NEOBIKE was established in 1992, at the same time it cooperated in technology with BROMPTON Bicycle Limited in England, and started manufacturing BROMPTON folding bikes in Taiwan. NEOBIKE International Co., Ltd. was progressing towarding to be a professional company in folding bikes. Besides, NEOBIKE has successfully created a new image of Taiwan folding bikes to Japan and West-Europe: Bigger in unfolding, smaller in folding, lighter and safer. This year, in 1999, the NEOBIKE Products have been awarded for the sixth time ¡§SYMBOL OF EXCELLENCE -- IT¡¥S VERY WELL MADE IN TAIWAN¡¨. In 1995, also got the award in Excellence R&D Company, and National Product Design Award from Taiwan government; also ¡§G¡¨ Mark from Taiwan CETRA rewarding the outstanding design products.
NEOBIKE is a small but delicate enterprise with rapid growth and is becoming R&D and Market oriented. From 1992 to 1997, it had successfully marketed ¡§L¡¨, ¡§D¡¨, ¡§F¡¨, ¡§M¡¨, ¡§E¡¨, and ¡§G¡¨ totally six series of folding bikes. Products in each series have its different design features and market segment. All six kinds of designs in folding system have applied the patent in worldwide. The distinguished style has found the favor with the mass of consumers. That is why the NEOBIKE style is the advanced tendency and is followed by others. Keep improving and renewing in style designing is the goal that NEOBIKE had never stopped to achieve.
Neobike manufactures the L-3 Brompton in Taiwan. The retail price is $250. If you're in Taiwan contact them to purchase one--they will refer you to a shop or sell you one direct. See my other web site, Buying a Brompton in Taiwan, for details. The licensed model is not sold in the U.S. (or Europe to my knowledge), and probably won't ever be. They also have a very wide variety of their own designs, none especially great, and none available in the U.S. due to legal issues with DaHon.
Neobike versus Dahon Like most folding bicycle manufacturers, Neobike violates some DaHon patents (in particular, the fold down steering tube, used by on many folding bicycles, including Bromptons). I was talking to Joshua Hon (son of the founder of DaHon) about seven years ago, and learned the story. Neobike was started by individuals who were employed by DaHon, and who were sent to the U.K. to negotiate a licensing deal with Brompton. DaHon was going to manufacture the Brompton under license. Instead, these employees negotiated a licensing deal for themselves with Brompton, and started Neobike. DaHon sued Neobike. Even though this case started more than TEN YEARS AGO, it just came to conclusion in April 2002. Five Neobike employees were sentenced to five months in jail and DaHon can now move to recover monetary damages.