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Cyclopast, Marseille (2026)

25/05/2026

There's something profoundly significant about certain stages of life. There are two that I can draw parallels with today, a parallel that has probably never been made before, that might seem far-fetched, but which, today, resonates with a very real present, my reality.

Getting on a Singer bicycle for the first time is a certainty: something magical, but also addictive, that invites you into a story and transforms your vision of cycling. Having always loved building my own bikes, with Singer, I understood that a bicycle is a complete entity, the interpretation of a request, transformed into a bicycle, into a coherent whole.

Entering a psychotherapist's office for the first time is the certainty of experiencing something transformative, but also addictive, of entering the depths of oneself and disrupting the patterns that have driven us until then. Having always believed I could solve everything on my own, the accumulation of sessions has made me realize that cycling is essential for my introspection, but that this introspection is meaningless if it isn't guided by a professional and enriched by new knowledge (philosophical, sociological, or political). The goal is to cultivate a more coherent and peaceful self.

The Singer bike that Sboard lent me soothes me. I descend the five flights of stairs to the street, hop on, and after a few pedal strokes, the magic happens. I glide over the landscape, like the surfer riding a wave in the film The Endless Summer (1966). A Singer bike offers a constant feeling of receiving something new with every cadence you set. A Singer bike is a certainty: the certainty of having a pleasant moment and rediscovering sensations from yesterday, the day before, or even a few years ago. It's an unchanging bicycle, untarnished by time. There's something similar in my therapy sessions: thirty minutes like a constant, questioning like a certainty. Sessions that time cannot tarnish.

These are currently the two new elements in my life, and they are also the ones transforming my daily routine. How could I do without them? The Singer surely resonates exactly at my frequency, precisely touching my sensitive chords, and today, how could I do without it? Just like these thirty-minute sessions that now keep my body balanced like a pile of gold coins.

The parallel may seem far-fetched, but it allows us to glimpse the depth of my relationship with cycling. It's not just a sport, just a passion; it's therapy, a point of equilibrium, a keystone of my sometimes dysfunctional structure. The Singer is a tool in this practice, and it is a tool of incredible finesse and regularity, which makes each moment of introspection an ever more gentle interlude.

01/05/2026

There is nothing to add to these incredible shots!

27/02/2026

A lot of snow this year in the south of France.

These photos were taken the last week of January at the col de Corobin near Digne-les-Bains. The pass was closed due to a small landslide. Because the road was closed, snow was not removed, so I had to do the last kilometers by pushing my bike.

But the view was clearly worth it. Nothing beats a calm, empty road.

I had a similar experience last Monday, attempting to climb the Montagne de Lure ( 1825 m ) in MTB. I had to turn back at only 3 km from the summit. More than 30cm of snow on the road and trails made the progression impossible.

But again, it makes a memorable and epic moment and obviously beautiful pictures.

About the magazine now, I have slowed it down a lot, but still progressing. A spring release seems unlikely now. I finished two articles on the eight that I would like to offer. With Singer and Dejouannet in the same magazine, I may have sur estimate my self, as writing on these two monuments is kind of overwhelming. The good news is that I have all the documents to write about Coponet's voyage and Sablière, thanks to Matthieu. Here is a small preview:

• Coponet's voyage from France to New Zealand. ( ready to be written ).
• Marco's voyage from France to central Africa. (Half of the content in my possession only ).
• Dejouannet ( Last addition was Horseau's phone number ( his last apprentice ) 1847 words so far ).
• Sablière ( I have now everything, but it is very dense with a lot of precise information, and an important work of organizing pieces of information is needed ).
• Singer ( already 3750 words written, not much left in fact )
• Pierre Brondellon, MTB pionneer in Auvergne ( 1/2 finished, might be the next one to be completed, 1865 words so far ).
• Adrien Zammit voyage from Cunlhat to Atlas ( finished with 5044 words, just missing pictures and their legends ).
• Gogo hell cross the last one ( all done, even the layering, ready to print 2481 words ).

I don't have real excuses to progress this slowly; in fact, I'm working only 24 h per week. Most likely, I'm taking my time because this project is not a source of income there is no hurry in finishing it. I still have other volumes in stock, too, so my work is actually for a very small number of passionate people who most likely can wait another few months to have something great and precise.

The idea for the volume after this one would be to go to Japan and write an entire magazine on the Japanese scene. This will require more time and money.

27/01/2026

A few days after our publication on François Coponet’s trip, he sent us the missing part of his journey, which contains a few pictures that he took during his trip, with a hand-drawn map of his itinerary.

