 Logo on a Head badge | |
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Bicycles |
| Founded | 1921 |
| Founder | Willem Bustraan, Joop Bustraan |
| Headquarters | Groot Bollerweg 12, 5928 NS Venlo-Blerick, , Netherlands |
Number of locations | Westerstraat 150, |
| Website | rih |
RIH is a Dutch bicycle manufacturer. [1] The company is one of the last private bicycle builders in the Netherlands.
RIH has its origins in three companies: RIH Sport in Amsterdam, Fongers from Groningen and Cové from Limburg.
RIH was founded in 1921 by Willem (Wim) and Joop Bustraan at Westerstraat 150 situated in the working-class neighborhood Jordaan, Amsterdam.
In 1928, Willem Bustraan Jr. joined the business with his father and his uncle.
The two brothers handed over the business to Willem Jr. in 1948. He then teamed up with Wim van der Kaaij who had learned the trade from an early age always helping in the shop as an apprentice. He was the sole owner of the business and still built frames until into his 70s, mostly track (racing) bikes. [2] He died in 2014. [3]
Through the 1960s Fongers built lightweights in series under the RIH name, but this cooperation ended when Batavus-Intercycle acquired Fongers in 1970. [4]
About that time, in 1972, RIH started a collaboration with the Cové Fietsfabriek from Venlo. Later, Cové acquired the right to sell normal bicycles under the brand name RIH on the market.
The company was the first Dutch frame builder that could build lightweight frames.
In 2014, the firm moved to Gedempt Hamerkanaal 77, 1021KP HL Amsterdam (NH) (nowadays RIH Sport Amsterdam).
RIH's first championship was in 1924 when Jan Hijzelendoorn rode a Bustraan brothers' frame to the sprint and 1 kilometer titles in the Dutch National Championship.
When during the 1950s large sponsored cycling teams entered the stage, RIH's successes deteriorated because henceforth the sponsors decided which material was used. This was a major change because until that time the individual riders took that decision. However, when RIH became material sponsor for the Dutch national cycling federation Royal Dutch Cycling Union (KNWU) between 1989 and 1996, the company was able to build on past successes.
In 1990 Leontien van Moorsel won her first world title in the individual pursuit. Ingrid Haringa was world champion 1991 in sprint and 1991, 1993 and 1994 world champion in the points race. It is estimated that RIH frames have been ridden to over and 63 world and Olympic titles.
All in all, RIH bikes were ridden 350 national championships and 63 world championships and Olympic gold medals in both road and track events. [2]
Among RIH's customers was Gerrit Schulte, pursuit world champion in 1948 (beating the great Fausto Coppi), Arie van Vliet, Jan Derksen and Jan Pronk. During his professional career, Peter Post only rode on frames built by Willem Bustraan (both on the track and road). Even when riding for Willem II–Gazelle and Flandria, the RIH-built frames were painted in the team colors of his sponsor, and rebranded into Flandria or Gazelle. [5]
It has been suggested that RIH stands for Dutch : Rijwiel Industrie Holland (English: Bicycle Industry Holland). However, one of the founders noted in an interview that RIH was named after Kara Ben Nemsi's horse (from Arabic: fast as the wind), a character from the books of Karl May. [6]
The intertwined "GB" in the company's logo stands for "Brothers Bustraan" (Dutch : Gebroeders Bustraan). [6]
Cicli Pinarello S.p.A. is an Italian bicycle manufacturer based in Treviso, Italy. Founded in 1953, it supplies mostly handmade bicycles for the road, track, E-bikes(NYTRO), mountain bikes and cyclo-cross. The company also produces an in-house component brand – MOST.
A utility bicycle, city bicycle, urban bicycle, European city bike (ECB), Dutch bike, classic bike or simply city-bike is a bicycle designed for frequent very short, very slow rides through very flat urban areas. It is a form of utility bicycle commonly seen around the world, built to facilitate everyday short-distance riding in normal clothes in cold-to-mild weather conditions. It is therefore a bicycle designed for very short-range practical transportation, as opposed to those primarily for recreation and competition, such as touring bicycles, racing bicycles, and mountain bicycles. Utility bicycles are the most common form globally, and comprise the vast majority found in the developing world. City bikes may be individually owned or operated as part of a public bike sharing scheme.
Cyclo-cross is a form of bicycle racing. Races typically take place in the autumn and winter, and consist of many laps of a short course featuring pavement, wooded trails, grass, steep hills and obstacles requiring the rider to quickly dismount, carry the bike while navigating the obstruction and remount. Races for senior categories are generally between 40 minutes and an hour long, with the distance varying depending on the ground conditions. The sport is strongest in the traditional road cycling countries such as Belgium, France and the Netherlands.
Colnago Ernesto & C. S.r.l. or Colnago is a manufacturer of high quality road-racing bicycles founded by Ernesto Colnago near Milano in Cambiago, Italy. It remained a family-controlled firm until May 4, 2020, when it was announced that the UAE-based investment company, Chimera Investments LLC, had acquired a majority of the Colnago shares from Ernesto Colnago, although the headquarters will remain located in Italy after the acquisition. Instead of following his family's farming business, Ernesto Colnago chose to work in the cycle trade, and was apprenticed first to Gloria Bicycles at the age of 13, and subsequently taking up road racing. After a bad crash ended his racing career, he began subcontracting for Gloria, and opened his own shop in 1954, building his first frames the same year. While building frames, he remained much in demand as a racing mechanic. He was second mechanic on the Nivea team Giro d'Italia under Faliero Masi in 1955, eventually being employed as head mechanic for the Molteni team of Belgian cycling legend Eddy Merckx in 1963.
