alexnagui

How do you like that front rack, Jacco? I am thinking about buying a similar rack for my Germi to have some extra options for carrying stuff (like getting pizza from my favourite pizza place in Rotterdam and so on). I really like the VO Porteur rack but it's definetely too big for what I need it for, so it's a bit of an overkill, plus I am not planning on becoming a paperboy in the nearest future.. There is also the Basil Portland but Pelago racks look classier and seem like a better option in general.

JaccoW

I have the Basil on another bike and it's okay. I think it is too wide for if you ever want to place it in one of the racks at Central Station. Another issue I had with it is the chrome flaking off in some points of the support legs that connect to the axle. Mine is a few years old though so they may have fixed it.

I like the Pelago a lot better. It is a lot narrower but comparable in depth. It makes it easier to park in narrow spaces and since it is stainless steel it still looks nice. I don't have to worry about scratching it that much either and it protects the frame when parking against "staple" racks. So far it has taken quite some loads, no people yet but it is rated at 15KG so perhaps that's not a wise idea. The only downside is that it doesn't work all that well with those classic beer commercial racks as those require you to slide them in deep. They also bump into my headlight.


I have been eyeing the Pelago fidlock rack mounts to use with a Restrap Rando bag or to add my own bag or basket on there.

Another option is the BLB Lite rack (aluminum) or the BLB T-rack (stainless steel). All of these are sold by SimpleBikeStore so you can probably see them in person there.

Also, what is your favourite pizza place?

alexnagui

Not gonna leave the bike at the station. Both Blaak and Central station are 10 minutes walking from my place so cycling doesn't make much sense Aren't we supposed to stay home anyway?
Anyhow, the Basil rack does look quite wide to me. So does the BLB T-rack. The BLB T-rack is 29cm wide and 24cm long and the Pelago rack (M size) is 22,5 cm wide and 29,5 cm long. Basically, the Pelago is a bit longer and narrower. The difference is not that big but still..
The Basil Portland is specified as 41 x 33 x 51 cm, by the way. Doesn't say what's what though.

Soma makes this cool foldable Porteur rack, looks like a nice solution to keep the rack compact when needed: PORTFOLDER II FRONT RACK.

Oh and the pizza place is called Burro e Salvia, best pizza I could find in Rotterdam. It's in Deliplein, if you don't know it you should definitely check it out one day. I hope they are not out of business due to corona, it's been a while since last time I went there.

JaccoW

Well, this is the Basil:

JaccoW

Hey, just noticed this comment. I do, there's the 70's Gazelle Tandem-thread but that one is on the backburner for now until it gets a bit warmer.
I took on an old project of mine over the holidays, a 1976 Gazelle Grand Tourist that's pretty much done now and I picked up a 1993 Koga-Miyata WorldTraveller that needs some frame work.

It has been a hectic time though these past few months so I haven't had much time to spend on bikes.

thook

what mudguards are those you have on that gazelle, JaccoW ? at one time, i had some aluminum ones i grabbed off a peugeot UO8 mixte that had that kind of shape. they had a flat trough down the center with a black tape/strip. really liked them and then they got munged up. haven't been able to find anything like them since, though

JaccoW

These are stainless steel Gilles Berthoud fenders. You might find the ones you used to have on French eBay You probably had something like this?

More expensive modern options are of course Simworks x Honjo, Rene Herse and Velo Orange. Not sure what else is out there but there seem to be a number of OEM suppliers of aluminum fenders for most higher-end European manufacturers.

I wrote out an entire answer before I realized you asked about the Gazelle.

The Gazelle has stainless steel Weinmann fenders that came originally with the bike. You still see them on bikes from the 70's here. I have a similar pair on the Batavus Randonneur.
I don't often see them sold separately but the bikes they come on are fairly cheap and plentiful.

They might be a little bit heavier than aluminum but those are 50 year old fenders that still look good whereas the older aluminum ones look a lot worse for wear.

thook

haha....that's funny

well, then. i guess i'll just keep looking for some vintage fenders. the market for them has been rather shallow for a long while

thook

dohh!!! would you look at that!!?? just like what i had! and, just when i'm out of funding for the time being.....

