When it comes to Spanish bicycle brands, Orbea and BH are two must-haves. Who hasn't ridden one of them at least once? Many of us learned to ride on an Orbea or a BH , first with training wheels, then without, and finally spending entire afternoons with friends doing our first jumps, wheelies, or simply enjoying a beautiful, pre-technological childhood. In the history of both companies, we see some striking parallels : humble origins as family businesses in the Basque Country, an initial phase dedicated to a completely different sector, a severe crisis, a courageous reconversion, and sustained growth that has turned them into two legendary brands whose mere mention makes us think of cycling.

ORBEA

The history of Orbea is an example of entrepreneurship, adaptation to the environment, and commitment to quality. It is a company that currently operates as a cooperative and is located in Millavia , Vizcaya , although it began as a family business. It belongs to the Mondragón Corporation , the largest cooperative group in the world with more than 70,000 employees. Its beginnings were very humble. The company " Orbea Hermanos " was founded in 1840 in the town of Éibar by brothers Juan Manuel, Mateo, Casimiro, and Petra Orbea Murua . Initially, they manufactured piston-operated revolvers, cartridge revolvers, and pistols. After operating for more than 20 years with enviable efficiency, they became a highly respected company that was able to enter the explosive cartridge business and open a second workshop in Buenos Aires with more than 60 workers. But years later, the end of the First World War led to a drastic reduction in demand for weapons throughout Europe, causing their income to decline until the situation became unsustainable. This forced them to rethink their business, which was divided into two parts: on the one hand, " Orbea y Compañía " gradually shifted its focus to bicycle manufacturing until it became its main activity in 1939. On the other hand, the company " Hijos de Orbea Sociedad en Comandita " focused on the manufacture of explosives until it was taken over by the monopolistic Unión Española de Explosivos. “ Orbea y Compañía ” was originally a family business, but in 1969, when it was on the verge of bankruptcy, Esteban Orbea handed it over to the workers, who formed the cooperative and brought it forward. Since then, the company has experienced spectacular growth and has opened subsidiaries in eight countries : the United States, France, Italy, the United Kingdom, Belgium, Germany, Australia, and Portugal. A wide variety of products are produced from its factory: road bikes, mountain bikes, triathlon bikes, urban bikes, gravel bikes, e-bikes, children's bikes, and all kinds of accessories and equipment. Orbea has always been linked to professional cycling. It sponsored individual cyclists in the 1930s, such as Ricardo Montero, Luciano Montero, and Mariano Cañardo . In the 1970s, it had a professional team, led by Miguel Mari Lasa , and later an amateur team. He returned to the professional world between 1984 and 1989, with a team that included figures such as P erico Delgado and Marino Lejarreta . Between 2003 and 2005, he formed the Orbea Continental team, which became a subsidiary of Euskaltel Euskadi in 2007. For a few years, he also had a mountain biking team. Since 2017, it has been the official sponsor of motorcycle racer Aleix Espargaró , provides bicycles for the American team “ UnitedHealthcare Professional Cycling Team ” in the Continental Professional category and has its own team, the “ Orbea Factory Team ”, which includes great cyclists such as Ibon Zugasti and Tomi Misser . It also sponsors the Euskadi-Murias road cycling team in the professional continental category and in 2018 it created the Orbea Enduro Team , which competes in the Enduro World Series. One of the most exciting projects Orbea is currently involved in is the relaunch of the Euskadi Foundation cycling team, of which it is a sponsor and with which it has collaborated for 25 years. The Euskadi Foundation was founded in 1993 with the aim of promoting, fostering, disseminating, and developing the sport of Basque cycling. Great champions such as Roberto Laiseka, Iban Mayo and Samuel Sánchez have worn the legendary orange jersey of the then Euskaltel-Euskadi. This team, made up entirely of young riders, has three stages of the Tour de France (twice in Luz Ardiden and once in Alpe d'Huez), another three in the Giro , twelve in the Vuelta a España , the general classification of the Tour of the Basque Country and the Tour of Switzerland , the mountains classification in the Tour de France and a few classics, such as the Dauphiné Libéré . This is an exciting project for this team, which aims to return to the top thanks to the leadership (and financial investment) of its new president, Mikel Landa , who came of age in their ranks before moving to teams like Astana, Sky, Movistar, and Bahrain McLaren. He won't be alone, as Orbea 's sponsorship of the bikes and Etxeondo 's sponsorship of the clothing ensure top-quality materials and full support for the project. https://www.orbea.com/es-es/#featured

BH

BH is another of those brands that in Spain we consider " old-school ." It has been manufacturing bicycles since 1923, and its origins are very similar to those of Orbea. The three founding brothers ( Domingo, Juan, and Cosme Beistegui Albistegui ) began manufacturing pistols in Eibar in 1910, but following the end of the First World War, due to the crisis we mentioned earlier, they had to reinvent themselves. And they certainly did! They began incorporating bicycle manufacturing into their business, which became their sole product in 1939. Since then, they have always been a benchmark brand, knowing how to adapt to the times and constantly staying in touch with the world of professional cycling. Since 1935 it has organized and sponsored cycling races and between 1986 and 1990 it had its own team (later bought by Amaya Seguro s), in which legendary cyclists such as Álvaro Pino, Anselmo Fuerte and Fede Etxabe served. Today, BH is one of the main sponsors of the Burgos-BH team, which this year has moved up to the Professional Continental category (2nd division) and will participate in the Vuelta a España by invitation in September. It also sponsors the BH Templo Cafés women's team led by Olympic medalist Carlos Coloma and Rocío Madrid and triathlete Fernando Alarza, all Baggicase users :) BH's adaptation to new technologies has been gradual and well-managed. Its website is highly functional and offers bicycles, clothing, helmets, shoes, and all kinds of equipment. One of the latest additions is the " My BH Unique " service, a personalized purchasing system that allows you to choose the color combination you like best for your bike frame. You can choose from 29 different colors, with three gradient options, and the option to have frames finished in matte, gloss, pearl, and metallic. Customization extends down to the last detail and includes tires, drivetrain components, stems, handlebars, and saddles. Another highlight of BH is that, thanks to the second-hand shops we can find on the Internet, a large community of enthusiasts has emerged who restore and sell classic models of the brand , which can reach very high prices. https://www.bhbikes.com/es_ES And who are you? Orbea or BH ? Whichever brand you grew up with, you're probably also a Baggicase fan, the waterproof phone case, 100% made in Spain, which, if you'd had one as a child, would have kept even your trading cards in it.