Freddy Maertens is a Belgian former professional racing cyclist who was twice world road race champion. His career coincided with the best years of another Belgian rider, Eddy Merckx, and supporters and reporters were split over who was better. Maertens' career swung between winning more than 50 races in a season to winning almost none and then back again. His life has been marked by debt and alcoholism. It took him more than two decades to pay a tax debt. At one point early in his career, between the 1976 Tour and 1977 Giro, Maertens won 28 out of 60 Grand Tour stages that he entered before abandoning the Giro due to injury on stage 8b. Eight Tour stage wins, thirteen Vuelta stage wins and seven Giro stage wins in less than one calendar year.
René Louis Théodore Herse (1908–1976) was a French builder of high-quality touring, randonneur and racing bicycles. His works are sought by collectors and riders.
Visma–Lease a Bike is a Dutch professional bicycle racing team, successor of the former Rabobank. The team consists of four sections: ProTeam, Women's Team, Development Team, and cyclo-cross.
Tom Ritchey is an American bicycle frame builder, Category 1 racer, fabricator, designer, and founder of Ritchey Design. Ritchey is a US pioneer in modern frame building and the first production mountain bike builder/manufacturer in the history of the sport. He is an innovator of bicycle components that have been used in winning some of the biggest cycling competitions in the world including the UCI World Championships, the Tour de France and the Olympics. In 1988, Ritchey was inducted into the inaugural Mountain Bike Hall of Fame in Crested Butte, Colorado : and 2012, inducted to the United States Bicycle Hall of Fame in Davis, California.
A roadster bicycle is a type of utility bicycle once common worldwide, and still common in Asia, Africa, Latin America, and some parts of Europe. During the past few decades, traditionally styled roadster bicycles have regained popularity in the Western world, particularly as a lifestyle or fashion statement in an urban environment.
Time is a manufacturer of pedals and bicycles.
GT Bicycles is an American company that designs and manufactures BMX, mountain, and road bicycles. GT is a division of the Dutch conglomerate Pon Holdings, which also markets Cannondale, Schwinn, Mongoose, IronHorse, DYNO, and RoadMaster bicycle brands; all manufactured in Asia.
Royal Dutch Gazelle is the largest and most famous bicycle manufacturer in the Netherlands. Gazelle employs 550 workers at its factory in Dieren, Netherlands, producing 300,000 bicycles a year. Total production has passed 13 million.
De Rosa is the family brand of Ugo De Rosa. De Rosa's company became renowned during the late 1960s and 1970s for manufacturing road racing bicycles.
Vitus is a British direct-to-consumer bicycle brand owned by Wiggle Ltd and is known for its range of medium to high-end road and mountain bikes. The brand has gained popularity for its innovative design and use of lightweight materials. Vitus bicycles have been ridden by numerous professional athletes and have achieved success in various cycling disciplines.
Focus Bikes is a bicycle manufacturer that has its administration in Stuttgart, Germany and production facilities based in Cloppenburg, Germany and builds sport bicycles such as e-bikes, racing bicycles and mountain bicycles.
KOGA is a Dutch bicycle manufacturer based in Heerenveen, Friesland. The company is known for its long time partnership with Japanese frame manufacturer Miyata, producing bicycles and sponsoring racing teams under the brand name Koga Miyata. As of May 2010 the partnership ended and the company began manufacturing bicycles under the KOGA brand.
BMC Switzerland AG is a Swiss bicycle and cycling product manufacturer based in Grenchen. BMC designs, builds and distributes road bikes, mountain bikes, and commuter bikes primarily for sale to dealers in North America, Europe, South Africa, Australia, East Asia and the United Arab Emirates.
A fatbike is an off-road bicycle built to accommodate oversized tyres, typically 3.8 in (97 mm) or larger and rims 2.16 in (55 mm) or wider, designed for low ground pressure to allow riding on soft, unstable terrain, such as snow, sand, bogs and mud. Fatbikes are built around frames with wide forks and stays to accommodate the space required to fit these wide rims and tires. The wide tires can be used with inflation pressures as low as 34 kPa; 0.34 bar (5 psi) to allow for a smooth ride over rough obstacles. A rating of 55–69 kPa; 0.55–0.69 bar (8–10 psi) is suitable for most riders. Fatbikes were developed for use in snow or sand, but are capable of traversing diverse terrain types including snow, sand, desert, bogs, mud, pavement, or traditional mountain biking trails.
Yoeri Havik is a Dutch cyclist, who currently rides for UCI Continental team BEAT Cycling.
Willem II–Gazelle was a Dutch professional cycling team that existed from 1966 to 1971. Its main sponsor was Dutch cigar maker Willem II and the co-sponsor was bicycle manufacturer Gazelle. Their most successful rider was Rik Van Looy, whose most notable wins with the team were the 1967 Paris–Tours, the 1968 La Flèche Wallonne and the 1969 E3 Prijs Vlaanderen. Harry Steevens won the 1968 Amstel Gold Race with the team.
