I'm not kidding, but then again, I don't expect this thread to grow into a twenty-pager either.

If you are a member and have a Bontekoe bike, please post it here. If you're not a member and have a Bontekoe, please register and post your Bontekoe bike here. Please?

Bontekoe is a brand that was introduced in 1925, when some friends (among whom Piet Moeskops, the then world track champion) helped Gerrit Bontekoe finance a bike shop in The Hague, after a bad fall on the track, which ended his career as a racer. Gerrit was a decent racer, and became famous on the tandem, with his mate, Willem van Duijn. They were affectionately known as "Jopie Slim en Dikkie Bigmans", named after a very successful Dutch translation at the time (1920's) of the London Evening News' "Billy Bimbo and Peter Porker".


Gerrit Bontekoe sr

His son, Gerrit Bontekoe jr, was also a gifted track racer. He got into his dad's shop and turned out to be a gifted frame builder as well.



Gerrit Bontekoe jr.

In the early years, the shop would sell its own hand-built bikes, but when that ceased to be economical, they would buy the frames elsewhere, build them to customer specifications, and put their own decals on it.

The shop still exists, and is run by Gerrit's grandsons. I've visited it a few years ago, which was a pleasure BTW, because I'd purchased a Bontekoe and wanted to know more about the bike. It turned out to be a Viner Special Corsa frame.

As bought (and yes, I need to take some new and better pics of this one):



A couple of years later, I stumbled upon another Bontekoe. It took me a while, and the help of fellow BF member [MENTION=205648]Hummer[/MENTION], to identify it as a Miki-built frame:



Last year, another Bontekoe fell into my lap. This time I needed no help to identify it as a re-branded Alan Competizione:



But I still didn't have a "real" Bontekoe, built by the family. Until yesterday, when this turned up in the classifieds. I still need to verify it (will take it to the shop at the earliest opportunity) but it looks like the real thing. Labeled "Cycles Bontekoe", it's a touring / city bike frame that's led a hard life, but has all the hallmarks of a late fifties / early sixties hand-built bike: