Vintage French randonneuer's and porteurs.

[Canuk]

Our lbs wouldn't fit anything other than a Mavic 610 bottom bracket if you were getting a new chain set or a new build. They pretty much lasted indefinitely! There's a good article about them here in Le Cycleur:

Mavic bottom bracket, the road to perfection - Le Cycleur

Vintage Mavic bottom brackets are known to last forever thanks to a unique ‘floating’ monobloc…

lecycleur.com

 

[Guinessisgoodforyou]

Don't you just love bike shops that won't fit what you want

 

[Woz]

I do remember reading an interesting account about Bebolux (or was it Jeay?) went out of business because of higher costs obtaining and forging aluminium. A lot is happening in the French domestic transport sector (aviation, motorbikes, trains) and perhaps the French bicycle part manufactures had to fight over the little left at uncompetitive prices?

Would need a full-time historian to really get to the definitive "whys" but the demise looks like a perfect storm was going on.

 

[Canuk]

I think it's pretty bizarre that the likes of Mavic (who were producing really world class group sets) couldn't get a decent foothold in the global market. I remember getting my first Mavic SSC part group: chainset, derailleurs and thinking 'this is SO much better than Campagnolo!' It's genuinely surprising that a few of the bigger manufacturers (Simplex, TA ect) didn't get together and really produce a complete group (with perhaps Corima wheels) at the end of 80's. I know Mavic kept on trying but it seems they just gave up. Was it because they couldn't produce Ergo Levers (I know that when Sachs released it's New Success group they had to use Campagnolo levers, rebranded)

They could've really taken on the Japanese at their own game, and had a decent stake in what's become a very strong global market.