I’m very excited to be able to say that I have everything to write the complete story. In the same time, I don’t see how this new volume could be ready for Spring 2026 as I’m left with so much work. I might need to skip some subjects to avoid presenting a 300-page book. Singer and Dejouannet are two monuments of our cycling history; it is hard to just write a few pages on both of these artists. Then the trip of Coponet ( two years long ) and Zammit ( 7 weeks long ) is also complex to restore to let you have the best experience of their trip. I’m also left with the giant trip from Paris to central Africa of my friend Marco. The 50-year-old dedicated to MTB cycling life of Pierre Brondello. And the portrait of Matthieu Pelardy. The gogo hell cross subject I finished and I have started to format the layout.

But who cares in fact, as this project is a pure product of my passion for cycling history and done on my free time ( when I’m not cycling ). It progresses slowly. I’m as impatient as you to make it real. This new book is going to be legendary !

Pictures taken from the documents sent by François, showing different stages of his trip from France to New Zealand.

19/01/2026

" Once upon a time...

Once upon a time, there was a little boy of five, François, who, for Christmas, received a bicycle with training wheels. These training wheels were put away in the closet, because that very evening François was riding his bike like a grown-up, still using the sidewalk to get going for a few days afterward.

He quickly became an expert at it, causing quite a stir among the neighbors down the street who, from time to time, would say to me, "You know, François is going to have an accident sooner or later if he keeps going like that." The bicycle would be put away in the garage for a few days, a week, or even longer. François didn't complain. Once the punishment was over, he would get back on his bike, obediently, and with increasing fearlessness, until the next time he was deprived of it.

He reached the age of 13, with an ever-growing desire to go on outings far from home. But letting him go off alone worried us. An article in P.N. about the GTR came at just the right time. (Editor's note: I need to understand what P.N. and GTR mean). We got in touch.

One beautiful Sunday, François went to join the GTR for an afternoon. His beaming face that evening and his obvious contentment assured us of his future commitment to the GTR. He had caught the bug, and this was the best way to cure it.

Years passed. He infected the rest of the family.

Patrice and Dominique, fellow GTR members, decided to cycle to India. François's passion was rekindled, manifesting itself in the desire to travel far away as well.

For us, it was vague, intangible, but a few clues warned us!

Before François left for his military service, we knew for sure. We knew he would one day leave for distant lands.

Upon returning from the regiment, after a year of teaching at the Blaise Pascal high school in Rouen, the bicycle he had made himself was finally ready, the parents resigned and cooperative, and François was determined. "

This text is an extract of a long document written by François Coponet's parents during his two-year trip from France to New Zealand in 1984. This document consist in several dozen letters, sent by Coponet every two weeks to his parents along his trip. These letters, which have been retranscripted by his parents, were sent by post with photos that François Coponet should share with us later.

When I heard François speak about this trip and the archive he had, I was instantly hooked. François is an incredible person and framebuilder with almost 50 years of experience in framebuilding. He is now retired, enjoying the world and his time. I could not resist sharing with you in the next Cyclopast Magazine a few glimpses of his trip. The method chosen, as the documents are approximately a hundred pages long, is to select a dozen remarkable letters, which I will translate, annoted and illustrate with the work of another friend (as I was not able to get the pictures from François yet).

Through this article, you will be able to discover a 50-year-old trip and world and the parcours of a man who dedicated his life to his passion for cycling.

Photo sources: François Coponet's archives.

Update on the 2026 magazine volume 5: Currently, we have a definitive number of eight articles. One is finished being written. Five have been started. Two must be started ( these two articles are the biggest: François and Marco's ( from Paris to central Africa ) bicycle tour ). Currently, the 2026 edition has 16 868 words. As a comparision the 2025 edition contains 42 927 words. So we can honestly say that so far, 1/3 of the written work has been done. The article on Singer and Dejouannet is particularly long to put together, especially since I discovered Gallica BnF, and it is hard for me not dig into both subjects. This year, the magazine will include articles in French and maybe other languages in addition to the traditional English. The printing will be done by me, so I'm not expecting to do a lot of quantities, as I also realise that I'm very bad at selling and shipping ( I still have plenty of Volume 3 and 4, but I'm very lazy to ship them, postage is a pain and burden in France ). So I should print less to focus more on the core of the project: gather information and write the truth. Even if no one is asking, the project is still there, but I'm slower. I already have an idea for the next volume, but for now, I need to publish this one, the fruits of two years of work.

