Manufrance Lautaret NOS Steel Road Bike 1990s

Manufrance, founded in the 1880s, was a gigantic distributor of cycles, rifles and almost anything useful for a private household. They were based in St Etienne, the city known as the cycle manufacturing cradle of france.

They were the first big french company in the mail-order business. Their success was incredible but came to an end in the 1970s and in the 1980s the troubled company was bought by Bernard Tapie. The same Tapie who at the same time owned the "La Vie Claire Team" and sponsored Bernard Hinault and Greg Lemond.
He turned to sell Manufrance out rather than rebuilding it and in the early 1990s the last batch of bikes was made and partly sold. But some of them remained well stored and never ridden. Just like our Manufrance Lautaret NOS Steel Road Bike, an authentic sweet early 1990s bike.

The quality lugged frame is built using Columbus Gara tubes. Its geometry has been inspired by the low profile time trial frames of its time: The top tube has been pointedly bent and is gently sloping further downwards to the head tube. An internally routed brake cable, integrated fork crown and semi-horizontal dropouts show that this frame was meant to be a reliable speedster of remarkable quality.
The bike is equipped with a Shimano 400EX groupset a comfy Turbo Gel saddle. Moreover, it has a pair of Wolber clincher rims!

An original new old stock bike which radiates all that positive early 1990s spirit at a no-nonsense price.