jim haseltine
Senior Retro Guru
Vitus. There was a time when I'd have killed (ok, you know what I mean) to own a Carbone 9 with Kronos forks. Even now I wouldn't turn one down given the chance.
What Happened to The French: Fin d'une époque?
- Thread starter Canuk
- Start date
non-fixie
Senior Retro Guru
Like in many other industries, small companies have little chance of surviving against the power of economy-of-scale and Big Marketing.
In 2014 I witnessed an interview with Valentino Campagnolo in Belgium. He was being harassed by the interviewer: "Why don't you make a better effort to compete with Shimano's excellent 105 group?"
Valentino Campagnolo being grilled in Ghent
His answer was as clear as it was ominous: "We don't have the development resources that Shimano has, so we focus on the markets we have a position in." Or words to that effect.
Fast forward to 2024, and Campagnolo is gone from the World Tour ...
In 2014 I witnessed an interview with Valentino Campagnolo in Belgium. He was being harassed by the interviewer: "Why don't you make a better effort to compete with Shimano's excellent 105 group?"
Valentino Campagnolo being grilled in Ghent
His answer was as clear as it was ominous: "We don't have the development resources that Shimano has, so we focus on the markets we have a position in." Or words to that effect.
Fast forward to 2024, and Campagnolo is gone from the World Tour ...
Yep, I rue the day I only had 99 centimes in change when I had the chance to buy Wolber...
A Wolber decal alone costs upwards of £5 today.To let loose a bit, I am known to have a tipple, I think the French bike industry is like going through the pain barrier. Survivors in the downs may come out strong. For how long who knows. There is certainly affection that France is not wiped out entirely in the bike industry and more recent geo-politics (which we can't talk about) is indicating some glimmers of hope - but it's more like, and rightfully a new chapter for a new generation.
I have seen recent positive things too.
Personally think it's well over the TdF emulation antics. A winner does make great publicity to sell things, but I feel French industry and bike products must say to themselves they need to diverge across all fields of cycling to survive properly.
On another note, "Mike HUNT, Mike HUNT, please come to the reception".
French artisan builders are still going strong, much moreso than British ones (re, the near extinction event at Mercian). What they don't have (or aren't interested in) is small, bespoke equipment manufacturers like Hope/Goldtec etc. Which is a shame because that's where a lot of the innovation comes from.
Maxi Sports and Cyfac are still producing world class steel and aluminium (and of course carbon) frame sets and I'm luck to own a couple. The frame builders still proudly sign their name on the finished product and of course you get a certificate. Right up until 2008 Cyfac were building frames for the Tour, which sadly now has become a closed shop. They even built the Raleighs for the Castorama squad.
There's a long history of great Tour riders NOT riding the frames of their sponsors (because they knew artisan built frames were better). Pantani rode Spanish THT frames painted as Bianchi, Merckx rode the Basque country Mariotas when the entire Faema team were on Colnago, Iindurain rode hand built Razesa because they were making the best time trial frames in the world.
It's tragic that Mavic and Sachs never got to compete with the Japanese in the groupset market though. Like I said upthread, was it because they couldn't manufacture their own ergo levers in house? Perhaps the R&D to do so was the nail in the coffin for the both of them?
Maxi Sports and Cyfac are still producing world class steel and aluminium (and of course carbon) frame sets and I'm luck to own a couple. The frame builders still proudly sign their name on the finished product and of course you get a certificate. Right up until 2008 Cyfac were building frames for the Tour, which sadly now has become a closed shop. They even built the Raleighs for the Castorama squad.
There's a long history of great Tour riders NOT riding the frames of their sponsors (because they knew artisan built frames were better). Pantani rode Spanish THT frames painted as Bianchi, Merckx rode the Basque country Mariotas when the entire Faema team were on Colnago, Iindurain rode hand built Razesa because they were making the best time trial frames in the world.
It's tragic that Mavic and Sachs never got to compete with the Japanese in the groupset market though. Like I said upthread, was it because they couldn't manufacture their own ergo levers in house? Perhaps the R&D to do so was the nail in the coffin for the both of them?
Perhaps a look into the time line of patents may provide some clues?
Ergopower (1992) and STI (1990) are different, and perhaps not much room in the middle for any other cable actuated brake / shifting?
Perhaps that is why Mavic opted for electronic (rear) shifting (1993)?
It's a nice theory, but I'm kinda thinking there's no way a third, original ergo shifting system couldn't have been designed and patented by the French. The R&D costs though, that might have been tough to swallow for a company like Mavic who were only targeting the high end road users, with no middle or low group. Did they make MTB parts?
Goa Dakar MTB group:
https://www.retrobike.co.uk/threads/mavic-paris-gao-dakar-group-set.449393/
Not aware of any others and very rare. The underbar wishbone shifters are rare and sought after:
EDIT:
https://www.retrobike.co.uk/threads/1991-mavic-groupset.468090/
No brake set Perhaps something from Dia-Compe would have been the norm?
https://www.retrobike.co.uk/threads/mavic-paris-gao-dakar-group-set.449393/
Not aware of any others and very rare. The underbar wishbone shifters are rare and sought after:
EDIT:
https://www.retrobike.co.uk/threads/1991-mavic-groupset.468090/
No brake set
Perhaps something from Dia-Compe would have been the norm?
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