Volumes 3 & 4 are still available in physical and digital editions. You can reach me by e-mail.

19/12/2025

It had been a very long time since I'd bought a complete bike. I also haven't often had the opportunity to buy a handcrafted bike, and I think my professional year in 2024 will have definitively turned me away from modern handcrafted bikes, as the prices sometimes don't reflect the durability of bikes compare to those made before 1990. And then there are the egos of some bike manufacturers. Anyway.

Last year, probably after talking with someone I greatly admire, I realized that a bike is a complete package, and a handcrafted bike even more so. You acquire a project, a thought process, a work process; you support the lifestyle of a craftsman or a team you admire and love. It's not just a frame, but also a geometry, the artisan's interpretation of your desires and needs, the result of a collaboration. You're buying a selection of components and a wheel build, as well as attention to detail and, finally, ongoing support for your bike over the years. Also, I still have time to change my mind; chasing after bare frames to assemble seems less relevant now when it comes to buying a handcrafted bike: Singer, Dejouannet, Michel, Carré, Urago, Chiron, Doléac, and so on.

With this in mind, I wanted to make as few modifications as possible to this Bernard Carré, which I was able to acquire thanks to a network of people who share my vision of cycling. La Bardouille, Octave from Paris, whom I first met at the 2025 Singer Rally without really getting to know each other, then again at the Cezanne Rally, and even shared a delicious meal with a mutual friend, Olivier Csuka, followed by kilometers on the Gabriel Refait loop.

An alert on Le Bon Coin. A very attractive price of €180. An extremely friendly seller. And above all, Octave, quick to help me, to give me, a little enthusiast, a boost in acquiring this beautiful size 56 bike. Octave went to Fontainebleau, picked up the bike, and then took it to Marseille a few weeks later. I rode it for a few kilometers before giving it a little makeover, but so little as the bike was in such good condition. I added a touch of color with pink and sky blue cotton bar tape, installed Japanese-style (Ninja Maki), Nissen cable housing, Dia Compe brake levers, and two pairs of Kool Stop brake pads. No real need for anything more, the rest is like new. I'm also swapping in a pair of clincher wheels I had on my previous bike.

The bike is extremely pleasant, easy to ride in high gears, generously stiff when standing up without being too stiff on rougher sections of road. The riding position is intentionally aerodynamic, with a 560mm frame and a 110mm stem. You move around on the saddle to adjust your position according to the effort required, and the 415mm handlebars don't offer too many surprises in terms of available positions. While the current trend is for seatposts as high as the Eiffel Tower, this Bernard Carré offers a traditional design and, in my opinion, a more mechanically sound one: a 565mm seat tube for a seat height of 730mm in center, resulting in a 165mm seatpost (tube/rails/saddle). You'll notice that before the 1990s, commercially available seatposts were generally close to 180 mm. I'm curious to know what motivates manufacturers to release seatposts today that are close to 350, or even 400 mm. As for the rest, I note a bottom bracket height of 280 mm and a wheelbase (center to center) of 995 mm. I have no opinion on these measurements, but I'm noting them for potential future comparisons. I would have liked to measure the head tube and seat tube angles, but I don't know how; if anyone has any ideas, please let me know. One small flaw to note: the rear brake bridge is positioned a bit high (about 5 mm). The brake pad, therefore, sits on the upper edge of the braking surface and, after wear, risks touching the tire. I'll have to correct this by filing down the caliper where the brake pad mounting bolts pass through.

So all that remains for me is to ride this bike to appreciate and pay tribute to the work of Bernard Carré.

12/12/2025

Let's not forget the people who forged our future.

I started cycling like most people of my generation, by starting on a fixed gear. I miss those times, digging on forums or blogs to try to understand how a bicycle works, digging shops too, which were full of colorful parts, despite it being already too expensive for me. I somehow miss BLB, and I'm thankful that Nitto or Dia Compe are still doing nice, fair-priced, and colorful parts. I miss these never-ending night rides with people who may not cycle anymore.

It was so much fun. Era felt different.

Looking at these pictures & posts on https://fixedgeargirltaiwan.blogspot.com/ reminds me how time flies so fast, and how I wish I had taken more pictures of this period of my life. Because today I'm only left with blurred memories.

04/12/2025

Here is a small selection I have taken from 2020 to today, while working on Cyclopast. From Taiwan to Italy. From famous framebuilders to very discreet collectors. I have met countless people, most of them will never remember me or our encounter in a decade, but I'm proud to have collected their stories, to fix them in paragraphs for eternity.

