Originally Posted by sincos

Still doesn't explain why there are no well-known German framebuilders from back then. There are well-known names from before WW1 from France, Italy, and England -- Atala, Bianchi, Legnano, Peugeot, Raleigh, Stella etc -- but I can't think of any German ones. Interwar there were Helyett, Gitane, Motobecane, Mercier, Bottechia, Benotto, Gloria (not so well known now, though ex-employee Ernesto Colnago is). Germany had massive reparations to pay, but that didn't stop MZ and BMW from producing leading edge motorcycles or Mercedes Benz and Auto Union from making immensely powerful (and expensive) automobiles. Postwar there were Cinelli, Masi, Colnago, Pinarello, etc etc.at a time when Germany's Mercedes Benz and BMW and MAN picked up where they left off. But not until recently did we get the likes of Canyon and Focus.


I think that indoor cycling was relatively more popular (6-day, track, those weird things like artistic and Radball). Why that is is a different question.