A discovery of new official documentation in the Municipal Archives of Algemesí has just rewritten the history of the cycling trade in Spain. The oldest bicycle store in the country is no longer that of Rafael Abad in the center of Valencia: the records located certify that the business Bicicletes Germán Puchades, started its activity in 1914 under the name of Bicicletas de Ramón García.
This data places the establishment’s foundation eight years before Rafael Abad Bicicletas (1922), considered until now the longest-lived store in the sector.
The discovery of these files has taken place during the management of the “Guardó d’Honor del Comerç Local 2025”, a distinction recently awarded by the City Council of Algemesí to the owner family. According to the documents kept in the archive and sent to this media, the founder, Ramón García Aliaga, was registered in 1914 at 122 Mont Street.
Specifically, the register with the symbol H-242/2 (1914) accredits the beginning of the activity as “bicycle renter”. Subsequent documents, such as the registration number H-241/1 of 1916 and H-241/3 corresponding to the period 1926-1929, confirm the continuity of the business and its transfer to Victoria Street and later to Muntanya Street in 1930.
Four generations at the head of the business
The documentation supports more than a century of uninterrupted history through four generations. After the founder Ramón García Aliaga, the business passed into the hands of his sons, Vicente and Germán, followed by the grandson, Germán Puchades García, responsible for the modernization of the establishment. At present, the management of the business is in the hands of Germán Puchades Mont.
Despite the changes of location within the municipality and variations in the commercial name, the ownership has always remained under the same family.
The establishment’s trajectory covers several critical episodes in Spain’s contemporary history. The store maintained its service after the Civil War, the flood of 1957 and the bursting of the Tous dam in 1982. In the most recent stage, the business has overcome the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the effects of the DANA of 2025.
The store today is located at Plaza de la Virgen de los Dolores, 9, Algemesí.