Cyclopast is a series of books, published since 2020, focusing on traditional ( vintage, retro, steel ) bikes.

Artisans, manufacturers, travelers, collectors are all gathered in these books dedicated to people who love history and a specific bicycle culture.

These books are written, edited, and published by me ( Ernest ) and do not have any ads in them. They are printed in France but are written in English to have the widest audience possible.

They can be ordered by contacting me via email or phone.

or

They can be paid to download from Gumroad: https://cyclopast.gumroad.com/

The 2026 edition has been in preparation for a year and a half. It should be ready next spring. If I'm not too lazy.

24/11/2025

It was time.

It was time to ride a little over 100 kilometers in one go.

It was time for a beautiful day of cycling with a longtime friend.

It was time to take the time to ride this route between Toulon and Nice for the third time since September.

It was time to enjoy ourselves again under the southern French sun.

At my friend's urging, Pouf , we set off on a Toulon-Nice ride, 177 kilometers, which included, in order, the Port-Cros National Park and the famous Place de la Capte, Rayol-Comté of course, with its magnificent jagged coastline that begs for changes of pace and gear, making you want to fly, and finally the Esterel Massif with its glowing red coastline.

Nothing is to be disappointed, at least up to Cannes, and even venturing a little further to Ramatuelle and Gigaro beach allows you to extend the distance and increase the enjoyment. I guarantee you that the road to Collebasse and then the coastal road leading to Saint-Tropez are truly delightful, often free of traffic.

Of course, having acquired a Bernard Carré, this time in my size (55 cm square), it was also time for a proper test ride. Without changing anything except the wheels, I switched to clinchers; tubulars are just too old-fashioned for me. Aside from the gearing being a bit too difficult for me, Bernard Carré's work is exceptional under my legs. Acceleration is easy, the handling is precise, and the feeling on descents is serene. Great pleasure, then, on this beautiful bike, and I hope to have the opportunity to delve a little deeper into the history of this renowned manufacturer later.

19/11/2025

" This is Roland Cogotti's bicycle, which he had carefully restored and pampered. " - Patrick Moutaud.

Roland Cogotti, whom I never met, was a truly passionate spirit and a close friend of my friends Pouf and Patrick: " Roland Cogotti worked as a photographer in France and throughout Europe. His photos can be found on advertising posters, the covers of decorating magazines, and numerous catalogs. He also ventured into the world of publishing and published several books. " - cestcommelevelo.com

His Daniel Hanart Technicycle bike is the occasion to re-share a few paragraphs I wrote about Daniel Hanart in 2023.

• The story of a successful, passionate with a giant heart.

Daniel Hanart was born in the complicated end of world war two era in 1944. He quickly started work in 1959; he was only 15 years old and already began his career as an industrial boilermaker.
The same year Daniel Hanart had a license in its local cycling club: VC Pontois. This club is located in the town of Pont Saint Maxence, 60 kilometers from Paris. From 1959 to today, Daniel Hanart played an essential role in the club, accumulating 110 wins, including ten titles as a champion of Picardy ( track bike ) and two champions of Picardy titles in team pursuit cycling.

Everything started when Daniel restored the bike his dad, inspired by a rider from the VC Pontois club, who used to pass in front of his house every week. Daniel is excellent on a bicycle and started to race directly in 1959. He will need to gain experience and, after three years, win his first race. Daniel is also interested in track cycling, gathering local riders' experience, and watching world championships on TV. He won his first race in 1962. Eventually, Daniel received an offer to become a professional cyclist; unfortunately, after losing his dad, he supported his family by working. He declined the offer and continued to shine on the local scene. Finally, in 1975, he opened his bicycle shop and then, strong from his boilermaker experience, started to craft bicycles. His success as a framebuilder is evident:

1985 the hour record with Jeannie Longo.
1995 100 km record.
1998 won the French track cycling championship.

I'm currently trying to have more information about these titles.
Along with these brilliant successes, Daniel Hanart crafted numerous bikes for a wide variety of usage: "From 1990 to 2006, Daniel brought the Technicyle Paris brand to life while manufacturing more than 150 bikes for the 650 brotherhood, with shortened chainstays, and an incalculable number of track bikes, races, hikers for enthusiasts, hiker for the Porte de Vincennes Rando Cycles store, or other prototype self-service bicycles for the RATP. " - encycloduvelo.fr.

