When the Michelin name
nearly became a problem

But this is not France and Bibendum’s tyre company. This is Veneto in northern Italy.

From Ciclo Piave to Stella Veneta

In 1919, brothers Augusto and Ferdinando Michelin founded the bicycle factory Ciclo Piave in Santa Lucia di Piave. In 1936 they went their separate ways, and Ferdinando established a new factory in Conegliano. It was named Stella Veneta — roughly “the star of Veneto”. The factory built both bicycles and small motorcycles.

Changing gear with both hands

My Stella Veneta is fitted with one of the period’s most fascinating gear systems: the Campagnolo Cambio Corsa. A gear change did not involve a small lever. The rider operated two long rods beside the rear wheel, released the hub, moved the chain and at the same time guided the wheel into the correct position.

The Cambio Corsa belongs to the brief transition before the modern rear derailleur took over. It is a system that makes the gear change visible: mechanics, balance and timing combined in one manoeuvre.

A new company and an old name

In 1948, Ferdinando Michelin also established the component company F.M.C. — Ferdinando Michelin Conegliano. It made locks, luggage racks and wheel quick-releases, among other items. The name changed to F.A.C. di Michelin in 1970, and in 1986 the company introduced the MICHE brand.

The name change is written on the pedal

The collection includes an Italian pedal from before MICHE became the new brand. The pedal body bears the name MICHELIN. It appears again on the pedal plate, just above the words Made in Italy.

It is a small but tangible detail. The change did not take place only on letterheads and company registers. Older components left the factory with the family’s full surname cast and stamped directly into the metal. Later, they said MICHE.

The agreement that did not go to court

Here, the documented company history gives way to family anecdote. According to the Michelin family’s own account, the French tyre company reacted when the Italians began using the name internationally.

The matter is said to have ended not in court but with an almost old-fashioned gentlemen’s agreement: the Italians could use the name MICHE if they promised never to make tyres. A letter from the French Michelin company is reportedly still held in the family archive.

The name lives on

MICHE still exists as an Italian bicycle-component manufacturer. In 2022, F.A.C. Michelin became part of the group surrounding Wilier Triestina.

There are also stories that the Italian Michelin family and the French tyre family were distantly related. I have not been able to document that with confidence. What is documented is nearly as good: the two Michelin names came close enough that their identities had to be negotiated.