CALOI S.A is a major Brazilian manufacturer of

bicycle A bicycle, also called a pedal cycle, bike, push-bike or cycle, is a human-powered transport, human-powered or motorized bicycle, motor-assisted, bicycle pedal, pedal-driven, single-track vehicle, with two bicycle wheel, wheels attached to a ...

s and bicycle equipment, along with motorized cycles like the past Mobilette models, based in

São Paulo São Paulo (; ; Portuguese for 'Paul the Apostle, Saint Paul') is the capital of the São Paulo (state), state of São Paulo, as well as the List of cities in Brazil by population, most populous city in Brazil, the List of largest cities in the ...

. In the 1960s, Caloi achieved some popularity, producing

folding bicycle A folding bicycle is designed to be compacted into a smaller, more manageable size or shape, making it easier to store or carry . When folded, the bikes can be more easily carried into buildings, on public transportation (facilitating mixed-mo ...

History

Caloi was founded in 1898 by

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...

immigrant Luigi Caloi and his brother-in-law,

Agenor Poletti Agenor (; ) was in Greek mythology and history a Phoenician king of Tyre or Sidon. The Greek historian Herodotus (c. 484–425 BC), born in the city of Halicarnassus under the Achaemenid Empire, estimated that Agenor lived either 1000 or 1600 ye ...

. The company was directed by the Caloi family from 1898 to 1999. When Luigi Caloi died in 1924, the company changed its name from ''Casa Luiz Caloi'' (Portuguese for ''House of Luiz Caloi'') to ''Casa Irmãos Caloi'' (Portuguese for ''House of Caloi Brothers''), directed by Luigi's sons Guido, Henrique and José Pedro. In 1928, Henrique and José Pedro left the company, and Caloi was directed by Guido Caloi alone. In 1948, the company changed its name to ''Indústria e Comércio de Bicicletas Caloi S.A.''. Guido died in 1955, and the company was directed by his son Bruno Caloi until 1999. In 1999, the Caloi family sold the majority of Caloi's voting shares to Edson Vaz Musa. Bruno Caloi, who was the president of the CBC (the Brazilian Cycling Confederation) for many years, died in October 2006. In 2013, 70% of Caloi's shares were acquired by Dorel, which also controls other bicycle manufacturers such as

Cannondale Cannondale Bicycle Corporation is an American division of Dutch conglomerate Pon Holdings that supplies bicycles. Its headquarters are in Wilton, Connecticut, with engineering offices in Freiburg, Germany. Frames are manufactured in Taiwan. Bik ...

and

Schwinn The Schwinn Bicycle Company is an American company that develops, manufactures and markets bicycles under the eponymous brand name. The company was founded by Ignaz Schwinn (1860–1948) in Chicago in 1895, and in the 20th century became the domi ...

, among others. Dutch conglomerate

Pon Holdings Pon Holdings BV is a Dutch conglomerate in the transportation sector. It is one of the five largest bicycle manufacturers in the world, and owns bicycle brands Caloi, Cannondale, Cervélo, Derby Cycle (owner of Focus), GT, Gazelle, IronHo ...

acquired Caloi with the purchase of Dorel Sports in 2021.

Manufacturing Plants

In 1898 a shop was established in downtown

, and until 1945 Caloi sold bicycles and parts imported from Europe. In 1945 Caloi established its first factory in the Brooklin pt neighbourhood of São Paulo, as importing parts from Europe became increasingly difficult due to

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. In 1975, Caloi established a factory in

Manaus Manaus () is the List of capitals of subdivisions of Brazil, capital and largest city of the States of Brazil, Brazilian state of Amazonas (Brazilian state), Amazonas. It is the List of largest cities in Brazil, seventh-largest city in Brazil, w ...

, taking advantage of the economic incentives of the

Free Economic Zone of Manaus The Free Economic Zone of Manaus (, - ZFM) is a free economic zone in the city of Manaus, the capital of the State of Amazonas, Northern Brazil. The initial idea, a free trade port in Manaus, came from Deputy Francisco Pereira da Silva and was s ...

. In 1990 Caloi started the operations of its US subsidiary in

Jacksonville Jacksonville ( ) is the most populous city proper in the U.S. state of Florida, located on the Atlantic coast of North Florida, northeastern Florida. It is the county seat of Duval County, Florida, Duval County, with which the City of Jacksonv ...

, Florida. In 2006, Caloi established a new factory in

Atibaia Atibaia (or ''Estância de Atibaia'') is a Municipalities of Brazil, Brazilian municipality in the state of São Paulo (state), São Paulo. According to the Brazilian statistics institute the IBGE, the city is a conurbation with Bom Jesus dos Pe ...

, which replaced the São Paulo plant.

Models

Caloi manufactures a wide range of bicycles including

mountain bike A mountain bike (MTB) or mountain bicycle is a bicycle designed for off-road cycling (''mountain biking''). Mountain bikes share some similarities with other bicycles, but incorporate features designed to enhance durability and performance in r ...

s, comfort bikes,

BMX BMX, an abbreviation for bicycle motocross or bike motocross, is a cycle sport performed on BMX bikes, either in competitive BMX racing or freestyle BMX, or else in general street or off-road recreation. History BMX began during the ea ...

, road bicycles and child bicycles. In 1972 the company introduced its first road bike, the Caloi 10.http://www.escoladebicicleta.com.br/historiabicicletaBrasilA.html (In Portuguese) It became a cultural landmark in Brazil and remained in production until 1990. In 2005 the ''Caloi 10'' name was reinstated for a new model that differs significantly from the original,http://vejasp.abril.com.br/materia/relancamento-brinquedos-sucesso-anos-70-80 (In Portuguese) and remains in production as of 2016. In 1983 the company introduced its first BMX model, the ''Caloi Cross Extra Light'', replicating the style of the bikes that appear in the successful

E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial ''E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial'' (or simply ''E.T.'') is a 1982 American science fiction film, science fiction film produced and directed by Steven Spielberg and written by Melissa Mathison. It tells the story of Elliott Taylor, Elliott, a boy w ...

movie. In 1989 the company introduced its first mountain bike, the ''Caloi Mountain Bike 18'', following the growing popularity of

Mountain Bike A mountain bike (MTB) or mountain bicycle is a bicycle designed for off-road cycling (''mountain biking''). Mountain bikes share some similarities with other bicycles, but incorporate features designed to enhance durability and performance in r ...

s in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

in the early 1980s.

References

External links

Caloi website
Manufacturing companies based in São Paulo Mountain bike manufacturers Brazilian brands Vehicle manufacturing companies established in 1898 Cycle manufacturers Cycling in Brazil Manufacturing companies of Brazil 1898 establishments in Brazil