René Louis Théodore Herse (1908–1976)
was a French builder of high-quality touring, randonneur and
racing bicycle
A racing bicycle, also known as a road bike is a bicycle designed for competitive road cycling, a sport governed by and according to the rules of the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI).
Racing bicycles are designed for maximum performance ...
s. His works are sought by collectors and riders.
Career
Herse was born in
Caen
Caen (, ; nrf, Kaem) is a commune in northwestern France. It is the prefecture of the department of Calvados. The city proper has 105,512 inhabitants (), while its functional urban area has 470,000,Breguet. In 1938, he introduced lightweight aluminum bicycle components: pedals, cranks, cantilever brakes and stems. In 1940, he began making complete bicycles. Herse was a "constructeur", meaning he built not just the frame but the entire bike.
His hand-built
bicycle
A bicycle, also called a pedal cycle, bike or cycle, is a human-powered or motor-powered assisted, pedal-driven, single-track vehicle, having two wheels attached to a frame, one behind the other. A is called a cyclist, or bicyclist.
Bic ...
s were described as "the pinnacle of
French
French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to France
** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents
** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...
cycling
Cycling, also, when on a two-wheeled bicycle, called bicycling or biking, is the use of cycles for transport, recreation, exercise or sport. People engaged in cycling are referred to as "cyclists", "bicyclists", or "bikers". Apart from two ...
" from the 1940s until his death. Herse died in Paris.
Competition successes
Herse bikes won technical trials in wartime and post-war France. His riders and especially his daughter Lyli Herse (see below) won numerous times in the Polymultipliée de Chanteloup hillclimb races. Herse's riders won the Challenge des Constructeurs for the builder with the three best-placed riders in the Paris-Brest-Parisrandonneur event every time from 1948 until 1971, and again in 1975. Six victories out of ten times the trophy was attributed has never been equalled.
His frames were ridden to victory by racers including
Louison Bobet
Louis "Louison" Bobet (; 12 March 1925 - 13 March 1983) was a French professional road racing cyclist. He was the first great French rider of the post-war period and the first rider to win the Tour de France in three successive years, from 1953 to ...
. Geneviève Gambillon won the world championships (female) on René Herse in 1972 and 1974.
Family
His daughter, Lyli, won eight national female cycling championships in France. After René Herse's death, Lyli Herse and her husband Jean Desbois, who was one of Herse's best framebuilders, continued the René Herse company until 1984. They also completed back orders of bicycles, so the last classic René Herse bikes were made in 1986.
Today
In the early 2000s, Lyli approached Jan Heine, the editor of ''
Bicycle Quarterly __NOTOC__
''Bicycle Quarterly'' is a magazine examining the history of bicycles, their design and evolution, with emphasis on Randonneuring bicycles. Articles evaluate equipment and bicycles for performance and function, and include footnotes. The ...
'' magazine and founder of Compass Bicycles, with the request of taking over the René Herse trademark and assets in order to safeguard them for the future. In 2020, Compass Bicycles officially changed the company name to René Herse, to fully safeguard the trademark and legacy.