Bike brands from France

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.