058. Charles Tsai - President, Intelligent Design Cycles

This week I’m speaking with Charlie Tsai, Economist, Entrepreneur and President of Intelligent Design Cycles. Charlie was born in Taiwan but grew up in California where cycling became a passion while he studied economics at UC Davis. Later he worked with the WTO as a trade and development economist helping developing countries, at the time, Taiwan, Singapore, Hong Kong and South Korea, in trade negotiations.

In 2010 after returning from a posting in paris, he was burned out and needed a change. He begun selling dynamometer hubs and lighting systems internationally as a side business, which experienced huge growth, especially in Europe. As bikepacking exploded, and dynamos were proven in the field, namely on routes like the Tour Divide, growth continued.

This was a really stimulating conversation! We discuss trade and economics, which is definitely outside my wheelhouse. We chat about dyno hub technology and lighting systems that he developed when starting IDC. We get into the creation of the IDC/K-Lite Revolution wheelset which incorporates Textreme and Innegra technologies resulting in very strong yet compliant composite wheels. We also chat about the cultural differences between Asia and the west in regards to how Covid-19 was navigated.

Enjoy