Sep 152 min read

Routens, the goldsmith of the Alps

Among the renowned French artisan manufacturers, few will have Routens cycles.

Before the second world war, Jo Routens was first and foremost a great sports randonneur, taking part in numerous Grand Prix and Alpine criteriums.

First associated with Monsieur Hugonnier (hence the first hugonnier-routens frame plates) he used his road experience to create elegant and high-performance machines.

Its characteristic frames are often built with a specific rear triangle made up of seat stays fixed at four points, numerous reinforcements (bottom bracket, fork with pads, etc.) and a rear brake attachment in front of the seat stays.

These specificities gave them a responsiveness and behavior that was unrivaled for the time.

At ease as soon as the road climbed, Jo Routens bikes were often the choice of solid rouleurs and sporty hikers.

(The proof is with the "strong" gears, present on many Routens found in the classified ads)

The activity of the Routens company continued until 2010 thanks to Jo's son, Jean Paul.

The latter continued the manufacture of numerous touring bikes, road bikes and tandem bikes with the passion and know-how passed down to him by his father.

This summer I had the pleasure of meeting the craftsman in the heart of the Alps.

Even though the brand has now been sold to become a more conventional bike shop, Jean-Paul continues to work as an artisan from home, and responds to repair requests from former customers. Advocating a certain continuity and maintaining a link with the owners is also and above all what craftsmanship is all about.

Jean Paul also has a huge collection. It includes many historic bicycles that have made the sporting and artisanal history of Routens cycles.

Touring bikes, tandem bikes, mopeds...beautiful, even very beautiful.

Enough to drive any bike collector crazy.

I have made a selection of these for you.

Photo taken with Jean Paul ROUTENS in front of a unique piece. The HUGONNIER ROUTENS tandem Winner of two Paris-Best-Paris 1949 and 1951, piloted by the Routens/Fourmy pair.