René Louis Théodore Herse (1908–1976)[1] was a French builder of high-quality touring, randonneur and racing bicycles.
In 1938, he introduced lightweight aluminum bicycle components: pedals, cranks, cantilever brakes and stems.
[3] His riders and especially his daughter Lyli Herse (see below) won numerous times in the Polymultipliée de Chanteloup hillclimb races.
They also completed back orders of bicycles, so the last classic René Herse bikes were made in 1988.
In late 2018, Compass Bicycles officially changed the company name to Rene Herse Cycles, to fully safeguard the trademark and legacy.