With Cervelo, Trek, Giant, Specialized..etc....now dominating big races like the TDF, I wonder what ever happened to the big French companies that were the big names back in the 80's. I've pretty much lost track of the road cycling scene since I started working after college. Just surprised to find out now that so many things have changed since the late 80's.

Chombi
84 Peugeot PSV

Read this:
https://www.gitaneusa.com/history.asp

You can still get Gitane bikes/frames - only in Europe and Australia. Peugeot I'm not so sure of. There are a few on the GitaneUSA message forums that have ordered frames and built up modern Gitane bikes.

It would be nice to see one of those makes in the peloton again. My '84 PSV made me prefer French bikes over many others. Even today I tend to look for Peugeot or Gitane to buy before other makes.

you can still get ::snicker:: motobecane bikes.... directly.

Oh,.............. that "other" big French bike company....




Just kidding of course, Unfortunately I'm just a Peugeot (and sometimes Gitane) fan. "Motobecane" just doesn't roll from the tongue as easily or sound as good as the two other names do for me personally.
but they are all really very similar French bikes in the end. Maybe it might simply be that the flashier Peugeot graphics caught my attention over Motobecane's too, when I first started biking seriously. Picking bike brands for me back then was more emotional rather than logical, but once I was hooked, I was hooked on Peugeots.

Chombi
84 Peugeot PSV

Motobecane is alive only in name. Just like Schwinn, it went out of business & then was bought for the name to put on overseas bikes.

Peugeot is alive and well.

French made Peugeots have been continuously available thoughout the world, without interuption, since 1882. For lack of better terms, 'Peugeot of France' sold licensing rights of their bicycle division to BH Cycles who in turn sold to Cycle Europe. In 2004 'Peugeot of France' AKA Peugeot Citroen PSA reconsidered previous licensure agrreements and regained control of the bicycle division.

https://www.peugeot.com/

https://www.peugeot.com/en/products/cycles.aspx

So miamijim when are you going to become the new Peugeot importer? Are any still French made or is production now in Taiwan or China like so many other bike "manufacturers" have moved production to.

https://www.gitane.com/fr/course.htm

Lots of other bikes made too, but those are the road/cyclocross and track frames.

Peugeot appear to have sacked making road frames at the moment. Which is a pity, as my 1995 Comp 500 (Columbus Thron tubing) is a lovely ride. It's about to be 'upgraded' with a 1" CF fork (ducks for cover) and Tiagra 9-speed, to replace the worn out RSX groupset. Pictures to follow, if anyone is interested.

Its very unlikely I'll ever become involved in the bike industry in any capacity beyond what I'm currently doing which is simply messing around in my garage and keeping my website going.


The quick answer to, "are they still made in France?" is yes. I'm have no idea which models are and which aren't.

When Peugeot sold off licensing rights in the early 90's they also sold off their factories as well. The licensing holders from 1992-ish through 2004, BH Cyles and Cycleurope continued to build Peugeots in France at the factories they acquired. Peugeots have been continuously manufacture in France since 1882.

As far as I know when Peugeot reacquired the bicycle division by declining to renew the licensing agreements they also reacquired their factories. While I dont know for sure, I'd imagine Peugeot never actualy sold the bicycle division otherwise they wouldnt have been able to contractualy reacquire it.

Cycleurope, the company Peugeot declined to renew licensing with, also owns Bianchi. Towards the end of the 90's Cycleurope swtiched pro sponsorship from Peugeot over to Bianchi. During my research I came across a reference to 2011 or 2012, I cant remember which, but I got the impression that Peugeot would begin road bike production around that time.

Its pure speculation on my part, but I'd imagine Cycleurope and Peugeot agreed to some type of no compete clause which prevents Peugeot from producing road bikes until 2011/12.

Good to know,
Where is Peugeot and Gitane in the TDF then?? You would think that at least the the French TDF fans would demand their return into the race to carry the flag for them.........unless Peugeot and Gitane Cycles are regarded with contempt by the French people.....I dunno......

Well, AG2R ride BH frames and Mavic wheels. FDJ ride Lapierre frames. French companies IIRC. There is some flag-carrying there. Plus Time are a french company as well I think.

TBH I don't think the French would care what any prospective native winner of the TdF was riding really. They go beserk enough when one of their own wins a stage anyway.

I was just thinking what a perfect picture it was seeing Hinault on a Gitane for so many years in the TDF, Same with Laurent Fignon Who couldn't be more French than anyone else in the French Renault Team. This carried on with the LOOK bikes that the La Vie Claire team rode....just not the same these days.....

I was just thinking what a perfect picture it was seeing Hinault on a Gitane for so many years in the TDF, Same with Laurent Fignon Who couldn't be more French than anyone else in the French Renault Team. this carried on with the LOOK bikes that the La Vie Claire team rode....just not the same these days.....
Heck, these French teams even made a point that they hired American and Irish champions with French last names.....Greg LeMonde (Gitane and La Vie Claire) and Stephen Roche (Peugeot)!

Chombi
84 Peugeot PSV

by "late 80's" you mean 20 Years ago.


...time flies.

Yeah, everyone just get off my lawn!.......I'm trying to tune my SIMPLEX RETROFRICTION DT shifters here!!

It went right over his head, but I get it.

No it didn't, Motobecanes just don't interest me enough to bother taking in the joke.

Chombi
84 Peugeot PSV

Peugeot was last ridden in the Tour during the '95 seasn by the Festina team and thay happened have won the team title that year.

Follow me closely on this one......During the 90's Cycleurope owned both Peugeot and Bianchi. For '95 Cycleurope sponsored Festina with their Peugeot brand. I'm not sure of the Cycleurope/Bianchi timeline but it appears Cyclerope choose to sponsor with Bianchi brand versus Peugeot following the Festina years.


As mentioned earlier I think there's some type of no-compete arrangement with Cycleurope which prevents Peugeot from making road bikes. Its speculation on my part but the best I can do.

You mean like Cannondale and Trek, who are basically making all their low to mid range bikes in factories in Asia. The only difference is Cannondale and Trek didn't go out of business. They just sold out.

Come to think of it, wasn't Cannondale purchase by Pacific like Schwinn. I wonder how long before you see Cannondales at WalMart?

I seem to remember somebody a couple of years ago mentioning that the agreement states that Peugeot is prohibited from selling bikes in bikes shops until 2013 or something like that and that you must purchase them today from a Peugeot car dealer.

There are no Peugeot car dealers in the USA. They haven't sold new cars here for 17 years.

it's really a shame we don't have peugeots here. the main reason for them not being here is different emissions standards. peugeots are very low carbon emitters but here that's not what we're concerned about. too bad, the peugeot 308 gets incredible fuel mileage in the diesel and doesn't look half bad (personal opinion). Mazda now seems to be making poor knock offs of peugeot car design as well......

my peugeot gets great mileage. especially downhill, i don't have to pedal as much.

Not true:

https://web2.userinstinct.com/2861745...ey-peugeot.htm