Private company

Mafac

Logo: Unknown author Unknown author, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons3

French manufacturer of bicycle brakes

MAFAC, or Manufacture Arvernoise de Freins et Accessoires pour Cycles (Arverni Manufacturing Works for Bicycle Brakes and Accessories), was a French manufacturer of bicycle brakes and tool kits. MAFAC was founded in post-war France under the name "Securité", which changed to MAFAC in the autumn of 1947. Initially MAFAC made cantilever brakes, brake levers, and tool kits.2 Wikipedia text CC BY-SA 4.0

Last updated Oct 21, 2026.

Overview

1946Founded1
  • HeadquartersClermont-Ferrand1

MAFAC, or Manufacture Arvernoise de Freins et Accessoires pour Cycles (Arverni Manufacturing Works for Bicycle Brakes and Accessories), was a French manufacturer of bicycle brakes and tool kits. MAFAC was founded in post-war France under the name "Securité", which changed to MAFAC in the autumn of 1947. Initially MAFAC made cantilever brakes, brake levers, and tool kits. Early MAFAC brakes were built in the cantilever configuration with a separate brake arm on each side, actuated by a straddle cable. Later MAFAC brakes were of a center-pull design in which a straddle cable links the two overlapping arms of the brake. Like the cantilever design, it is actuated by pulling from the center of this cable. MAFAC's rubber brake hoods, originating in the late 1940s, had built-in adjusters, allowing adjustment of the brakes while riding. The center-pull brakes were designed to clear fenders, front rack mounts, handlebar bags, and large tires. This made MAFAC brakes one of the most popular models from the late 1950s through the 1970s.2

Timeline

  1. 1946Founded Founded1

Sources

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