Sawt Falasteen - Taiwan's cycling 'missionary', Giant founder King Liu, dies at 91

Liu started Giant in 1972 in his hometown of Taichung, a manufacturing hub in central Taiwan, making bikes for overseas brands before the company got its own label in 1981.

Giant is now one of the biggest bicycle makers in the world, pulling in more than $2 billion in sales a year and selling millions of bikes annually.

Liu "passed away peacefully" early on Monday, Giant Group said in a statement, describing him as a "lifelong advocate" for pedal power.

"Throughout his life, Mr Liu devoted himself to bicycles, believing they represented not merely a business, but a meaningful way of life," Giant said.

Born into a well-off family in central Taiwan on July 2, 1934, Liu worked briefly in his father's trading and food manufacturing company but was soon itching to branch out on his own.

He dabbled in a range of businesses, including trucking cargo, importing fish feed and even farming eels.

His venture into cycling came at a friend's suggestion during a brainstorming session to tap into the US market.

To better understand the product, Liu biked to work during Giant's first few years, but the habit fell by the wayside as the company grew.

Giant formed its own brand at a time when the label "Made in Taiwan" bore the stigma of cheap, low-quality goods and cycling was still seen locally as a poor man's mode of transport.

It shifted over the years to higher-end production and now promotes cycling as a leisure sport.

Liu told AFP in 2016 he got into cycling seriously at the age of 73 after years out of the saddle.

"I was an old man contemplating retirement, but funnily enough, I instead discovered a brand-new me," he said of his first major ride, more than 900 kilometres (560 miles) around the island's rugged coastline.

"It boosted my self-confidence, my health, and I became more willing to learn new things, to take on new challenges."

Liu said he saw himself as a "missionary" spreading cycle culture.

Several members of Liu's family, including his children, have occupied senior management roles in Giant, although his eldest daughter Liu Li-chu once told the China Times that working with him was "painful".

"There will be one day when I can't pedal my bike anymore," Liu told AFP in 2016.

"I hope that day will keep getting pushed back again and again."

T.Khatib--SF-PST