bunch of bikes at the show. Quickpro had their carbon enduro frame built up with the new EXA Form coil, and wireless dropper.Up front the same Quickpro Enduro had the upside down EXA Form E36 fork. This version gets around 170mm travel and is designed for a 29-inch wheel but there is a 32-inch model too.Quickpro still doesn't have any plans to release their bikes outside of China. In fact in our conversations it sounds like Quickpro as a MTB brand might be over, but to be replaced with a new name and all new models.Its not all Chinese bikes though. Brake brand SUHR had curated a very attractive collection of bikes all featuring their 4 piston brakes.I’ve never seen an Archibald Cycles bike and was pretty surprised to see one in China. There can’t be many of them here.There’s a lot going on in there and judging by how clean it is, this bike is either brand new or is maintained to the highest level!SUHR had mix and match calipers on some of the custom builds to match the paint jobs and color schemes.Despite all the color options I much prefer SUHR’s signature purple color.Adore bikes had a collection of entry and mid-level bikes on their stand, but it was the rather cheeky logo that had me stop for a snap.It seems that YT is getting the clone treatment too!I know Trinx more as an affordable bike brand that also makes a super high end XC bike, but the China Cycle Expo also showed they have enduro intentions too. This 170mm travel carbon enduro bike has adjustable BB height, storage in the downtube and what appears to be replaceable hangers.High rise bars were everywhere at the show. Dak would approve!There were many many more suspension brands at this years China Cycle Expo. EXSHO are far from new, but they were showing off a new version of their EX36 which has been co-developed with a Chinese enduro and downhill rider. The fork is available in 26, 27.5 and 29-inch options and travel from 100mm to 170mm.Teewing had their Flux and Turbo Force models on show and had details of new upcoming bikes that we will get to see soon.Alvas had a collection of bikes from odd Santa Cruz inspired full suspension bikes to svelte carbon road frames, but it was this DJ bike that grabbed my attention. DJ bikes seem to be really popular here in China with most brands offering one or two models.When a major OEM chain maker starts advertising its chain as 13 speed compatible you know there must be a shift on the way!iPro is yet another new Chinese brake brand, but one of the few to have a 6-piston brake on display.Kinesis had the TUM616s on display as a complete bike and frame. The 165mm alloy frame has an high pivot design with an idler layout and is compatible with both mullet and 29-inch wheels.Just next to the rear axle are CNC machined ramps which look like they're designed to help brush away rock strikes or branches? Or perhaps they just look cool?Tanke had a whole assortment of products on their stand. In fact you could probably walk around their booth, pick one of everything and end up with a complete, yet very brightly colored bike.As well as hubs, frames, brakes, forks, and more, they also had some DJ specific products like single speed conversion kits and these hydraulic gyros for disc brakes.Frame maker Fast Work had enduro frames hung all around its booth, but it was the fully built downhill bike that grabbed my eye. Apparently the designer has been riding another version of this bike around the world and even had Aaron Gwin sign it.Lots going on in this rear end.Wissco had a great booth with plenty to look at. There were 2 DJ bikes but this one looked cleaner with slimmer tubes, and a really well thought out build.But no matter how good their DJ bikes looked my eyes couldn’t stop darting back to the Wissco D10 downhill frame. The version pictured here had a Pinion gearbox and a Gates belt drive.There are also a few Commencal Supreme touches to it, and some commented on how similar it was to a Zerode.New Zealand / Chinese newcomer Velduro made a splash at last year's China Cycle Expo with their Rogue prototype, and they did the same this year with the Vandal. While similar in design, the Vandal is aimed at the all-mountain crowd with less travel and the geo to match. Just like the Rogue it has an iTrack suspension system and an Avinox M2S motor system.I wasn’t purposely trying to avoid 32-inch wheels but this seems to be the only one I have, and it's fitted to the 32-inch version of the EXA Form E36 fork with 150mm of travel. The bike appears to be a new XLAB version of the XDS Nakota we saw last year.Wissco took their team riders to Crankworks NZ earlier this year where one of their riders managed to take home the gold on her D10.Dengfu seemed to be focusing on Avinox frames this year, and actually had an Avinox version of this 6-bar enduro bike on display. I’ll be honest when I say that the first time I saw Leichten I thought it was a German brand that we don’t see in the rest of the world, but it turns out that it's a Chinese brand and whoever their product manager is knows how to put some sweet builds together!Lewis had a lot of new product at the show. This is a prototype of their new brake lever which uses a dual pivot set up so that the level hinges around in an arc. Lewis says this improves modulation at the start of the stroke while boosting power towards the end.If you can’t wait for their new lever to launch then the AX brake set is apparently one of their most powerful. So much so that it can be used on electric motorbikes too.When we spoke with Lewis at last year's show they weren’t sure if they would release their stems and bars, but it seems they will as they had more samples and more colors, plus a new direct mount version.For those of you who like to play around with weight and balance you may like to pick up one of Lewis’ hollow axles which can have perfectly machined weights slid inside.They also had a new, lighter weight crank design which will be available in all popular interfaces.You may need to stare, but that sliver of titanium is an ultra thin pedal.No points for guessing which brand Lewis took inspiration from for this design.And yes there’s a pendulum version too.Winspace wheels had a Mondraker on their display which had these unbranded tuned mass dampers fitted to it.Apparently Winspace works with a small workshop close to their office to make the TMD designs which will fit to fork stanchions and seat posts.Seekrun had a new version of their ultra affordable dropper on display. The S8 uses the same mechanicals as the S7, but can now connect to your smart phone via an app so you can monitor battery life as well as cycle time so you know when your dropper is due a service!Sava’s range of bikes spanned from Bafang powered eMTB’s to downhill rigs, but this trail / all mountain bike stood out to me. It boasts a 150mm travel back end and a uniquely shaped rear triangle.Another example of the Leichten guys knowing exactly what a good bike should look like. This downhill bike with a paint job that looks like fancy vanilla custard is just itching to hit the bike parks and DH tracks.A genuine 32-inch bamboo bike, but those rims aren’t bamboo.Dengfu is also playing around with some new finishes for their carbon frame. This is an example of a Flax Fiber finish. Flax is sometimes used in furniture or on automotive parts that don’t necessary need to be strong (like a bonnet) as it doesn’t really add any strength.This Kevlar finish though might make Dengfu’s frames tougher.Dengu also had a new 6-bar, carbon fiber eMTB on their booth designed to fit an Avinox M2S. We saw the same EMTB last year but it ran a Bafang motor back then.Another Guard Dog 2 model, this one taking its graphic font from Canyon and frame design from Santa Cruz.Green Rode is a startup that hopes to increase its market share in China with their self developed helmets. I had a good look around them and didn’t see any safety ratings or CE marks and they also didn’t feel the most robust but hopefully they’re safe enough to be fit for purpose.It's not just the Chinese that have fun names on their bikes. Amslod is actually from the Netherlands but better known for commuter bikes. This is their first trail bike with an Avinox M2S motor.We’ve seen wireless drivetrains from China in the past but none with a forged carbon rear mech and compatible with cassettes from 10-14 speed!
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