 | |
| BH | |
| Founded | 1909 in Éibar, Spain |
| Founders | Cosme Beistegui, Domingo Beistegui, Juan Beistegui |
| Headquarters | , Basque Country (Spain) |
Number of locations | Vitoria-Gasteiz: 2 Águeda, Portugal: 1 |
Area served | Europe |
| Products | Bicycles |
Beistegui Hermanos S.A. (BH or BH Bikes) is a Spanish bicycle manufacturer. Founded in 1909, it is headquartered in Spain. [1] As of 2023 it also went by BH Bicycles, after its years as Beistegui Hermanos. [2]
BH Bikes, or BH, is the acronym for Beistegui Hermanos, a company founded in Spain by the brothers Cosme Beistegui, Domingo Beistegui and Juan Beistegui. These individuals founded the company in 1909 in the Gipuzkoan municipality of Éibar, just before the onset of World War I. The company initially manufactured Mauser pistols, but orders slowed under the armistice. [1]
The company chose to convert their production chain and begin the manufacturing of bicycles [1] in 1919. [3] Prior to the Spanish Civil War in 1936 until 1939, Beistegui Hermanos also produced firearms, specifically copies of the Ruby pistol (as the 1914 Model) and Mauser C96 (as the MM31 and MM34).
In 1959, BH moved its production to a newer and larger plant in the Spanish city of Vitoria, capital of the Basque Country, Spain. In the decades afterwards, the Beistigui brothers' company became the largest producer of bicycles in Spain. [1] Among well-known models were the touring bicycle BH Gacela, as well as a folding BH that could be folded into the trunk of a car. [1]
During the 1960s, the main BH factory in Vitoria manufactured not just frames, but everything from saddle to spokes and handlebar. BH expanded to have two manufacturing and assembly facilities in Vitoria and another one in Águeda, Portugal. The facilities include CNC laser machining, which also produces fitness equipment and parts for BMW and Mercedes-Benz.
Their BH Meteor model, a BMX bike, became popular in the 1980s. [1] In 1984, the BH Running Bull became the first mountain bike manufactured entirely in Spain. Afterwards the company released its BH Top Line bike line, with oversize aluminum frames. [1] Later lines included ultralight bicycles for triathlon use, and electronic bikes. [1]
In the early 1990s, BH purchased Peugeot and founded Cycleurope, owner of Bianchi, Peugeot and Gitane. In 1996, BH sold Cycleurope to concentrate on home markets of Spain and in Portugal. In 2001, BH re-focused on the pan-European market.
The Vitoria factory closed in 2010, with the company maintaining logistics there. Production was moved to Portugal and subcontracted to chaisn in China. BH Bikes remained owned by the Beistegui family. [1]
The company introduced its first electric model in 2008. In 2016, the company sold around 60 different models that ranged in price from around $1,300 to $5,200 USD. [4] BH at one point manufactured 200,000 bicycles a year, 50% of which were exported to European countries other than Spain.
As BH Bikes, in early 2021, the company was returning to the UK market with a partnership with the company Ciclista. Its bike range at that time include MTB, road, gravel, trekking, urban, and the various equivalents in e-bikes. BH Bikes already had partnerships with SPIUK and ProCycleCare. [5] In 2022, BH was the third-largest bike-maker in Spain, after Orbea and Mondraker. [6] As of 2023 it also went by BH Bicycles. [2]
In 1935, the company sponsored the first Vuelta a España. [1] The winner of the first two edititions of this bike race, Gustaaf Deloor of Belgium, crossed the finish line on a BH bicycle. This was again the case later in 1986, with the rider Álvaro Pino, also on a BH. [1]
BH sponsored the French Direct Énergie Pro Cycling Team in the 2016 and 2017 seasons, and have also sponsored the French cycling teams FDJ–Suez and Sojasun. Sponsored athletes have included Anton Sintsov and Donato De Ieso among others.
As BH Bikes, they were sponsoring the Spanish Burgos BH cycling team as of 2023. [7]
Peugeot is a French brand of automobiles owned by Stellantis. The family business that preceded the current Peugeot companies was founded in 1810, is regarded as the oldest car company in the world. On 20 November 1858, Émile Peugeot applied for the lion trademark. Armand Peugeot (1849–1915) built the company's first car steam tricycle. They joined forces with Léon Serpollet in 1886; this was followed in 1890 by an internal combustion car with a Panhard-Daimler engine.
