Miche is the brand of Fabbrica Accessori Cicli di Michelin S.P.A., based in San Vendemiano in that bicycle-rich region of Italy that lies between Venice and the Dolomites. According to their web site the Company was founded by Ferdinando Michelin in ‘the dusty times after WW1’. The story may go something like this:

• It's possible that Ferdinando Michelin and his brothers founded a company called Cicli Piave, possibly in 1919. This business may have been essentially a specialist bicycle shop that produced frames and bicycles, as was the style at the time.
• After some time, Ferdinando may have fallen out with one or more of his brothers.
• He, then, may have gone on to form Fabbrica Accessori Cicli di Michelin S.P.A., and developed the Miche brand.
• One or more of his brothers may have started manufacturing complete bicycles under the Stella Veneta brand.

In that Italian way, Miche is a family business, handed down from Ferdinando to his son Italo and now run by Ferdinando’s grandson, Luigi.

A footnote that is often added to this story is that the Michelin family that started the famous French tyre company also originally hailed from the Veneto region of Italy.

I have always had a quiet liking for Miche equipment - it may not have the luxury feel of top-of-the-range Campagnolo, but, over the decades it has consistently been stylish, practical and reasonable value for money. Miche may miss out on the very heights of quality - but their designs demonstrate a refreshing lack of arrogance - rare in a European company. Their main business has always seemed to me to be hubs and chainsets, and recently they have positioned themselves as the fixed wheel component brand of choice.

In terms of derailleurs, Miche currently sell groupsets completed with Campagnolo derailleurs (branded as Campagnolo). However in the 1980’s and 1990’s they rebranded SunTour derailleurs with the Miche name.