Originally Posted by sparklebot

Originally Posted by listmeister

Cycles de ORO (my shop) recently bought a goodly batch of Flying Dutchman
framesets from Jack Van Gent, ex-proprietor of the Big Wheel Shop in Denver,
CO. (and for more $ than they are currently being offered)!

They are interesting bikes in that they are very traditional and attractive in
concept, esp. to those of us with a foot in the past. These frames were
apparently made for Jack in Italy to be his "house brand." I believe this all
may have been a loooong time ago, i.e., late 1970's into early 80's and have
been kicking around in their storage since then! The frames are very "shop
worn" with paint scuffs and boogers in the decals to varying degrees: some
awful, some barely scathed. There also is considerable variance in
workmanship, dropouts (Campy, Shimano, Gipiemme or Aquila), seat stay
treatment (capped, sliced & squeezed, etc.) and other detailing. Some of the
frames had obviously been built up as bikes, then disassembled. As someone has
noted, they are not "prepped," and not necessarily aligned to pro bike
standards, but they are not bad. Nothing a good shop cannot correct with time
& a Campy toolkit.

The other oddities is that few of these frames have much in the way of
brazeons, especially down tube shifter bosses. "Band" type shift levers and
stops are getting hard to find! The Flying Dutchman frames also require, in
order to use 700c wheels, a "normal" reach brakeset, of which few are left. No
new campy group brakes are available in this longer style. Only Shimano's
105SC came in this reach (now discontinued.) That is not to say a bunch of
vintage brakes wouldn't work fine and Jack had a bunch of Weinmann centerpulls
for sale too that were intended for these bikes!

Despite these caveats, for a super cheap, vintage style ride, I can't see how
you can beat these frames!
Get them while they last!