Table of Contents
Mécacycle
Raymond Crozet founded Mécacycle in 1978 in Saint-Étienne, France, the heart of French bicycle manufacturing since 1886. Mécacycle produced very finely crafted, fillet brazed road bikes at a rate of 500-600 per month, along with a few mid-range mountain bikes made locally with mostly French components.
He previously gained much experience building frames for Mercier.
Raymond Crozet helped organize the first Roc d'Azur, now the largest MTB event in the world. Mécacycle employee Larbi Midoune won the innagural 1984 event riding a Mécacycle.
Mécacycle claims credit, along with many others, of producing the first French made MTB in 1983, debuting his first mountain bike at the Solon du Cycle, Paris, 1983. However, Gitane, Liberia, Motobecane and Peugeot were all marketing MTBs by 19831) No pictures of a 1983 MTB model have been found.
It's likely that Mécacycle created the first carbon tubed MTB2), winning the 1987 Paris-Gao-Dakar MTB race across France, Spain and the perimeter of Algeria. The only other early carbon MTBs include the 1988 Look AV86, and the 1988 Kestrel Nitro prototype. Carbon fiber road bikes first debuted in the 1976 Olympics but were deemed too expensive and fragile to waste on off-road toys.
Mécacycle closed in 1990, although there is an odd 1991 frame placed below in the timeline.
resources:
Carbon MTB, winner of the the 1987 Paris-Gao-Dakar race.
retrobike
Raymond Crozet, 2014
voyomag
1984 Vercors
Sachs Huret Rider v2 derailleurs (1984-5), Mavic cranks, Columbus lugged frame, Sakae Ringyo MTS-100 slingshot stem (1982-84), Columbus tubing decal is 1978-1984. Some components are not original.
1984 Vercors
flickr
1985 Vercors
Sachs Huret Rider v2 derailleurs (1984-5), Nervar Biorhythm crankset (80's), Stronglight fluted seatpost (1980s), bulky, hard plastic shoulder “strap”, Unknown tubing sticker (Vitus?) with lugged frame.
1985 Vercors
flickr
1987 Zermatt
1987 catalog shot. Either Super Vitus 983 or Columbus OR lugged tubing. Maxicar hubs, Dural rims, Sachs-Huret New Success (1985-87) derailleurs.
1987 Zermatt
vive-le-velo
1988 Larzac
Originally equipped with fenders. Missing front cantilevers. The 1987 Larzac came with front hub brakes. Sachs-Huret Rival ARIS (1987-89), CLB Angénieux brakes & levers, Vitus 999 tubing with lugged frame. No front derailleur, as per catalog 3).
The first reliable bike for renting. 1987 Mécacycle catalog: vive-le-velo.
1988 Larzac
velovintageagogo
1989 Vercors
Listed as a 1987, but the components say otherwise. Sachs-Huret Rival ARIS ATB gruppo (1989-1990), Lee-Chi brakes and levers, Vitus tubing with lugged frame. See also interview with Raymond Crozet: https://www.vojomag.com/interview-le-premier-roc-jy-etais/.
1989 Vercors
generationmountainbike
1990 Turbo
Shimano XT M730 derailleurs (1986-88), Shimano Deore MT60 (not M700) crankset (1990-1, thus), Offroad Flexstem (1989-90), cantilevers front and rear, Stronglight seatpost, fillet brazed frame, internal cable routing. Split seat tube previously reserved for their road bikes. Uncertain dating, as the parts don't seem to fit together - and neither does that split seat tube belong on an MTB. If this started as a Turbo road frame, then it is likely made of Reynolds 753 tubing brazed with Silver Flo 66. Such is the difficulty of this tubeset, that it's possible that this is the only Reynolds 753 MTB ever created. This is the only fillet brazed Mécacycle found, and also their only MTB with a Shimano drivetrain.
The doubled seat tube was created to allow for the road wheel to slot in under the seat, allowing for ultra short chainstays. A fat tire ain't going there.
Split seat tube detail.
mtbr
1990 Turbo
mtbr
1991 Blanc
Sachs-Huret Rider (type 3?) (1990+??), helicomatic hubs, Lee Chi brakes, Solida crankset, 3×6 drivetrain, TIG welded. Was this frame made in France? This date is very uncertain, as it's based upon undocumented derailleurs and forum opinions. The feel of the bike is 1988-89, but the frame, if authentic, is very different than any other Mecacycle. Perhaps it's Mécacycle's last gasp before insolvency in 1990, or someone else riding on Mécacycle's good name?
1991 Blanc
velovintageagogo