by velocollective | Aug 5, 2026 | Bike Histories
One Friday Afternoon It’s not often you have the chance to have a moment alone with a legendary bike, especially one ridden by perhaps the greatest rider of all time. It was just by sheer luck that I came across an event listing by the Istituto Italiano di...
by velocollective | Jun 22, 2018 | Bike Histories, Vintage Bikes, Vintage French Bikes
Fall of the Giants Motobecane shares a similar history to Britain’s Raleigh brand, and sadly both companies no longer produce bikes in their respective countries. Both Motobecane and Raleigh became behemoths in the cycle industry throughout the 20th...
by velocollective | Apr 3, 2018 | Bike Histories, Other Vintage Bikes, Vintage Bikes
1986 Tour De France, mid 1980’s, and that rivalry: LeMond v Hinault. It’s become one of the great events in the history of the race, and I was in my teens at the time. I remember seeing those Look bikes and wishing I had one. LeMond’s...
by velocollective | Mar 28, 2018 | Bike Histories, Vintage Bikes, Vintage French Bikes
What’s So Special About Lapierre? Dijon sits about 250km north of Saint Etienne, that cycle powerhouse of the vintage era. Famous for its mustard, Dijon is a city I’ve always wanted to visit, but never managed to see. One of France’s...
by velocollective | Mar 20, 2018 | Bike Histories, Vintage French Bike Parts
Challenger v Criterium It’s 1976, and you’ve just bought yourself a new French bike. Not an expensive one, mind you, as inflation is at a whopping 16% in Britain. You opted for the mid-range bike, something like the Motobecane C3, and...
by velocollective | Dec 18, 2017 | Bike Histories, Vintage Bikes, Vintage British Bikes
The Hill Special On the 31st August 2014, on the afternoon that Eastbourne’s pier burnt, I had the bizarre stroke of fortune to meet the Hill family in my back garden – the day after I just bought a 1982 Hill Special locally on Gumtree. How...
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