by velocollective | May 8, 2017 | Bike Histories
The Final Throw of the Dice Things looked bad for the French bike parts industry. The year was 1984, and the market was rapidly changing; the reign of French components, once so dominant in the bike boom, was now being eroded by competition from...
by velocollective | Mar 10, 2017 | Bike Histories, Vintage Bikes, Vintage Swiss Bikes
Jewel in the Forest One misty spring morning I took a drive out into the forests of Washington State, on the borders of the Olympic National Forest. Though the clouds became darker and the mist became heavy rain as I drove across to the peninsular, I was...
by velocollective | May 12, 2016 | Bike Histories
The Bike Boom and the Japanese Revolution The bike boom in the early 1970’s must have been a wonderful period for bike manufacturers and component makers in Europe. Exports of bikes to the USA rose from 7 million in 1970 to to 14 million in 1974. Demand...
by velocollective | Mar 18, 2016 | Bike Histories, Other Vintage Bikes, Vintage Bikes
35 years later, this De Rosa has still yet to be built, and has never seen the road. I bought it in Seattle in 2012 from its original owner, a Californian who purchased the imported frame in 1980. He asked the bike shop to fit the first of what he thought would be a...
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