Heritage Paris 007
Fans of the James Bond series are eagerly counting down the days until the 23rd of October 2012, when the 23rd installment, Skyfall, will be…
The history of cycling in France is deeply intertwined with the country’s industrial past. Although the invention of the bicycle is credited to German forest scientist Karl von Drais, it was the French who truly popularized the vélocipède.
In the 1860s, the Michaux family, Parisian coach builders, developed a new drive mechanism, placing pedals and cranks on an enlarged wooden front wheel. Production at their factory led to the commercialization of bicycles as we know them today.
Other influential French bicycle manufacturers appeared in the decades that followed, such as Alcyon, Alex Singer, and Automoto. Peugeot, a company with a rich history dating back to 1882, also produced bicycles in France until the late 1980s—and won ten Tours de France between 1903 and 1983.
Lapierre and Look are other notable French manufacturers, and more recently, companies like Moustache and E-Mazing have become leaders in the production of electric bikes.
Read on to discover some of the less-travelled highways and byways of French cycling history, from stylish classics to obscure custom builds.
Fans of the James Bond series are eagerly counting down the days until the 23rd of October 2012, when the 23rd installment, Skyfall, will be…
There’s not too many carbon fiber frames to be found on The Spoken. That’s because there’s not too many that are handmade with care and…
Sasha Strickland loves a challenge. The proprietor of Melbourne’s Pony Bikes has an uncanny knack for transforming some of the city’s most horrible bikes into…
By guest author Rangga Panji, Pancalen Cycles. When it comes to building a bicycle, inspiration can come from anywhere. A page in a magazine or…
Dominic Darko must have invoked a higher power to breathe life into this Liberia frame, a French marque that existed from 1918 to the early…
The French marque of Sunn represented a level of continental quality to the BMX and MTB scene of the 1990s. Perhaps it was the funky…
Any long-term fan of the Tour de France will undoubtedly recognize the jerseys of the Mercier teams and their partners — Gan, Hutchinson, BP et…
I’ve long been a fan of the Southsiders MC crew, a group of exceptionally creative and stylish French motorcycle enthusiasts. They combine their passion for…
French constructeur bicycles are often imitated, but seldom replicated. Builders such as René Herse, Alex Singer and Jacques Ausécache contributed to a golden era of…
My French friend Med from BMX Groupment sent through some images of his Sunn Royal BMX, a marque he has had extensive involvement with over…
Hopefully the estate of Piet Mondrian is receiving an interest in the artist’s contribution to elevating the LOOK marque to one of the most recognizable…
In retrospect, since writing The Spoken, I haven’t looked at any aluminum frames with great fondness, barring the odd Klein, hand made Yeti or ‘Dale…
While a pourquoi is a fictional narrative that explains why something is the way it is, for example why a snake has no legs, or…
Having just returned from a brief sojourn to Paris I have a sweet spot for this bike. It’s a collaboration between three French manufacturers: Clandé…
While the age-old tradition of bicycle touring comes of age, the debate continues as to whether modern touring bicycles should be referred to as randonneurs,…