[CR]HIRONDELLE Bikes...

(Example: Framebuilding:Tubing:Falck)

Date: Thu, 20 Dec 2007 16:18:18 -0800 (PST)
From: "Norris Lockley" <norris.lockley@yahoo.com>
To: classicrendezvous@bikelist.org
Subject: [CR]HIRONDELLE Bikes...

Well...it's a great theory that this brand of bikes was descended from a coach manufacturing company, and it certainly is deserving of more research. However the HIRONDELLE brand that comes up from time to time is the brand name of the bikes produced by the industrial giant MANUFRANCE that was based virtually in the centre of St Etienne from 1885 until it finally went bankrupt in 1986, and the assets were sold off.

The "Manufacture Francaise d'Armes et de Tir" opened for business in 1885 and produced, as it's name suggests rifles, pistols etc for hunting and military use. In 1886 it produced its first cycles and was renamed "Manufacture Francaise d'Armes et de Cycles". The company expanded prolifically and became well-known for its sewing machines, cameras, motorbikes, autocycles, bikes, guns etc. It was ione of the first companies in the world to sell by mail order from huge catalogues, many of which are now collectors' items. The company held many names for its variety of products..but there was only ever one bike brand that of Hirondelle ( I think). It made "ROBUST" guns and sewing machines but not ROBUST bikes..that was another company in the same city.

The range of bikes was enormous..and is probably well-known for its derailleur gear that was operated by back-pedalling. In the 50/60/70s the company produced s range of very typically French racing bikes, equipped like all other French bikes of those years with Simplex, Mafac, Maillard/Normandy/ Ideale etc etc...but using Reynolds tubing although the french manufacturer VITUS had factories not more than a ten minute drive away.

In addition to its bizarre "retro-pedallage" derailleur, Manufrance made many other accessories inclusing brakes. The company adopted, in the 50s the method of mounting the front brake at the rear of the fork crown long before British time-trial frame builders cottoned onto the idea in the 70s and 80s. The French did it for rigidity and the UK builders for aerodynamics.

The former MANUFRANCE factory still stands near the centre of St Etienne as a monument to the city's manufacturing base as the arms and cycle manufacturing centre of France. It is a truly massive resplendent stone eddifice built in "art nouveau" style. When Manufrance finally closed down, the city and regional government bought the factory and turned into a business and exhibition centre. It is truly impressive and should be visited by any serious student of industrial archeology.

More about MANUFRANCE can be found on WIKIPEDIA..together with a set of sepia post-cards showing the manufacturing and assembly lines inside the factory..all of this of course before the Taiwanese etc etc etc etc came along and spoiled the plot.

Norris Lockley, Settle UK

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