Beistegui Hermanos
Beistegui Hermanos S.A. (BH) is a Spanish bicycle manufacturer founded in 1909 to make guns. In the early 1920s, it began making bicycles and sponsoring cycling teams. Prior to the Spanish Civil War, Beistegui Hermanos also produced firearms, specifically copies of the Ruby pistol (as the 1914 Model) and Mauser C96 (as the MM31 and MM34).
BH is in Vitoria-Gasteiz, capital of the Basque Country. During the 1960s, the main BH factory in Vitoria manufactured not just frames but everything from saddle to spokes and handlebar. Today, BH has two manufacturing and assembly facilities in Vitoria and another in Portugal. The facilities include CNC laser machining which also produces fitness equipment and parts for BMW and Mercedes Benz.
In the early 1990s, BH purchased Peugeot and founded Cycleurope. Cycleurope owns Bianchi, Peugeot and Gitane. In 1996, BH sold Cycleurope to concentrate on home markets of Spain and Portugal. In 2001, it re-focused on the pan-European market .
BH manufactures 200,000 bicycles a year, 50 per cent for European countries other than Spain.