1. What emblematic functions can a bicycle serve? Be specific. Not so long ago, a bicycle was, well, just a pedal-powered way to get around. Today, the bicycle is not just two-wheeled transportation—it has become a major industry worldwide. A growing number of consumers are buying bikes for commuting, for fun, for status, for personal style, and for environmental reasons.

Especially in developing nations, where incomes are rising and middle-class consumers are looking for more than basic transportation, demand for better bicycles is rising year after year as the product category takes on new significance as a sign of wealth and of interest in a healthy leisure-time activity. “As people become more affluent, they tend to go to global brands,” says the director of international sales for Wisconsin-based Trek Bicycles, “and that’s where global brands have advantages.”

Trek’s high-quality bikes are now marketed in two dozen nations, with even wider distribution on the way.