InvestigationEcological and economical, the cycle is the subject of unparalleled enthusiasm in France. This phenomenon, amplified by the health crisis, caused an explosion of independent brands and specialized fashion brands.
A strange object sits in the middle of Ramdane Touhami’s living room, between two vintage wooden armchairs by Pierre Jeanneret. A “Unicorn”, if we are to believe its owner, artistic director and founder of the Buly perfume and cosmetics brand. There are indeed only three copies of the bicycle signed Jean Prouvé, whose frame, dating from 1941, is made of folded sheet metal open diagonally, the favorite material of the famous architect and designer (died in 1984).
“There is an unimaginable snobbery around the material. Cycling is a highly codified universe that allows you to choose the bike that exactly matches your tastes and practice. »Yorgo Tloupas, artistic director
Ramdane Touhami is an authentic bicycle fetishist. He is not the only one. Even though some lovers of the little queen once revered motorcycles or cars, their awareness of the ecological emergency and their own well-being converted them. A phenomenon amplified by the health crisis, which has pushed many French people to adopt this mode of travel. In a depressed economy, last year in France it sold 2.7 million bicycles (+ 1.7%), including 500,000 electric (+ 29%), according to the Union sport et cycle. Currently, it takes up to nine months to wait for some models and parts.
The proliferation of bicycle geeks has caused an explosion of independent brands and collaborations between manufacturers of electric models and lifestyle brands. These days, Cycles Cavale are launching a bike sporting the iconic duck blue of the Sarah Lavoine brand, marked with the signature of the Parisian designer. Claudie Pierlot’s models pose around a Voltaire model and designer Ora-ïto designed the high-tech model for the new brand Angell …
Auction, beautiful books and other guides
The culture of the bicycle object is also developing with great support from auctions, beautiful books (recently, Velo – 2nd Gear at Gestalten), guides (Slow Bike, by Bérangère Florin and Eugénie Triebel, edited by Arthaud, which offers 30 escapes across France) and specialized press. So in the magazine wheel Pedal! edited by So Press, Ramdane Touhami will launch the review Pediforce (dedicated to cycling and politics) at the end of the year.
The movement is carried by creatives and design fans, like Emmanuel Berard, who explains: “There is in the bike a need for simplicity, functionality, close to typography and graphics. The frame of a bicycle consists of two contiguous triangles. The slightest modification – even minimal – of this geometry turns everything upside down. It’s like a letter: if you pull on the shaft of the p, it becomes a b. “
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