Confrérie des 650

Stéphane HORSEAU

The tubing wizard from Breuillet

A skilled craftsman well known from Confrérie members, given that his workshop is the birthplace for “évolution 3” and “itinérance” series.

Never trust appearances! Actually, irrespective of the fact that the magnificent elegance of the Confrérie’s touring bikes can only be the outcome of a long standing experience, their builder is only ... 32 years old.

Stéphane was not especially raised in the bicycle sphere. Even though his father’s business included bicycle sales, Horseau’s main activities rather consisted in cultivators and mopeds (or scooters as they are known today). However, it soon became apparent that bicycles were his thing, not those bikes one can buy in China and just resell after adding some mark-up, no, he was appealed by manufacturing. Therefore, as an early cute boy and with a little help from an understanding dad, he got trained at Marcel Dejouannet’s, the reputable craftsman-builder well known from old-generation cyclists.

Teaming with this talented young man, Confrérie’s management board launched the production of Evolution 3.

As usual at the Confrérie, this has to be a win-win partnership. Stéphane is always respected as a tradesman and the just benefit he must get from his work is always listed high up amongst our specifications. The Confrérie, in your name and as a non-profit organisation intends to keep holding the reins of the project in all technical and ethical aspects. The distance that separates Stéphane’s workshop from the Confrérie’s management calls for particular listening and interacting skills in order to unite universes that may look far from each other and might even become antagonists. Stéphane naturally comes right from the racing world, and of course he never enjoyed the old days were a bicycle touring concept could thrive founded on a non-mercantile philosophy away from fashions... What we talk about with him today is how, in spite of a market almost exclusively oriented towards imports, racing and carbon, he could build the position he deserves in this sort of uneducated and desolate no man’s land as one could describe the quality cycle manufacturing business that we all can see. And to get there, it’s up to the Confrérie to introduce and reveal to Stéphane the essence of a treasured century-old practice, in much the same way Marcel Dejouannet taught him the great fundamentals, methods and indispensable tricks for manufacturing high quality touring bicycles.

Evolution 3 is nowadays fully renowned recognized in the pelotons, not only as an object but also as a major and integral component of a genuine leisure cycling activity. The Confrérie then naturally turned towards Stéphane when we started thinking about the specifications of the new project that was to become “itinérances”.

Only one point remains black in this constructive tandem... Horseau cycles are established in the heart of Charente-Maritime, which implies some fifteen hours travel for both the chairman and the secretary when a meeting is needed to finalize some important project. Tough... but when love is not madness, it is not love.

Publication of "Confrérie des 650" /// 57, avenue de Montpellier 34270 CLARET - FRANCE