After a few years in other cycling clubs, he returned to the VC Pontois; he is very active, giving advice and following up with the people willing to train in the VC Pontois. He even became the president of this club in 1987. Recent pictures taken in March 2023 show him during a training of the VC Pontois club. Daniel never stopped to share his passion for cycling, even in 2009 when he was called back from his retirement to pursue his work as a framebuilder and share his skills and experience.

• Daniel is back from his retirement for Le Batard Custom Cycles.

In 1961, Guy Léger founded Cycles Leger. At first, the company specialized in bar turning and machining for aeronautics, electronics, and petroleum industries. But in 2009, Benoît Le Batard ( Cycles Leger and Le Batard seem to be under the same ownership now), the new owner, bought all the machines and tools from Alain Michel, another famous French framebuilder that we have presented earlier. Strong from his experience in the metal industry, he convinced Daniel Hanart to come back from his retirement to give his expertise to the newly founded Le Batard Custom Cycles. Today the company is crafting around 30 bikes per year, primarily custom-made. In 2018 the price for a complete frameset was around 1800€; it was also possible to order a complete bike with the option of using vintage components. The core value of Benoît Le Batard is clearly to bring back to France the frame-building savoir-faire, betting on high-quality steel from Italy like Columbus and Dedacciai or Japan with Tange without giving up on performances: "We only use the best in tubing, in this case Colombus or Deddaciai made in Italy, Reynolds from England or even Vitus, Amadeus, Tange... Then, our work design, assembly and welding allows us to produce frames as light (from 1 to 1.3 kg) as those in carbon, or almost. In addition to being cheaper, solid, and manufactured near France, steel has the immense merit of being recyclable, but also repairable, for only a few tens of euros." - Benoît Le Batard for lafabriquehexagonale.com. Daniel Hanart's creations are highly recognizable by their very short rear triangle and the curved seat stay. A quick look at the Le Batard Custom website witnesses this inspiration.

• La Confrèrie des 650: Daniel Hanart working on a randonneur frameset.

Daniel also crafted a bike for the famous Confrèrie des 650, an association dedicated to the passion of 650B wheels size: "Created in 1995 on the initiative of Henri Bosc, the Brotherhood of 650 intended to bring together the users of this standard which corresponded perfectly to their practice. Proof of the correctness of its analysis consisting in not abandoning a wheel diameter that has proven its effectiveness, its recent and relatively massive return by the United States (27.5 inches = 650B). In 1998, wishing to maintain the availability of semi-artisanal machines that neither manufacturers nor craftsmen wanted to ensure, the Confrérie launched into the production of its own randonneurs in a totally voluntary framework and, as a result, at an unrivaled cost. 450 "Brotherhood" machines are currently out and about in France and around the world. " - confreriedes650.org. You may already have heard about this association with our magazine, Sebastien Klein from Brevet Cycles, that we interviewed, also worked with the association, possibly around 2017, to produce a dedicated 650B touring model.

Daniel worked with the association in 2000 and worked on a dedicated frameset designed for a 650B wheelset. The frame used Vitus TXO tubes with a price set at 1677€. The groupset was a mix of Campagnolo Mirage groupset, Shimano brakes with Stronglight bites such as the crankset and the headset. According to some sources, Vitus TXO was a top-quality tube set with a 0.8 / 0.6mm gauge, similar then to the Columbus TSX, which was used for professional road racing, with a total set weight of around 1945 grams. To compare, SLX tubes set the weight of 1966 grams ( source: millfieldvelo.com.au )

• A legendary framebuilder that gathers passionate people.

Today Hanart's bikes are still very looking for. There are also great subjects of discussion. The forum Pignolefixe which gathers an impressive number of French collectors, has a total of 174 posts mentioning Hanart's work in less than three years.

As we said earlier, Daniel is still an active member of the VC Pontois club, where he advises the riders but also follows them during training or in local races. Moreover, he is swift to answer on social networks, which is an absolute pleasure when you have questions about his work.

These frames are still precious; currently, on LeBonCoin, there is one Hanart selling for 1200€. You can also find two Technicycle. On the contrary, it seems that Ebay doesn't host any frame from Daniel Hanart.

Photos source:

Patrick Moutaud from Briko-Bike

Sources:

https://encycloduvelo.fr/technicycle/
https://www.thespoken.cc/heritage-paris-007
https://confreriedes650.org/les.../790-2/evolution-2/
https://www.classicrendezvous.com/France/Vitus_history.htm

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