The Olivier brothers, Aimé, René, and Marius, were the first people responsible for recognizing the commercial potential of a new invention : the bicycle. The Olivier family was wealthy, owning a series of chemical plant in France based in

Lyon Lyon,, ; Occitan language, Occitan: ''Lion'', hist. ''Lionés'' also spelled in English as Lyons, is the List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, third-largest city and Urban area (France), second-largest metropolitan area of F ...

. While students in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

in 1864, they were among the first users of the new ''velocipede''. In 1868, the Oliviers formed a partnership with

Pierre Michaux Pierre Michaux (June 25, 1813 – 1883) was a blacksmith who furnished parts for the carriage trade in Paris during the 1850s and 1860s. He may have become the inventor of the bicycle when he added pedals to a draisine to form the Michaud ...

mass-produce Mass production, also known as flow production or continuous production, is the production of substantial amounts of standardized products in a constant flow, including and especially on assembly lines. Together with job production and batch ...

bicycles. All through the first

bicycle craze The bike boom or bicycle craze is any of several specific historic periods marked by increased bicycle enthusiasm, popularity, and sales. Prominent examples include 1819 and 1868, as well as the decades of the 1890s and 1970sthe latter espec ...

, from 1867 to 1869, it was René Olivier who led both the Michaux company and the industry as a whole. Then several major problems developed. The cast-iron frames would sometimes fail catastrophically. The relationship between the brothers and Michaud also broke down. In 1869 René formed his own Compagnie Parisienne bicycle factory, however, the bicycle craze in France (and in the United States) ended that year. The bicycle's popularity continuing only in England, it was inventors and manufacturers there who contributed the next series of improvements to its development.

References

* {{French bicycle manufacturers Cycle manufacturers of France Place of birth missing