Tern Bicycles

Tern Bicycles, commonly styled simply as Tern, is a privately held bicycle company based in Taipei, Taiwan. It designs, manufactures, markets, and sells bicycles and cycling accessories intended primarily for everyday transportation, urban mobility, folding convenience, and practical cargo carrying. Its principal categories include folding bicycles, electric bicycles, compact utility bicycles, and accessories designed to extend the carrying, storage, and commuting capabilities of its bikes. The company was established by Florence Shen and Joshua Hon, who are the wife and son of David T. Hon, the founder of Dahon, a major folding-bicycle brand. Tern’s creation led to a legal dispute involving Dahon North America and the Hon family. The dispute concerned allegations that Joshua and Florence Hon had breached fiduciary duties while serving as Dahon officers by establishing competing businesses, including Mobility Holdings and Tern. Industry reporting stated that the parties’ legal disputes were declared settled in April 2013. The Tern name was inspired by the Arctic tern, a migratory bird known for traveling exceptionally long distances while remaining relatively small and light. The company has used the bird, including an origami-style tern motif, as part of its visual identity. This symbolism corresponds with the brand’s emphasis on portability, efficient movement, and bicycles intended to help people travel through cities and connect with other forms of transport. Tern’s product portfolio has expanded beyond traditional folding bicycles. Its lines have included the GSD and HSD longtail electric cargo bicycles, Quick Haul and Short Haul utility models, the NBD compact electric bicycle, Vektron electric folding bicycles, and folding or compact families such as BYB, Verge, Link, Eclipse, Node, and Roji. The company also sells accessories and has associated products under the BioLogic name. These offerings cover different combinations of folding capability, electric assistance, cargo capacity, passenger carrying, commuting equipment, and compact storage. In 2014, Tern announced the eLink, its first electric bicycle. The model was designed to fold in less than ten seconds and included integrated practical equipment such as mudguards, a rack, chainguard, and lights. It used a Shimano Nexus eight-speed internal hub and Schwalbe Big Apple tires. The launch marked an early move by Tern into electric-assisted mobility and demonstrated the company’s approach of integrating everyday-use equipment rather than treating the bicycle as a bare frame and drivetrain. Tern also developed the Cargo Node with Xtracycle, a specialist in cargo-bike systems. The project combined Tern’s folding Node bicycle with an Xtracycle rear cargo extension. It was announced through Kickstarter in September 2015 and raised US$153,638 for the project. The collaboration illustrated Tern’s effort to combine compact storage with greater carrying capacity, a tension that is central to practical urban cycling. The company maintains offices or operations in Taiwan, the United States, China, Finland, and the United Kingdom. Its bicycles and accessories have been reported as being sold in 65 countries. Tern’s market identity is therefore international, but its core proposition remains focused on useful, space-efficient bicycles for commuting, family transportation, cargo carrying, and multimodal travel.

