Florent Tomasini

La Torpille

Bicycle builder

©Sylvain Deleu

©Bruno Hadadou

©David Malacrida

Inspired by the very first bikes

Florent builds bicycles using only local resources
He looks for techniques that require little energy
He is completely self-taught

Located in the Alpine town of Annecy, Florent Tomasini is the passionate owner of La Torpille bicycles. Born from the idea of building aesthetic and practical cycles, the workshop specialises in making entirely handcrafted bikes, favouring a very local and sustainable approach to production. Florent's curiosity and dedication to the search for new energy-saving technical solutions, led him to developing his own hands-on techniques, including the creation of his own tools. Fascinated by the manufacturing methods of the late 19th century, Florent's bicycles are closely related in terms of design and construction to those of the Belle Époque. Modern yet timeless, his finely crafted cycles are distinguished by their unwavering elegance.

Interview

©Bruno Hadadou

©Bruno Hadadou

When did you first have the idea to start this craft?: The initial idea came in 1997, but it was not a craft vocation so to speak. For my brother and I, it was a question of building practical cycles (at the time, scooters), based on our observation of the evolution of modes of transport in the city. It was more of a rather design project with a commercial purpose.
How is your craft linked to the place where you live?: We could say that France was a great pioneer in the history of the cycle. Creating or recreating this kind of machine in a traditional way with simple methods and 'old-fashioned' materials if I dare say, is my way of keeping the memory of a time when small bike builder brands and ateliers flourished.
How would you define what you do?: It is a kind of 'bicycle breeding'. Not everything is successful. Some projects remain unfinished or morph into something else – there is a great deal of randomness. The results are the fruit of long reflection, technical and aesthetic consideration, research and testing.
How is innovation expressed in your work?: There is not much of it! If you look closely, everything was said long ago, at the end of the Belle Époque. I have only developed processes that allow me to make products that are almost industrial in nature – by hand.

Florent Tomasini is an expert artisan: he began his career in 1998