This is quite a normal French diamond framed safety, originally fitted with pneumatic tyres and tangent spokes. Frame number is 11XX (1127 ?).
What's so special about the bike, is the rear wheel brake, which could very well be the first of its kind. Athough it is also possible that it was added to the bike in later years.
It's on display in the Musee d' Art et d' Industrie in Saint Etienne, France. Absolutely the right place for this bike, since Ouragan was one of the marques of a Saint Etienne-based factory, Dombret Ainé.
Together with Gauthier and Manufrance Auguste Dombret was one of the founders of the famous French bicycle industry, concentrating in Saint Etienne.
What's so special about the bike, is the rear wheel brake, which could very well be the first of its kind. Athough it is also possible that it was added to the bike in later years.
It's on display in the Musee d' Art et d' Industrie in Saint Etienne, France. Absolutely the right place for this bike, since Ouragan was one of the marques of a Saint Etienne-based factory, Dombret Ainé.
Together with Gauthier and Manufrance Auguste Dombret was one of the founders of the famous French bicycle industry, concentrating in Saint Etienne.
It is not easy to find information about him, but I found out that Auguste Dombret founded the Dombret-Jussy bicycle (and arms) works 'Atelier du Furan' in 1890. After 1891 his firm is called Dombret Ainé, they have the brand names Lux and Ouragan. In the meantime Dombret-Jussy continues, so it's two firms now. Watch the nice poster, where a falling cyclist shouts: 'Aoh ! enfoncées les machines anglaises !' This illustrates the strong nationalism of those days: they really disliked English products.
 |  |  |
 |  |  |
 | ||