Velo City: Bicycle Culture and City Life

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.

Victoire Cycles CX

Clermont-Ferrand in France is home to the Michelin rubber concern and, more interestingly for us, the fiercely independent and highly innovative Victoire Cycles, a custom…

Victoire Cycles Polo Bike

In spite of itself, cycle polo continues to thrive, fuelled by the fervour of devoted players and fans. It has been embraced most passionately by…

Velo City: Bicycle Culture and City Life

Victoire One-Off Track

The latest bike to emerge from the Victoire Cycles workshop, based in Clermont-Ferrand, France, was built for their newest employee, Erwan AlaPhillippe. Erwan was hired…

LOOK 860

Quite a few examples of LOOK‘s early foray into monocoque carbon fiber frames can be found via the various online auction and forum channels, due…

La Manufacturef Mixte

The years following the second world war saw a revival of the French constructeurs: dedicated riders who also fabricated frames with a holistic approach. Not…

Victoire Cycles Fixe

There was a time, recently, when brakes on a bike with a fixed gear was frowned upon by the ‘purists’, those who believed that a…

Santucci Cycles Motobécane

Like LOOK, Motobécane is a French marque whose bikes have always been held in high regard. But while LOOK has catered for the sharp end…

LOOK L96

The French commune of Nevers, located about 260kms to the south of Paris, traces its history back to Roman times, when Julius Caesar used it…

LOOK KG 282 Ti

The peloton of the one hundredth edition Tour de France is currently soaring towards L’Alpe d’Huez, with Team Cofidis attempting to make their mark upon…

Victoire Véloce

Alongside Bridgestone, Michelin is one of the world’s two largest tire manufacturers. The French concern is not just focused on keeping the rubber side down,…

Edelbikes Rapha Continental

Despite the worn-out Sound of Music references, the Edelweiss flower is a wonderful association for the crystalline atmosphere that inspires Francois Cau to build his…

LOOK KG 396

The French brand LOOK has to be one of the most iconic in the world of cycling. Their sculptural use of carbon fiber at an…

Deluxe Sacre Bleu

Maxime Bimar is a Deluxe BMX team rider who gets plenty of airtime at the local trails around his southern French hometown of Peynier. The…

LOOK KG 196

There’s few cycling brands more easily recognized than the French LOOK marque, a combination of their Mondrian-inspired branding and highly innovative products. Their pédales automatiques…