DISRAELI DOCUMENTS
see also TCF Rev Mens 01/1891 - Peugeot ad
see also TCF Rev Mens 01/1891 - Peugeot ad
see also TCF Rev Mens 10/1891 - Peugeot ad
see also TCF Rev Mens 10/1891 - Peugeot ad
see also TCF Rev Mens 05/1892 - Peugeot ad
see also TCF Rev Mens 05/1892 - Peugeot ad
see also TCF Rev Mens 02/1898 - Machines et Modes nouvelles
see also TCF Rev Mens 02/1898 - Machines et Modes nouvelles
see also TCF Rev Mens 01/1901 - Un peu plus de lumière
see also TCF Rev Mens 01/1901 - Un peu plus de lumière
see also TCF Rev Mens 02/1901 - Le Cyclisme au Salon
see also TCF Rev Mens 02/1901 - Le Cyclisme au Salon
see also TCF Rev Mens - 08/1902 Concours de Bicyclettes de Tourisme (part II)
see also TCF Rev Mens - 08/1902 Concours de Bicyclettes de Tourisme (part II)
see also TCF Rev Mens - 09/1902 Concours de Bicyclettes de Tourisme (part III)
see also TCF Rev Mens - 09/1902 Concours de Bicyclettes de Tourisme (part III)
see also TCF Rev Mens - 10/1902 Concours de Bicyclettes de Tourisme (part IV)
see also TCF Rev Mens - 10/1902 Concours de Bicyclettes de Tourisme (part IV)
see also TCF Rev Mens 01/1905 - La Bicyclette au Salon
see also TCF Rev Mens 01/1905 - La Bicyclette au Salon
see also TCF Rev Mens - 07/1905 Concours de Bicyclettes de Voyage (part I)
see also TCF Rev Mens - 07/1905 Concours de Bicyclettes de Voyage (part I)
see also TCF Rev Mens - 05/1906 Le Salon cycliste de 1905 (part III)
see also TCF Rev Mens - 05/1906 Le Salon cycliste de 1905 (part III)
see also TCF Rev Mens 12/1906 - Peugeot ad
see also TCF Rev Mens 12/1906 - Peugeot ad
see also TCF Rev Mens - 01/1907 La Bicyclette de Voyage au Salon
see also TCF Rev Mens - 01/1907 La Bicyclette de Voyage au Salon
see also TCF Rev Mens - 12/1907 La Bicyclette de Voyage au Salon (part I)
see also TCF Rev Mens - 12/1907 La Bicyclette de Voyage au Salon (part I)
see also TCF Rev Mens 01/1909 - La Bicyclette au Salon (part I)
see also TCF Rev Mens 01/1909 - La Bicyclette au Salon (part I)
see also TCF Rev Mens - 11/1909 Comment choisir sa bicyclette? (part I)
see also TCF Rev Mens - 11/1909 Comment choisir sa bicyclette? (part I)
see also TCF Rev Mens 01/1911 - La Bicyclette au Salon
see also TCF Rev Mens 01/1911 - La Bicyclette au Salon
see also TCF Rev Mens 04/1911 - Un Nouveau Concours?
see also TCF Rev Mens 04/1911 - Un Nouveau Concours?
see also TCF Rev Mens 03/1913 - La Bicyclette hors du Salon
see also TCF Rev Mens 03/1913 - La Bicyclette hors du Salon
see also TCF Rev Mens - 06/1924 L’équipement des brevetés cyclotouristes
see also TCF Rev Mens - 06/1924 L’équipement des brevetés cyclotouristes
see also TCF Rev Mens - 06/1924 Le 6e Critérium de la Bicyclette polymultipliée
see also TCF Rev Mens - 06/1924 Le 6e Critérium de la Bicyclette polymultipliée
see also TCF Rev Mens - 08/1924 La Semaine cycliste du Dauphiné
see also TCF Rev Mens - 08/1924 La Semaine cycliste du Dauphiné
see also TCF Rev Mens - 09/1925 Le 7e Championnat de la Bicyclette polymultipliée
see also TCF Rev Mens - 09/1925 Le 7e Championnat de la Bicyclette polymultipliée
see also TCF Rev Mens - 12/1932 La bicyclette au Salon de 1932
see also TCF Rev Mens - 12/1932 La bicyclette au Salon de 1932
see also TCF Rev Mens - 02/1934 Chronique cyclotouristique
see also TCF Rev Mens - 02/1934 Chronique cyclotouristique
see also Terrot - catalogue 1963
see also Terrot - catalogue 1963
see also French Registered Design # 123328-004 - Simplex 1977
see also French Registered Design # 123328-004 - Simplex 1977
see also Bicycling 1978 - Peugeot ad
see also Bicycling 1978 - Peugeot ad
see also Winning 1985 Oct - Peugeot ad
see also Winning 1985 Oct - Peugeot ad
The Peugeot story is one of the founding myths of French industrial history. In the late 18th century the Peugeot family were wealthy land owners in the town of Montbeliard, close to the German and Swiss borders with France. They had a notable interest in the agricultural machinery of the time such as wind and water mills, and in spinning and weaving, which were becoming mechanised.
In 1810 Jean-Pierre and Jean-Frédéric Peugeot, formed a company, Peugeot Fils, and founded an iron foundry. They started with basic objects such as saw blades and household utensils, moved on to simple machines such as pepper mills and coffee grinders and then graduated to precision engineering and sewing machines.
In 1885 Armand Peugeot opened a bicycle factory on the famous Beaulieu site. This was the birth of the Cycles Peugeot business. From here it was but a short step to motorcars and motorbikes. There follows a complex intertwining of different brothers, sometimes running different competing companies, sometimes merging the Peugeot group back together again.
However, throughout its whole, somewhat chaotic, history the Peugeot group has maintained what marketeers would call remarkably consistent positioning. Peugeot products have always had a certain engineering quality without ever quite becoming luxury or exotic items.
By the 1950s Automobiles Peugeot was a major car manufacturer, and Cycles Peugeot was one of the dominant forces in the French bicycle industry, although it must be said that neither company achieved the level of dominance of, say, General Motors in the US car market, or Raleigh in the UK bicycle market.
Around this time Cycles Peugeot started to use derailleurs made by Simplex, based in nearby Dijon, and the two developed a close working relationship. The legend goes that, by 1962, Peugeot engineers were instrumental in providing the technology that allowed Simplex to move its entire derailleur product line to being manufactured from Delrin plastic. This is now seen as the fatal move that destroyed Simplex - but at the time Simplex derailleurs were considered to be engineering marvels.
During the 1970s (and possibly the 1960s) Peugeot put its brand on a large number of different Simplex models, and, confusingly, also fitted derailleurs branded as Simplex. Bernard Thévenet won the Tour de France in 1975 and 1977 riding a Peugeot fitted with Simplex derailleurs.
With the meltdown of Simplex in the early 1980s Peugeot started to use more Huret (and Sachs-Huret) derailleurs, particularly their Eco model on its cheaper bicycles. However, I can’t remember if Peugeot ever used its own brand on these.
