Ike Tseng, who founded Merida in 1972, passed away on January 30 at the age of 81.  Merida have sent us the following obituary…

“He was a man whose vision, leadership, inspiration and dedication over 40 years have successfully built Merida into the best global quality bicycle production company and a leading brand in the world.

Ike was also a statesman for the industry, leading multiple industry organizations. He served as a multi-term chairman of Taiwan Bicycle Exporters’ Association transforming Taiwan into the world’s leader of innovative high quality bicycles.

He had a passion for bicycles and the bicycle industry. He shared this commitment with everyone he worked with.

Ike Tseng, was a true pioneer and legend

Many in the UK will not know of Ike, but his influence will have been felt by many.

Ike created his own welding robots to guarantee frame production quality long before many makers had even grasped the idea of quality.

He created engineering and production facilities which are the envy of the bike producing world, and with the A-Team he helped develop Taiwanese super component manufacturers, nurturing them to develop ever more advanced products which now benefit us all either on bikes or as aftermarket accessories.

Under his guidance, Merida was the first bicycle producer in Taiwan to float on the stock exchange, and his legacy leaves a company worth £300m, growing strongly and firmly upholding his values.

He will be sadly missed by many in Taiwan’s bicycle industry.

His son Michael is President of Merida, and he continues the values and work his father created with Merida, The A-Team, the Taiwanese Bicycle Exporters Association

Ikes funeral will be held on March 11 at Merida. It is traditional for Taiwanese business leaders to have their funeral service at the business they created.

Our thoughts are with his family.”