Editor's note: A version of this article ran in the February issue of Bicycle Retailer & Industry News.
NEWBURY PARK, Calif. (BRAIN) — Giant Manufacturing Co. Ltd., the world’s largest bicycle company, was founded in Taiwan in 1972 and then in 1987 established its U.S. presence under Bill Austin’s leadership.
Today, Giant Bicycle U.S.A is the number-three supplier to U.S. IBDs by sales volume with about 1,000 U.S. store locations. Giant employs 66 people at its Newbury Park facility and 100 staff nationwide.
We checked in with Angelo Mascelli, Giant U.S.A’s general manager for business to get his view of market conditions and Giant’s planned summer move to Boulder, Colorado.
BRAIN: Angelo, tell us about your career history and how you got to your current leadership position at Giant?
MASCELLI: My career started like everybody in the industry. You're a mediocre bike racer when you're a kid, then you seek employment in bicycle retail.
My start was in 2001 at Ridgewood Cycle in Ridgewood, N.J.. While working there, Bill Cohan asked if I wanted to become a road rep for Haro and Serfas. I had a desire to be more immersed in the industry so I signed on.
After a few years, I moved up to Tifosi Sales, a powerhouse rep group founded by Sandy Chapman and Vince Criscenzo. We represented multiple top brands and I covered the Mid-Atlantic states.
I was approached by Mike Abrams in 2016 about being an account executive at Giant. During that time there was a lot of industry consolidation, and I decided that going to a large brand would be best for me.
For two years I worked in that capacity and then I moved into the Eastern Regional Manager role. Next I took on the National Sales Manager job, and last year I was appointed by the board to be the GM of the business side of Giant U.S.A.
BRAIN: March 2020 was the beginning of an unprecedented feast/famine cycle, how did we get here from there, in your view?
MASCELLI: It comes down to a couple of factors. We saw this unprecedented boom derived from COVID and people being stuck at home. A bicycle is a great conduit to getting you outside with your family and getting fit.
Manufacturers seized upon this because the casual rider has always been an elusive target for the industry. We thought we were starting a culture here that would propagate for years to come.
Unfortunately, as people went back to work or back to the gym, their desire to ride bikes diminished. Brands were placing purchase orders for product assuming that we would continue to see this cultural shift. Our optimism did not come to fruition.
Consumer tastes were also changing at that exact moment. Traditional family bikes lost appeal and the inexpensive DTC e-bike category started to take shape, leaving those traditional bikes in our warehouses.
So for the last two years, the industry at large has been in a discount environment. You can see it in the financial reports from 2024 and 2025. Fortunately, I think for most brands, we're through the heavily distressed inventory period.
BRAIN: What’s your take on the state of the U.S. marketplace going into 2026?
MASCELLI: The last five years have been the most erratic in our industry. We had a feast and a famine and the final remnants of this discount culture are coming to an end. We will see what I will call normalcy in 2026.
But it won’t be the 2019 normal. We're seeing consumers behave differently now. Retailers are going to need to be more savvy. They're going to have to evolve and meet their consumers where they are.
We’re seeing some very positive indicators coming out of PeopleForBikes’ research. Casual trips are increasing, commuting is increasing, we're seeing people use bikes as tools more than we had in the past.
And with increases and improvements in infrastructure, our future looks brighter than it certainly has in the last five years. But we need our entire industry to adapt to how consumers are behaving moving forward.
BRAIN: Can you provide some global market perspective from a company that has your broad-based presence?
MASCELLI: The global market is way more stable than the U.S. market. Many parts of the world have not experienced the whiplash that the U.S. has. We operate in so many countries that we balance out the ups and downs.
Europe is starting to see a comeback. E-bikes have completely dominated that market over the last few years. Whatever Europe is doing in terms of their product mix and their consumer sentiment gets to the U.S. a year or two later.
BRAIN: How have Giant’s labor issues in Taiwan impacted your U.S. business? While it appears that the Withhold Release Order (WRO) may soon be lifted, do you think the situation has impacted wholesale or retail sales?
MASCELLI: It clearly has had some effect on our U.S. business. Fortunately, this came at the start of the slow season so the impact was limited. This issue only affected certain product categories, and for unaffected categories we have continued to supply our customers. Clear and regular communication ensures they are able to plan accordingly.
Giant has shown strong collaboration with Customs and Border Protection in meeting their requests. We are looking forward to a desirable outcome with the WROs in the near term so our retailers can capture the opportunities in this year’s sales season.
BRAIN: What are you hearing from your retailers?
MASCELLI: The commentary that we have heard has been largely positive and supportive of our brand. We have the utmost integrity and the highest standards when it comes to operating our business, whether it's in the U.S. or globally.
Most retailers understand this from their experience with our company. You're always going to hear from some detractors here and there but the overwhelming majority of the commentary has been in support of Giant U.S.A.
BRAIN: Distribution trends are shifting. New ways of doing business are emerging. What trends are most concerning to Giant and its retailers?
MASCELLI: I wouldn't say they're concerns. I view them more as indicators of how the business continues to evolve. It’s critical for retailers to understand and embrace this new online and offline business model that affects every consumer product.
Giant needs to evolve not only as a brand and a supplier but in how we support retailers so that they can participate in this new economy. We are taking steps to make sure that our IBDs are equipped to work within these new parameters.
BRAIN: Where do all these competing market forces leave the IBD? Do you have recommendations to your retailers for securing their futures?
MASCELLI: The way retailers communicate with consumers continues to evolve. You need to have some kind of online presence. You'll need to get their attention to draw them into your website and also get them to come to your brick-and-mortar.
Those two experiences should be relatively continuous. So if your customers expect a certain level of service when they're online, they should see that same level of service when they're in store.
BRAIN: Can you tell us the why, the how and the when of Giant's move to Boulder?
MASCELLI: First and foremost, this move represents a long-term commitment to the U.S. market. This is at minimum a 10-year project in Boulder. It also represents a change in the way that we approach our business with both retailers and consumers.
Our new building will house an experience center that showcases all of our products and services. We intend it to be inspiring to retailers and showcase products to consumers to make those purchases at retail and become part of our community.
Equally important is our commitment to being deeply involved in the Boulder community. We want to actively support cycling advocacy, youth development, and family-oriented programs that help make riding more accessible and inclusive.
We're targeting summertime as our move to Boulder. We are excited about the future. This is just the beginning of how we change our footprint in the U.S. This experience center is just the first and not the last step in how we present our brand nationally.
Boulder is an epicenter of cycling which makes it an ideal place to house our staff and our operations. And there are future plans beyond Boulder. But that's for an interview for like two years from now.
BRAIN: We’re here for you, Angelo!
