Cilo was a Swiss

Switzerland

Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....

 manufacturer of bicycle

Bicycle

A bicycle, also known as a bike, pushbike or cycle, is a human-powered, pedal-driven, single-track vehicle, having two wheels attached to a frame, one behind the other. A person who rides a bicycle is called a cyclist, or bicyclist....

s that filed for bankruptcy

Bankruptcy

Bankruptcy is a legal status of an insolvent person or an organisation, that is, one that cannot repay the debts owed to creditors. In most jurisdictions bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the debtor....

 in 2002. The bicycles were produced on the shores of Lake Geneva

Lake Geneva

Lake Geneva or Lake Léman is a lake in Switzerland and France. It is one of the largest lakes in Western Europe. 59.53 % of it comes under the jurisdiction of Switzerland , and 40.47 % under France...

 in Romanel-sur-Lausanne

Romanel-sur-Lausanne

Romanel-sur-Lausanne is a municipality in the canton of Vaud in Switzerland, located in the district of Lausanne.-Geography:Romanel-sur-Lausanne has an area, , of . Of this area, or 59.7% is used for agricultural purposes, while or 3.8% is forested...

 in the Vaud

Vaud

Vaud is one of the 26 cantons of Switzerland and is located in Romandy, the French-speaking southwestern part of the country. The capital is Lausanne. The name of the Canton in Switzerland's other languages are Vaud in Italian , Waadt in German , and Vad in Romansh.-History:Along the lakes,...

 canton.

"Cilo" is an acronym for Charles Jan Lausanne-Oron. The abbreviation of the name from the manufacturer "Jan" was transformed in "i" for pronunciation purpose in French

French language

French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...

. "Lausanne-Oron" refers to a holding in Lausanne

Lausanne

Lausanne is a city in Romandy, the French-speaking part of Switzerland, and is the capital of the canton of Vaud. The seat of the district of Lausanne, the city is situated on the shores of Lake Geneva . It faces the French town of Évian-les-Bains, with the Jura mountains to its north-west...

, associated to the industrialisation of the city at the turn of the 20th century.

Hans Knecht

Hans Knecht

Hans Knecht was an Swiss professional road racing cyclist. The highlight of his career was winning the World Cycling Championship in 1946. He was a professional cyclist from 1939 to 1949.-References:...

 was world champion in 1946 riding a Cilo bicycle; other notable riders include Beat Breu

Beat Breu

Beat Breu is a Swiss former road bicycle racer. In 1982 Tour de France he won the prestigious stage on Alpe d'Huez, as well as another mountain stage finishing in Saint-Lary-Soulan, and finished sixth overall. He also won Tour de Suisse two times and a stage in 1981 Giro d'Italia.- Palmarès :1981...

, Daniel Gisiger

Daniel Gisiger

Daniel Gisiger, born 9 October 1954, in Baccarat, was a Swiss road cyclist. He grew up in Bienne, in RC Olympia Biel-Bienne.-Major Results:* 2 stages of the Giro d'Italia* 1 stage of the Tour de Suisse* 1 stages of the Tour de Romandie...

 and Tony Rominger

Tony Rominger

Tony Rominger is a Swiss former professional road racing cyclist who won the Vuelta a España in 1992, 1993 and 1994 and the Giro d'Italia in 1995.He began cycling late, allegedly spurred by competition with his brother...

.

Cilo co-sponsored a European cycling team along with Atari

Atari

Atari is a corporate and brand name owned by several entities since its inception in 1972. It is currently owned by Atari Interactive, a wholly owned subsidiary of the French publisher Atari, SA . The original Atari, Inc. was founded in 1972 by Nolan Bushnell and Ted Dabney. It was a pioneer in...

 and Ciclolinea in 1992.

The Cilo of the mid-1970s was a beautifully crafted racing bicycle made of Reynolds 531

Reynolds 531

Reynolds 531 is a brand name, registered to Reynolds Cycle Technology of Birmingham in the United Kingdom, for a manganese-molybdenum, medium carbon steel bicycle tubing....

 with the typical Swiss attention to detail. It had chromed forks, drop-outs and rear stays. Also all lugs were beautifully chromed and polished. Only the finest components were used. These included full 'top of the line' Campagnolo

Campagnolo

Campagnolo is an Italian manufacturer of high-end bicycle components with headquarters in Vicenza, Italy. The components are organised as groupsets and are a near-complete collection of a bicycle's mechanical parts. Campagnolo's flagship components are the Super Record, Record, and Chorus...

: although Campy brakes were an option. Brooks

Brooks England

Brooks England is a bicycle saddle manufacturer in Smethwick, Birmingham, England. It has been making leather bicycle saddles since 1866, when it was founded in Hockley, Birmingham....

 saddle, Cinelli

Cinelli

Cinelli is an Italian bicycle manufacturing company based in Milan, Italy, producing mostly road bicycles and components; production is estimated at 80 percent components, 20 percent bicycles.- History :...

 road bars and stem, Christophe clips and straps were provided. Silk tubulars mounted on Cerchio Fiamme rims were standard.