Tern developed as a new bicycle business associated with the Hon family, whose background included Dahon, the established folding-bicycle company founded by David T. Hon. Florence Shen and Joshua Hon founded Tern and positioned it as a separate company focused on designing, manufacturing, marketing, and selling bicycles for everyday use. The company’s origins were accompanied by conflict with Dahon. Beginning in 2011, Dahon North America brought legal claims involving Joshua and Florence Hon. The allegations described in reference material concerned fiduciary duties owed while they were Dahon officers and the creation of competing businesses, including Mobility Holdings and Tern. Industry reports stated that the disputes were settled in April 2013, although the litigation remains an important part of the company’s early history. The Tern name refers to the Arctic tern, selected for the bird’s long migrations and its relatively light and small form. The name supports a brand narrative centered on distance, movement, portability, and efficient use of space. Tern’s website favicon and related visual identity use an origami-style tern taking flight, reinforcing the connection between compact design and mobility. The company initially became known for folding bicycles, a category in which compact storage and transport are central product requirements. Over time, its range broadened into electric bicycles, cargo bicycles, and practical urban-utility models. In August 2014, Tern announced the eLink, identified in the available reference material as its first electric bicycle. The model folded in under ten seconds and came equipped with mudguards, a rack, chainguard, and lights. Its Shimano Nexus eight-speed internal hub and Schwalbe Big Apple tires reflected an effort to deliver a complete everyday-use specification rather than a stripped-down folding platform. Tern later explored the combination of folding portability and cargo capacity through a partnership with Xtracycle. The resulting Cargo Node used the Tern Node folding bicycle together with an Xtracycle rear cargo extension. The project was announced on Kickstarter on September 17, 2015, and raised US$153,638. This collaboration represented a notable product-development direction for Tern: making a compact bicycle capable of handling more substantial loads while remaining suitable for storage and transport. The broader range has included the GSD, HSD, Quick Haul, NBD, Vektron, Short Haul, BYB, Verge, Link, Eclipse, Node, and Roji families. These lines cover longtail cargo bicycles, compact electric utility bicycles, electric folding bicycles, conventional folding bicycles, and urban-oriented models. Tern has also developed a lineup of accessories, including products associated with its sister brand BioLogic. The portfolio indicates a transition from a narrow folding-bike identity toward a wider urban-mobility system encompassing bicycles, electric assistance, cargo carrying, passenger transport, and supporting equipment. Tern is headquartered in Taipei and has offices in the United States, China, Finland, and the United Kingdom. Its products have been reported as sold in 65 countries. It remains privately held, and the available reference material does not identify a public listing, controlling parent, current chief executive, or detailed ownership structure. The company’s continuing product breadth and international distribution place it within the global bicycle industry, while its clearest differentiation remains the integration of folding, electric, and utility-oriented design for daily transportation.

• 2015

  Cargo Node Kickstarter project

  [1]Tern (company)en.wikipedia.org

  Tern and Xtracycle announced a folding cargo-bike project based on the Node platform; the campaign raised US$153,638.

• 2014

  Tern announces the eLink

  [1]Tern (company)en.wikipedia.org

  Tern introduced the eLink, described as its first electric bicycle, with a folding mechanism and integrated commuting equipment.

• 2013

  Dahon-related legal dispute reported settled

  [1]Tern (company)en.wikipedia.org

  Industry reporting stated that the legal disputes between Dahon and the Tern founders were settled.

• 2011

  Litigation associated with Tern’s formation begins

  [1]Tern (company)en.wikipedia.org

  Dahon North America initiated litigation involving Joshua and Florence Hon and the establishment of competing businesses including Tern.

Practical urban-mobility brand focused on compact, foldable, electric, and cargo-capable bicycles for commuting, family transport, everyday errands, and multimodal travel.

• Electric cargo bicycle

  GSD

  The GSD is Tern’s longtail electric-cargo bicycle family. It is intended for carrying substantial loads and, depending on configuration, passengers or family equipment. The line represents Tern’s move beyond compact folding bicycles toward utility-focused transportation, with an emphasis on replacing short car trips and supporting everyday household logistics.

• Compact electric cargo bicycle

  HSD

  The HSD is a compact electric utility and cargo-bike family designed to provide useful carrying capacity in a shorter format than a conventional longtail cargo bicycle. It fits Tern’s urban-mobility positioning by combining electric assistance with a relatively space-efficient frame suitable for errands, commuting, and family-oriented transport.

• Utility bicycle

  Quick Haul

  Quick Haul is a utility-oriented Tern bicycle family intended for practical cargo and everyday transportation. The line extends the company’s focus on carrying capability and urban usability, offering a platform for riders who need more utility than a conventional commuter bicycle while seeking a manageable overall footprint.

• Compact electric bicycle

  NBD

  The NBD is a compact electric bicycle family within Tern’s urban-transport range. It is designed around approachable everyday riding and practical city use, contributing to the company’s effort to make electric mobility and passenger or cargo carrying available in a relatively compact bicycle format.

