FiR stands for 'Fabbrica Italiana Ruote' (which might translate as 'Italian Wheel Factory'). The company was set up in Bergamo in 1956 by the Arrigoni brothers. As it name suggests, it specialized in the manufacture of bicycle rims and, later, complete bicycle wheels, especially wheels of the 'aero' persuasion. FiR claims to be the first cycle-related company to have used carbon-fibre - in its Aru wheel in 1980.

FiR has a place on this web site because, during the melt down of the European cycle industry in the 1980s and early 1990s, it briefly sought to fortify its position by diversifying and offering a wider range of components. The FiR derailleur story might include the following plot lines:

• In 1988 Fir adverts made no mention of groupsets or derailleurs.
• In about 1989 FiR released four groupsets, each of which included a deraileur. There were 2 road and 2 mountain bike groupsets.
• The top of the range road groupset was called 'Gemini'. This included a beautiful, Italian-made, derailleur of FiR's own original design.
• The lower end road groupset was called 'Apollo'. This included a rather well finished, rebranded, Taiwanese DNP model, with a shortish pulley cage.
• The two mountain bike groupsets are less clear. It is possible that they were both of the same quality, but with different graphic treatments. It is also possible that at least one of them was called 'Nettuno'.
• What is more clear is that FiR offered two, nicely finished, rebranded, Taiwanese DNP derailleurs with long pulley cages. One had black knuckles and silver parallelogram plates, the other has silver knuckles and black parallelogram plates.
• Some time around late 1993 FiR adverts stopped mentioning groupsets or derailleurs and the whole project seems to have quietly faded away.

Even FiR wheels and rims disappeared from the market in 2005, but were resuscitated in 2012 and the company still seems to be in business.