SMG

“… SMG was the brand name of the frames made by Jean Frelat, a constructeur, based at Pavillons-sous-Bois, just to the east of Paris. He was very well known in the late 1970s and early 80s, a time when he built quite a lot of frames for leading French amateur riders, on both road and track, who were from that general region of France. He also sponsored several French lady champions such as Isabelle Nicoloso and Valerie Simonet, both of them track riders. Valerie was the French sprint champion in 1981. Jean was quite an innovative builder, being well known for bronze-welded lugless frames and internal routing of all cables…. “

“Jean Frelat who was the brains behind the firm SMG, ran two brands within the one – the SMG brand tended nearly always to be lugged frames whereas he reserved the other name SASEBO … for his bronze-welded ones.”

“…the firm had a reputation for custom frames, particularly very small ones ie 46 and 47 cms with 700 wheels. Frelat was a very good marketing man, and for a few years in the late 70s and early 80s, his frames were seldom out of the columns of the French cycling press. He came up with quite a few ingenious designs particularly for track frames – a discipline in which he sponsored quite a few French champions.”

“Frelat was very loyal to French suppliers using either Vitus or Camus tubes, rarely Reynolds, and sometimes Columbus as this firm had a greater choice. “