The Marks:

 


Le Chemineau

Saint-Etienne, Loire



 

Mr. Joanny Panel (1887 - 1970) is at the origin of the mark Chemineau.

It should be noticed that the term "chemineau" means a vagrant who walks on the ways, term which is not used any more today and which one should not confuse with the "cheminot" who is the railroad worker.

He begins its professional life with establishments RPF (Rivolier Père and Fils), manufacturer of weapons and cycles at Saint-Etienne.

He is the friend of Velocio and will join the ES (Ecole Stéphanoise), tourist-cycling followers of the multiple gears bicycles. These last are spread still little and not used by the professional sportsmans.

Joanny Panel creates his own company in 1911 to manufacture and market bicycles and derailleurs under his own mark. Helped by his friend Claudius Bouillier, it will deposit a patent in January 1912 for a system of original derailment of chain: "derailleur à piston".

We find the trace also deposit of mark on March 6, 1913 (see at left).

There were already multipe gears systems per derailment of chain before Le Chemineau, but Panel will really contribute to develop it out of the restricted context of the touring cyclists.

He will participate on the Tour de France 1912, in the category "Isolés" (called later "Touristes-Routiers") with one of his bicycles equipped with his derailleur. Unfortunately he will have to stop on breaking of frame, following a collision with a cyclist.

He will participate again in 1913 and this time will arrive to Paris acclaimed by crowd.

In 1914 he will stop following a fall caused by a motor bike.

Henri Desgrange, director of the Tour de France, will not authorize the derailleur for the category of the "As" (professional teams) only since 1937!


Quickly the company will suffer from the competition of the derailleur l'As, developped by Bouillier and sold by Brunet and Co, then of the appearance of Cyclo, always developped by Bouillier but for establishments RPF.


A workman of Panel, Benoit Faure, called "the Mouse" because of his small size, will win the Tour de France 1929 and 1930, category "Isolés" with the shirt Le Chemineau.


Like all the companies of manufacture of cycles, Chemineau will suffer from the arrival of the motor cycle.

In January 1958, Joanny Panel sales his company. The corporate name "Le Chemineau" will be used a few years still, before disappearing.

Mr. Bernard Chaussinand published in 2004 an interesting biographical test on Joanny Panel which it is possible to get while writing directly to the author : 42 rue Petrus, 42000 Saint-Etienne.

 
The Marks: