Concours de Machines

Just when you thought our coverage of the wonderful Concours de Machines 2021 was over (and Bespoked, for that matter), we bring you one last and especially fascinating bike. Mouton Cycles’ E.T., so named because of its unlikely aspirations for flight, is a separable hardtail that sports “unfashionable” 24-inch wheels, a Pinion drivetrain, Santana Z Couplers, and a truss-like rear rack complete with kevlar lines…

Even if you don’t speak French, we think it’s well worth checking out the accompanying film to this year’s Concours de Machines. Watch riders race to put their dismantled bikes together, judges ponder the nuts and bolts of each build, glory in some beautiful mountain scenery, and revel in a vision of innovation, performance, community, and artisanship…

To round out our coverage of this year’s Concours de Machines, we bring you this remarkable offering from Cycles Cadence, which earned itself the competition’s first-place prize. Dig in to appreciate this bike’s many details, including an integrated USB charger hidden in the fork, curvy handmade racks, and how cleverly it transforms for travel, almost into a wheelie suitcase…

Jolie Rouge’s gravity-inspired rig, which placed third in France’s Concours de Machines 2021, was designed for fun with friends on bikepacking trips and to keep up with maker Julien Fritsch’s trail goats in the French Alps. Read on to find out about the whimsical, creative, and off-the-wall ideas behind this gorgeous build, enjoy a fantastic set of photos, and see how well the Monster Goat keeps up its little goat sisters…

In our fourth post about France’s 2021 Concours de Machines, we hone in on five more builders, learn the story behind their bike and its design challenges, and share detailed photos of each of these unique rigs. From crafty folds and upside-down forks to tasty morcels like integrated charging and homemade tents, find out all about them here…

In our third post about France’s Concours de Machines, we hone in on five builders, learn the story behind their bike and its design challenges, and share detailed photos of each of these unique rigs. What’s more, one of them is even for sale! See more here…

In our second report from the 2021 Concours de Machines, we showcase images of all the bikes, explain the format of this historical event, and share photos from a weekend of riding, camping, and talking bikes and bikepacking…

In part 1 of our coverage of the 2021 Concours de Machines in France, we check out PechTregon Cycles’ wild and feature-packed Luguru adventure bike, complete with its folding frame and handlebars, built-in stove fuel, integrated spare derailleur and friction shifter, and “octopus” Headshok-upcycled fork…