• Electric folding bicycle

  Vektron

  Vektron is Tern’s electric folding-bicycle family. It combines pedal assistance with a folding architecture intended for storage, transport, and multimodal commuting. The line connects Tern’s original folding-bike expertise with the convenience and hill-climbing support associated with electric bicycles.

• Folding bicycle

  BYB

  BYB is a folding-bicycle family focused on compact storage and portability. It is part of Tern’s broader folding range and reflects the company’s continuing emphasis on bicycles that can be integrated into apartments, offices, vehicles, and public-transport journeys.

• Folding bicycle

  Verge

  Verge is a performance-oriented folding-bicycle family in Tern’s range. It applies the company’s folding format to models aimed at riders seeking a more refined or faster everyday riding experience while retaining the storage and transport advantages of a compact bicycle.

• Folding bicycle

  Link

  Link is a general-purpose folding-bicycle family designed for practical commuting and daily mobility. The line forms part of Tern’s core compact-bike portfolio and is intended to balance folding convenience with the riding characteristics needed for routine urban travel.

• Folding bicycle

  Node

  Node is a folding-bicycle family that also served as the platform for the Cargo Node collaboration with Xtracycle. Its design provided the basis for adapting a compact folding bicycle to greater cargo-carrying duties through an extended rear cargo system.

• Folding cargo bicycle · 2015

  Cargo Node

  Cargo Node was developed with Xtracycle as a folding cargo bicycle. It combined the Tern Node bicycle with an Xtracycle rear cargo extension, seeking to preserve compact storage and folding benefits while adding useful carrying capacity for errands and urban transportation.

• Electric folding bicycle · 2014

  eLink

  Announced in 2014, the eLink was identified as Tern’s first electric bicycle. It was reported to weigh 21 kilograms, fold in less than ten seconds, and include mudguards, a rack, chainguard, lights, a Shimano Nexus eight-speed internal hub, and Schwalbe Big Apple tires. The specification emphasized ready-to-use urban commuting.

• 2011

  Dahon litigation involving Tern founders

  Dahon North America brought claims involving Joshua and Florence Hon over alleged fiduciary-duty breaches connected with the creation of competing businesses, including Tern. The dispute was reported settled in 2013.

  Source

Read more

• 2015Cargo Node Kickstarter

  International

  Tern partnered with Xtracycle to promote and fund the Cargo Node, a folding cargo-bike project combining the Tern Node with an Xtracycle rear cargo extension. The campaign was announced on September 17, 2015.

  Outcome. The campaign raised US$153,638.

  Source

• 2015

  Develop a folding cargo bicycle with XtracycleProduct launch

  Background

  Folding bicycles provide storage and transport convenience, but their compact format can limit cargo capacity. Tern collaborated with Xtracycle to address that trade-off.

  Action taken

  The companies created the Cargo Node by pairing the Tern Node bicycle with an Xtracycle rear cargo extension and promoted the project through Kickstarter.

  Aftermath

  The campaign raised US$153,638 and highlighted cargo carrying as an extension of Tern’s folding-bike platform.

  Crowdfunding raised. US$153,638 (2015 Kickstarter campaign)

  Source

• 2014

  Enter the electric-bicycle category with eLinkProduct launch

  Background

  Tern’s earlier identity was strongly associated with folding bicycles, while electric assistance offered a way to broaden the brand’s urban-mobility proposition.

  Action taken

  The company announced the eLink, a folding electric bicycle with integrated equipment for everyday commuting.

  Aftermath

  The launch established electric bicycles as part of Tern’s product direction and preceded the company’s later electric and cargo-bike families.

  Source

• 2021.12.20

  Reported2021.12.20

  InVMA completes £2.125 million equity fundraise[3]InVMA完成212.5万英镑股权募资directorstalkinterviews.com

  Tern portfolio company InVMA completed a £2.125 million equity fundraise, including £200,000 invested by Tern and funding from institutional investors Mercia and Foresight.

Read more

1. 1Tern (company)en.wikipedia.org
2. 2Tern Bicycles official websiteternbicycles.com
3. 3InVMA完成212.5万英镑股权募资directorstalkinterviews.com