Welcome to The Velo Collective
The definitive resource for vintage French bikes.
If you love vintage French bikes, there are lots of reviews and restorations, bike repair tips and information on this site dedicated to classic bikes. You can also find posts on other vintage European, Japanese and American road bikes, many with links to videos on our Youtube channel. Thanks for visiting!
Manufrance Hirondelle Restoration By Jimi
Manufrance Bikes If you go looking for a vintage bike advertised on French classifieds, chances are you’ll easily come across a Manufrance for sale. A ubiquitous sight on French roads for many decades, the company was founded way back in 1885. The model...
Jacques Anquetil Bike – By Phillip
Monsieur Chrono This is a 1980’s Jacques Anquetil bike sent by Phillip, who is going to improve some parts of it and find out some more about the bike. I wrote a blog about an Anquetil find which I enjoyed restoring here, though with its Vitus frame and Shimano...
Cycling on the French Mediterranean
Sun, Sea and a Dedicated Bike Trail The coast towns of Marseillan, Agde and Sete are holiday resorts with miles of sandy beaches and lots of attractions. This area is perfect for cycling on the French Mediterranean. It’s an area filled with camping sites which...
Vintage Bikes Spotted in French Towns
Peugeot HLE, Beziers With its undeniably 1980’s paintwork, this Peugeot vintage bike was one of the few that I saw around the town of Beziers, in south west France. I don’t think the owner of this bike has much concern about the originality of its...
A Vintage French Bike Ride – Lake Annecy
Going Alpine I’m not one for climbing large mountains in some pursuit of my own cycling fantasy. I admire those who do make it up Alpe D’Huez or Ventoux, but I would much follow the meanderings of a lazy river, or in this case, follow a bike trail around a...
The Best Vintage 3 Arm Crankset?
Best Vintage 3 Arm Crankset This is a Spécialités TA Professional 3-arm crankset, and frankly, I believe it's the nicest vintage crankset of its type. This particular crank came off a 1979 TI Team Raleigh Pro, in the celebrated red, black and yellow colours,...
Raleigh Professional v Schwinn Paramount
Raleigh Professional v Schwinn Paramount I once owned a Raleigh Professional and a Schwinn Paramount at the same time. Yes, I was living the American dream, of having two of the most prestigious vintage bikes that were sold in America in my garage. Not a...
Felix’s Superb Lapierre Vitus 979
Lapierre in Dijon This is a beautiful bike. It has the same frame design and aesthetic of Vitus Dural frames which were highly admired in the early 1990's, and which were exported to the US and sold as premium aluminium framesets. Sean Kelly rode a Dural 979...
Vitus 181: a Peugeot Competition and a Course
Two Vitus 181 Bikes for $150 I love the higher-end Peugeots of this era, especially the ones made with Vitus 181 tubing like this one. I often find myself looking for them in local classifieds, on Ebay and on Gumtree. The Competition model came in Reynolds 531...
Motobecane Super Sprint – Damaged
Motobecane Super Sprint This is a Motobecane Super Sprint in nice condition for its age. Well, at least, this is what went through my mind when I first saw it and met its owner. I use “owner” here in the loosest sense, as he was a guy who dabbles in fixie...
Converting to STI Gearing: the vintage 9 Speed
Converting to STI gearing It’s not everyone’s cup of tea: a purple frame that is quite striking and flamboyent, but I really like the colour. The story is a short one: I bought a custom built bike, mysteriously branded “Treboutte”, last year, and took all the...
Carlton Criterium Restoration
Carlton Criterium Restoration I’ve never owned a Criterium before, but I have restored a couple of Pro Ams and Longfellows in recent times. The bike in this blog, which needs top to bottom work, was lower in the ranks than the Pro Am, which had Reynolds 531...
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