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Ral...wAAOSwvdxfLZnq

JaccoW

Are you sure? On second look they look an awful lot like vintage Esge chromoplastic fenders. Not aluminum.

thook

oh....you're right...engh

good news...no missing an opportunity!! they do look pretty much like what i had, though

i do wish esge was still making fenders. their alum' ones with the pinstripes down the center were the best

JaccoW

I have been eyeing the Restrap rando bag for a while since it is a perfect fit for the Pelago Commuter front rack I have on this bike. Turns out it was on sale on Amazon so I sprung on it right away.
It attaches to the rack using magnetic Fidlock fittings but the Pelago rack fittings are still on its way but... Brexit and shipping.

The plan is to also use it on other bikes but while there is a universal magnetic fitting included I will probably add a pair of Grand Bois Velo de Reve EB clips to be able to use it on a Velo Orange Randonneur front rack I have on several other bikes.
The zippers will probably be replaced with something that matches the rest of the bike a bit better. Probably gold.


Packed flat with nylon inserts that slide right in to make it very stiff


Made by Janet






Side by side with the Gazelle Grand Tourist

noglider 

This came out beautiful.

cudak888 

Gorgeous. Both of 'em.

-Kurt

alexnagui

That rando bag is a nice addition to the bike!

Hey, did you do something with those holes in the Pelago rack? The ones which are drilled by the manufacturer. Whenever I cycle and it's windy, the wind seems to blow through those holes and makes this sort of whistling noise. It keeps annoying me so I guess I am just gonna tape all of them. You light wiring goes through some of those holes, I suppose...Don't know if you have encountered this issue.

JaccoW

Ha #DutchProblems for sure. I do notice some whistling when it is really windy but I was never really sure if it was from the rack or just the spokes. It really is only a problem on a strong side wind... which we can have a lot here in Rotterdam of course.

alexnagui

I am pretty sure it's because of the rack, didn't hear it before, I swear, neither on other bikes.

JaccoW

I'll keep my ears open and listen to when it shows up. Otherwise we can always try a windtunnel or something 😋

JaccoW

This weekend and unfortunately the snow was gone before we could get some actual riding in but it was still a nice ride through the woods of the East of the Netherlands;
Took the train home.





@alexnagui yeah I do sometimes hear it whistling. How are your experiments with taping up the holes going?

alexnagui

Cool. Where did you go exactly? Too bad the snow melted on almost the same day, at least in Rotterdam.
I haven't done anything with those holes yet, maybe I'll keep it as it is Are those sounds starting to annoy you?

cudak888 

Would a dab of clear silicone help to prevent the turbulence at the holes?

-Kurt

JaccoW

Haha hardly, it only shows up when I turn into the wind sometimes so it doesn't bother me too much.

I went to a place between Deventer and Zutphen. It's in the woods near the moorlands in that area.

What does annoy me is the NDS crank working itself loose. And that's with new cranks, bottom bracket and bolt. No such problem on the left-hand drive side for some reason.

alexnagui

That should work, thanks for a tip! Also, I've recently discovered Shoegoo, that's an american product, right? I've used it on a bike lamp to seal a little hole in it, it worked great.

Cool, I've never been there. Only once in Deventer actually, but not cycling.
Do you mean DS or right-hand side? I am confused with the sides.. Maybe you could try to use some loctite on the crank bolt threads though it's normally not needed..I normally just grease those.

JaccoW

NDS = Non-drive side. So the side that the chainring is not on. Call it the left-hand side.

I figure it is simply the crank that needs to conform to the axle a bit. And for that it helps if you can really crank it down. The crank bolt I use now uses an 8mm Allen/Hex key so I need to use some leverage to properly tighten it. But I'm considering just ordering a pair of spare crank bolts for normal tightening with a wrench.
It probably doesn't help that the NDS crank is subjected to the largest forces for me, with it being my starting leg and the one I sometimes stand on while dismounting while riding.

alexnagui

Ok, I see. It just was not clear from your previous post, i think you mentioned NDS twice saying that it was problematic and at the same time was not