The row of gleaming bicycles being assembled on the factory floor of Giant Manufacturing, one of the world's biggest bicycle makers, will soon hit streets from Seattle to Sydney, Amsterdam and even Beijing.
Rising gas prices, growing awareness of environmental issues, and the popularity of cycling as recreation has fueled a surge in demand for bicycles around the world.
Giant, the Taipei-based maker of international bicycle brands such as Boulder, Yukon and Iguana, is reaping the profits. The company, which produced 5.5 million bikes in 2007, is expected to pull in $1 billion in sales this year, up 10 percent, it says. Giant's story is typical of the global $61 billion bicycle industry, which is enjoying unprecedented growth in many Western countries.
"There is a general renaissance and interest in bikes," said Jack Oortwijn, editor-in-chief of the monthly magazine Bike Europe. "Parts suppliers are struggling to keep up."
China leads the world in the number of bikes produced per year with about 73 million units of a total 100 million annually, according to the Earth Policy Institute. The rest comes largely from Taiwan, Canada, Russia, Ukraine and the European Union.
Bicycle sales have over the past five years increased by 14.6 percent among European Union nations, which buy 70 percent of the world's bikes. In the United States, sales have increased by almost 9 percent in the same time period.
But it's not all good news.
Price hikes in metals -- especially steel, aluminium and chrome -- have eaten into profits and pushed up prices as manufacturers seek to maintain margins.
The key to greater margins lies with high-end light bikes using carbon frames, made from carbon fiber material, which earn higher margins per unit because they sell on brand cachet.
"If you want to compete, you've got to raise efficiency," said Giant's president Tony Lo.
Giant also manufactures battery-powered bikes, which are popular in China where the company operates three factories.
Battery-powered bikes are a big hit as China's economic boom puts money in the pockets of even the poorest factory workers who almost immediately upgrade their bikes.
Chinese consumers snapped up more than 20 million battery-powered bikes in 2006. The bikes, powered by a 36 or 48 volt battery, can travel at around 15 miles an hour. They sell for around 3000 yuan ($430) a unit.
With gas prices at record highs, it's no surprise that bicycles are becoming a popular form of transport, especially among a growing breed of fitness fanatics.
"Driving cars is expensive nowadays. Oil prices are going to remain at a high level," said Fabian Kuster, a spokesman for the European Cyclists' Association in Brussels.
For short-distance commutes, he added, "a bike is faster in the city and takes up less space."
Paris, Barcelona and other cities in Europe have introduced bicycle loan programs that allow commuters to pick up bicycles at official stands outside train stations. All that is needed is a swipe of a credit card to guarantee the bike will be returned.
Users return the bikes to the stands and with another swipe of their credit card get their deposit back minus a small users fee. There are about 20,000 such bicycles at around 1,450 stands across Paris alone.
"With bikes you don't need any gas, so there's a new awareness of cycling," said Giant's president Lo, 60, who rides 50 miles to and from work every day on the back of his bike.
Europeans increasingly pedal to work on bike-friendly streets planned by city governments that encourage cycling, while a growing pool of commuters in China use battery bikes and Americans ride mainly for sport or to work off calories.
Would-be riders in newly developed regions such as Taiwan still see bikes as a symbol of a poor past, while riders worldwide complain of inclement weather, unsafe traffic, and rampant theft despite the best locks.
Still, cycling is cost effective and often relatively fast on Taipei's congested roads.
"I've got just a 10-minute ride, and you don't need to spend any money on gas," said Hu Li-wei, a 21-year-old Taipei university student who rides to lectures every day elbow-to-elbow with mopeds and buses.