When he was very little, Morgan Champiot rode a bicycle. Like many children. But he never came back. And he even made cycling his life. This 38-year-old from Nîmes opened his workshop-boutique for cycles of all kinds five years ago, just a stone’s throw from the Maison Carrée. And he even managed to relaunch, with panache, a bicycle brand from Nîmes (Gard), Nemausa, which disappeared in 1986.
But first, for this bike madman, he had to bite the handlebars. His adventure was born in the back of a garage, that of his uncle, “the oldest car garage in the city center of Nîmes”, Morgan Champiot tells 20 minutes. “I bought around twenty vintage bikes, and I installed myself in a corner, where he used to make his dog rattle! », laughs this graduate in mechanics and design, who has always campaigned for us all to get on the pedals. “At the time, there were no more bicycle repair shops in the city center. I figured if people were riding bikes, and they needed a car to get it repaired across town, that was a real problem. »
He sold two bikes to… Marc Lavoine
One day, Marc Lavoine (yes, yes, Marc Lavoine) happened to pass by the hangar. And he fell under the spell of an old bicycle, which Morgan Champiot had restored and hung on the wall of the garage, to catch the eye of customers. “He asked my uncle what this bike was,” smiles the entrepreneur. My uncle started yelling at him, asking him why he was taking photos! Then he changed his mind, saying to her: “But I know you!” » The story did not end there, since Morgan Champiot restored and sold two bikes to the singer. For this bicycle madman, things started to happen. He left his uncle’s garage and opened his workshop-boutique.
Little by little, cyclists flocked to this new premises, where we know cycling by heart. It was also Morgan Champiot who was the first, in Nîmes, to popularize the cargo bike. But what made it famous, above all, was the resurrection of a brand, Nemausa. Founded between the wars by Emile Dumond, this company, which succeeded the Dumond cycles, was a true flagship of the capital of Gard. It had attracted lots of dealers in the south of France, had its own cycling teams (including a women’s team), and even organized the Tour du Gard for years.
Two limited series, Diane and Hommage, and soon an electric bike
But, weighed down for several decades by the Solex, the moped and the all-car, and while the children of the last owners, Jean and Emmanuel Dumond, dreamed of other careers, Nemausa closed in 1986. Before reborn, thirty-five years later, in the workshop of an enthusiast. “A long time ago, I collected bicycles from the trash, I collected the parts, I fixed them. And I happened to restore Nemausa, remembers Morgan Champiot. One day, a friend of my half-brother said to me: “That’s my grandfather’s brand!” » Intrigued, this bicycle enthusiast became attached to the Dumond family. And he said to himself that it might be a great idea to revive this success story. “Southern style, we had an aperitif, with the Dumond family, with olives and peanuts,” laughs the entrepreneur. I told them about my project, they thought it was a great idea. And as we were leaving, one of the family members said to me: “Put down the mark, because otherwise you’re going to get it bitten.” »
But “in order not to show off, you have to go slowly,” assures the Nîmes man. So he decided to only produce, for the moment, limited series, designed with the company Arcade Cycles, in Vendée. First there was the Diane, in 2021, a beautiful old-fashioned red bike. Then the Hommage, in 2022. And the next one will be an electric one.
“It’s not a bike that should be thrown away in two or three years”
Of the Nemausa of yesteryear, Morgan Champiot has kept the elegance. But above all, solidity. “We make bikes that are designed to last,” confides the entrepreneur. Which is not always the case for bikes manufactured for mass distribution, sighs the thirty-year-old. Of course, “we don’t want to ride the bikes of the time,” he notes. We want to continue the adventure. » With the most advanced technologies in the cycling field. For the structure of the bike, the wheels, the spokes… Morgan Champiot has chosen to opt for optimum quality. “If you don’t ride this bike tomorrow, you give it away,” he confides. This is not a bike that will be thrown away in two or three years. » And at the checkout, Morgan Champiot does not slip: the Diane and the Hommage were sold between 550 and 600 euros. “We earn around 130 euros per bike,” explains the entrepreneur.
At the Dumonds, we are delighted that the family brand is regaining its shine. In particular Eric Dumond, the grandson of Emile, its creator. “When he had the idea to relaunch the brand, Morgan [Champiot] contacted us all, to find out if this did not pose a problem for us, confides Eric Dumond to 20 minutes. He didn’t have to do it, but he did it right! » For the grandson of Emile Dumond, the return of Nemausa is particularly moving. He can still see himself, at the back of his grandfather’s shop, making his own bike. “This allows the adventure to continue,” he smiles.
Morgan Cycles, Morgan Champiot’s boutique, to discover here.