King Liu, the founder of Giant Group who championed cycling culture, has died aged 91, leaving a global legacy from a small Taiwanese workshop.

TAIPEI: King Liu, the visionary founder of Taiwanese bicycle giant Giant Group, has died at the age of 91.

The company announced he passed away peacefully early on Monday, describing him as a “lifelong advocate” for pedal power.

Liu started Giant in 1972 in his hometown of Taichung, initially manufacturing bikes for overseas brands.

The company launched its own label in 1981, a time when “Made in Taiwan” was synonymous with cheap goods and cycling was seen locally as a poor man’s transport.

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

Giant is now one of the world’s largest bicycle makers, generating more than USD 2 billion in annual sales.

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

Born into a well-off family in 1934, Liu worked briefly in his father’s business before branching out.

He tried trucking, importing fish feed and farming eels before a friend suggested tapping the US bicycle market.

To understand the product, Liu biked to work during Giant’s early years, though the habit lapsed as the company grew.

He returned to cycling seriously at age 73, discovering a “brand-new me” on a 900-kilometre ride around Taiwan.

“It boosted my self-confidence, my health, and I became more willing to learn new things, to take on new challenges,” Liu told AFP in 2016.

He described himself as a “missionary” spreading cycle culture.

Several family members have held senior roles at Giant, though his eldest daughter once said working with him was “painful”.

Liu expressed hope that his cycling days would continue.

“I hope that day will keep getting pushed back again and again,” he said.

 The Sun Malaysia