About us
Find-out more about us
"Democratize recumbent bikes"
In many Northern European countries these bikes are very popular, and for good reasons: comfortable, innovative, highly efficient, and accessible to as many people as possible. They also allow you to experience new sensations. But also, like all bikes, they are much less polluting and much more fun than cars! With ORSA Cycles we want to share this joy of recumbent cycling.
The Team
Eric
Co-founder – Head of Design, Manufacturing, Control
Technician in sports mechanics and training production. Designer / Technical draftsman with 16 years of experience in the aeronautical sector and 5 years of experience in motorcycle racing and Karting.
Olivier
Co-founder – Head of Sales, Management, Administration
Materials Engineer by training. 5 years of experience in the aeronautics sector in project management, industrialization, maintenance and improvement.
Our Story
It was in an aeronautics company that we met. Simple office colleagues at first, we quickly became friends. Indeed, our common passion for sport, and in particular for cycling of course, but also with the same vision of life and common aspirations, made it a good fit. To the point of considering this project… becoming an entrepreneur! Create an activity that resembles us and excites us.
The idea of manufacturing recumbent bikes seemed ideal to us for several reasons:
- First and foremost to exercise a profession of passion, with varied and rewarding activities
- We had the technical knowledge and know-how, thanks to our previous training and experienc
- The bicycle market in France is booming, and for good reasons: ecological and health.
- Finally, recumbent bikes are still little known in France and yet they have great advantages to make known
The project steps
It was over coffee that we came up with this slightly crazy idea: a 4-wheel all-terrain bike, to REALLY go anywhere! After a year of studies, computer drawings, meetings, exchanges, ... we arrived at the precise definition of the project. Then we decided to quit our jobs to devote ourselves 100% to this challenge.
Since 2019, this prototype has allowed us to validate a multitude of parameters. We did, undid, welded, cut, filed, reoriented, moved, all to achieve the result we had imagined. A real laboratory test on wheels, priority has been given to functionality. The design, the ergonomics, the style, will arrive on the second prototype.
After establishing our business plan with the support of the BGE Ariège organization, we decided to continue the adventure by integrating their "Altitude" business incubator. ORSA-Cycles was born!
Its design is still evolving and will only be unveiled once its manufacture is complete. Prototype No. 2 will reflect the version that will be marketed in 2023. Sophisticated shapes and top-of-the-range equipment, reflecting our know-how. Available for trial from 2023. Don't wait, book a trial!
Our Values
A local production
This is the most important aspect for us, the one that is most important to us, for the following reasons:
- Producing, making with our hands, is the activity that makes us vibrate.
- Second major point, minimizing our environmental impact. By producing locally as much as possible, we avoid many types of transport that emit greenhouse gases.
- Contribute to a local economy. Don’t let the money go halfway around the world.
- Finally, it is also the way for us to keep control over quality and reactivity in case of need for modification, innovation.
Offer quality products
Due to our production choices, local and short runs, it is obviously impossible for us to offer entry-level bikes. And that’s not the spirit of the company. We want to offer quality, durable, well-designed bikes at a fair price. Because we are convinced that a more reliable and durable product is beneficial for everyone: its owner who will have less to spend on maintenance and will not have to replace it regularly and therefore the environment, which will no longer suffer the effects of overproduction and overconsumption.
Minimize the environmental impact of our bikes
Aware that no human activity is without impact on the environment, we wish to make every effort to ensure that ours is as respectful as possible.
To get there, the road is long. Our top picks are:
- Produce locally as much as possible. Manufacture in-house all the parts for which we have the knowledge and the technical means. For those that we cannot produce, look for local players who meet our requirements in terms of performance, quality, and environmental vision.
- Offer high-quality bicycles, so that they last over time, with reduced maintenance constraints. It is with this idea in mind that we design our recumbent bikes.
- Remain a company on a human scale, which is not guided by the sole goal of increasing its profits even more and more.
Wanderlust for all
This project will also be a way for us to get involved, by offering adapted versions to people with reduced mobility. Because we are convinced that everyone should be able to access sport, for the well-being, the challenge or the feeling of wanderlust that our recumbent bikes will provide.
Associations, individuals, would you be interested in our adapted, tailor-made versions? Contact us so that together we can find the solution that suits you.
