Renowned for its exquisite paint jobs, Motobecane was a wonderfully Gallic bike
Dripping with French components, this bike was ridden by a member of a Belgian cycling dynasty
By the early 1980s, Motobécane was one of France's top bike manufacturers. Like other French brands such as Peugeot, Gitane, and Mercier, Motobécane's bicycles were still winning races. However, the decade was proving to be the end of an era for these iconic French brands. Overseas competition and new materials like carbon fibre had driven many of them to extinction.
Other French component manufacturers such as Simplex, Huret, Mafac, and Maillard also met similar fates, marking the close of a golden era for French cycling brands. A 1980-1983 La Redoute-Motobécane bike won race prologues in the prime of its career. Current owner Richard Hoddinott of The Velo Pages describes the bike as an exemplar of French craftsmanship.
The bike features French components like the Stronglight chainset, Simplex mechs and shifters, Sachs Maillard cassette, Maillard hubs, and Mavic rims. Only the Cinelli cockpit, Selle Italia saddle, and Weinmann brakes are non-French. The bike's deep blue flam metallic paint, chrome forks, and sparkling rear triangle seem to glisten like diamonds.
After retiring from racing, cyclist Jean-Luc Vandenbroucke built a successful career as a directeur sportif for Lotto. The French cycling industry has also adapted, with brands like Look, Lapierre, and Van Rysel now prominent in professional cycling.
Written by urgent.news from Cycling Weekly's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