The Mauser C96 is a semi-automatic pistol that was originally produced by German arms manufacturer Mauser from 1896 to 1937. Unlicensed copies of the gun were also manufactured in Spain and China in the first half of the 20th century.
The Schwinn Bicycle Company is an American company that develops, manufactures and markets bicycles under the eponymous brand name. The company was originally founded by Ignaz Schwinn (1860–1948) in Chicago in 1895. It became the dominant manufacturer of American bicycles through most of the 20th century. Schwinn first declared bankruptcy in 1992, in 2001 Schwinn went bankrupt again and was purchased by Pacific Cycle, now owned by the Dutch conglomerate, Pon Holdings.
The PSA Group, legally known as Peugeot S.A. was a French multinational automotive manufacturing company which produced automobiles and motorcycles under the Peugeot, Citroën, DS, Opel and Vauxhall brands. On 18 December 2019, PSA and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) announced that they had agreed to the terms of a binding $50 billion merger. On 16 July 2020, both companies announced the new name for their merged operations, Stellantis. The deal closed on 16 January 2021. As of 2022, Stellantis is fourth largest automaker by sales behind Toyota, Volkswagen Group, and Hyundai Motor Group.
Giant Manufacturing Co. Ltd. is a Taiwanese bicycle manufacturer, recognized as the world's largest bicycle designer and manufacturer. Giant has manufacturing facilities in Taiwan, the Netherlands, China,and Hungary. They have future plans for Vietnam to be the fifth location.
Gitane is a French manufacturer of bicycles based in Machecoul, France; the name "Gitane" means gypsy woman. The brand was synonymous with French bicycle racing from the 1960s through the mid-1980s, sponsoring riders such as Jacques Anquetil (1963–1965), Lucien Van Impe (1974–1976), Bernard Hinault (1975–1983), Laurent Fignon (1982–1988), and Greg LeMond (1981–1984). It is owned by Grimaldi Industri AB.
Halfords Group PLC is a UK retailer of motoring and cycling products and services. Through Halfords Autocentre, they provide vehicle servicing, MOT, maintenance and repairs in the United Kingdom.
Orbea is a bicycle manufacturer based in Mallabia, Spain. It is part of the Mondragón Cooperative Corporation and Spain's largest bicycle manufacturer. Orbea manufactures and assembles bikes at their own factory in Mallabia, the other models being made in Portugal and frameset are from China.
Nishiki is a brand name of bicycle, not a bicycle company.
F.I.V. Edoardo Bianchi S.p.A., commonly known as Bianchi is the world's oldest bicycle manufacturing company in existence, having pioneered the use of equal-sized wheels with pneumatic rubber tires. The company was founded in Italy in 1885 and in addition to bicycles it produced motorcycles from 1897 to 1967. In 1955 the joint-venture Autobianchi was created together with Fiat and Pirelli for the manufacturing of cars – Autobianchi was subsequently sold to Fiat in 1969.
FAMEL - Fabrica de Produtos Metalicos Lda, was one of the largest Portuguese moped manufacturers between 1960s and 1980s.
Burgos BH is a UCI ProTeam cycling team based in Burgos, Spain. The team was founded in 2006 under the name of "Viña Magna-Cropu".
Cycles Peugeot, founded in 1882, is a manufacturer of bicycles based in Sochaux, France and currently a part of Cycleurope, a subsidiary of Sweden-based firm Grimaldi Industri.
Ricardo Augusto Vilela Afonso is a Portuguese professional racing cyclist who last rode for UCI Continental team W52 / FC Porto. He rode in the 2015 Vuelta a España, and finished in 48th place overall.
B'TWIN is a trademarked brand of bicycles as well as bicycle parts and accessories marketed by Decathlon.
A2B is a brand of electric bicycles owned by Hero Eco Group. They have offices in the United Kingdom and the United States. Established in 2008, A2B designs and manufactures bespoke internal motor systems, and is a pioneering creator of eBikes. Their German design team has crafted a range of 11 electric bike models, each of which is named after a prominent technical innovator, engineer or scientist. Primarily tailored for urban/commuting users, A2B have produced bikes that exude a combination of comfort, picked up speed and stylish design. Their motors range from 250w up to 500w in capacities and there is a choice of pedal assistance or throttle power options. To complement the collection, A2B develops custom accessories including carriers and bags.
| Domestic manufacturers |
| ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Foreign companies with operations | |||
| Defunct companies | |||
| Components | |||
| Related topics | |||
