Charles Mochet
Charles Mochet (born March 31, 1880 in Morocco , † June 3, 1934 in Lyon ) was a French designer who developed various pedal- and motor-driven micro vehicles and recumbent bikes at the beginning of the 20th century.
Before the First World War, Mochet built small, very light cars. Because of his wife's fears about letting their son Georges ride a normal bicycle, he built him a pedal-powered four-wheeled vehicle. Soon after, a need for these vehicles developed, and Mochet decided to stop manufacturing automobiles and devote himself entirely to the design of HPVs .
He built a two-seat, four-wheeled, pedal-powered vehicle for adults that he called the “Velocar”. Since the average French could not afford a real automobile due to the poor economic situation after the First World War, the Velocar found brisk sales. Until the 1930s, the Velocar recorded increasing sales. Even during the Second World War, when there was no petrol, Mochets Velocars still met with great interest.
In 1932 Mochet built the first recumbent bike, which he initially called “Velo-Velocar” and later “Velorizontal”. In Henri Lemoine he initially found a good driver who later refused to take part in the Velocar race. Mochet's second choice fell on Francis Fauré , the brother of the famous racing cyclist Benoît Fauré , who later achieved many successes and set a world hour record in 1933.
The company was continued by his son Georges Mochet from 1934 after the death of Charles Mochet .
Web links
- Winning Forbidden: The Real History of the Recumbent Bicycle .
- Mochet Velocar Racing .
- German documentation site for Mochets Velocars
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Mochet, Charles |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | French designer who developed the recumbent bike |
| DATE OF BIRTH | March 31, 1880 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Morocco |
| DATE OF DEATH | June 3, 1934 |
| Place of death | Lyon |