Heroes of the Past and Present

I'm a big fan of wheel builders, especially the pioneers to whom we owe this wonderful craft that contributes so much to the quality of our cycling. Over this year, I'd like to pay respects to some of these. You'll see these posts collecting in "Workshops" under Contents.

Spain's Michel Debien is one of today's icons. His Spainish shop, Meca Bici, is a celebration of wheel building.

A Master at Work

I could tell right away that Michel shares my enthusiasm for this wonderful craft. On his opening page he pays respects to his mentor, Marcel Borthayre, the legendary builder from Biarritz. When I search for deeper wisdom in this field, I run into Marcel's reputation as a "magician" and pioneer. We'll discuss some of his ideas and contributions in future posts.

Another legendary builder who deserves mention is Claude Lehaneur of Roval. Forget the recent Roval brand re-introduction by Specialized. The work Claude did in France in the late 1970's was as innovative and visionary as cycling ever sees.

All the necessities.