Cyclopathe
Le_Cycle_#47-197906_p33
Italy district
builds its frames with slow, precise movements that do little to encourage visitors to engage in idle chatter.
In the second room, which is as small as the first but still completely tidy, his son Jacques assembles a bicycle or repairs one belonging to a loyal customer. His wife ties or tightens the spokes on a wheel. Around them, there are never more than two or three people who are not ‘part of the service’. The conversations are those of connoisseurs. They know about gears. They have tried out the equipment. No, always in the utmost calm, they simply exchange a few bits of gossip about the latest races, those they have just competed in or watched on television.
Henri Depierre joined a bicycle manufacturer in Le Tréport at the age of fifteen. Even then, he was interested in racing frames and made a few at home, thanks to the advice of a specialist craftsman who had worked for a reputable frame manufacturer.
From 1940 to 1946, he competed in races as an amateur and moved to Paris, supplying custom-made frames to several frame manufacturers.
Then came the crisis of the 1950s for the bicycle industry, caused by the success of mopeds and the development of the automobile. After spending a few months at Arliguie, where he set up a workshop, Henri Depierre changed careers and began manufacturing... floor lamps.
In 1967, when his son finished his military service, he decided to set up his own business as an independent craftsman and builder. The seriousness of his design and construction methods and the new boom in cycling ensured the success of his company.
The frame design
Henri Depierre believes that the best way to make beautiful frames is to love your craft and to perfect your skills. It's a recipe that works as well as any other. But you still need to study the optimal dimensions and find a style. That's what he did, ‘like Chapman did for Lotus’, as one of his friends likes to say.
What is the ‘Gemini’ style?
It is based on two simple ideas:
- the angle of the seat tube depends primarily on the length of the femur, and does not simply vary according to the height of the frame;
- the design of the steering system has a decisive influence on the bike's handling on long descents.
(continued on p. 35)
Le_Cycle_#47-197906_p33
Italy district
builds its frames with slow, precise movements that do little to encourage visitors to engage in idle chatter.
In the second room, which is as small as the first but still completely tidy, his son Jacques assembles a bicycle or repairs one belonging to a loyal customer. His wife ties or tightens the spokes on a wheel. Around them, there are never more than two or three people who are not ‘part of the service’. The conversations are those of connoisseurs. They know about gears. They have tried out the equipment. No, always in the utmost calm, they simply exchange a few bits of gossip about the latest races, those they have just competed in or watched on television.
Henri Depierre joined a bicycle manufacturer in Le Tréport at the age of fifteen. Even then, he was interested in racing frames and made a few at home, thanks to the advice of a specialist craftsman who had worked for a reputable frame manufacturer.
From 1940 to 1946, he competed in races as an amateur and moved to Paris, supplying custom-made frames to several frame manufacturers.
Then came the crisis of the 1950s for the bicycle industry, caused by the success of mopeds and the development of the automobile. After spending a few months at Arliguie, where he set up a workshop, Henri Depierre changed careers and began manufacturing... floor lamps.
In 1967, when his son finished his military service, he decided to set up his own business as an independent craftsman and builder. The seriousness of his design and construction methods and the new boom in cycling ensured the success of his company.
The frame design
Henri Depierre believes that the best way to make beautiful frames is to love your craft and to perfect your skills. It's a recipe that works as well as any other. But you still need to study the optimal dimensions and find a style. That's what he did, ‘like Chapman did for Lotus’, as one of his friends likes to say.
What is the ‘Gemini’ style?
It is based on two simple ideas:
- the angle of the seat tube depends primarily on the length of the femur, and does not simply vary according to the height of the frame;
- the design of the steering system has a decisive influence on the bike's handling on long descents.
(continued on p. 35)