Flandrias?
 

Anybody ever see any Flandria complete bikes or frames around? The first "serious" road bike I had was a Belgian built Flandria. I have looked on E-bay but no luck.

Yeah, I passed on a low end one about six months ago. I think most of the ones that leaked over here were UO8 equivalents (one I saw was), nothing special, though I think they made some decent bikes. Even had a team as I recalls, but I really ain't the racing type, so I dunno for sure.

I had seen a Flandria moped before, it was a very nice design, not entirely unlike the Motobecane mopeds in appeance.

Yah Flandria made some Very nice bikes but most of them
didn't make it over here. They show up every once in a while
on sites like Marktplaats or Ebay but they are not very common
(at least teh better made ones).

Marty

I had a Belgian frame from the very early 70's. There was also a factory in Spain I believe which made lower end frames with lower end components. Freddy Maertens rode for their Pro team among many others.

There was one on eBuy recently. Seller ID'd it as Portugese.

If I'm not mistaken, there are still Flandria frames being made. Saw them advertized in a UK cycling mag (maybe Cycling Plus?) and to make things confusing, they were rather high end frames but now made in the UK.

I picked up an old 10 speed Flandria at a garage sale for a song last summer. Yellow, Simplex components, High flange Normandy hubs, in yellow with lots of pin-striping. I'm pretty sure it started out European as the right brake lever runs the front brake...but it is sweet. Lugged Frame with alot of 'cool' factored in. A great old bike...

Someone brought the name. The original Flandria company made bikes and washing machines (!) if I remember correctly and went bust in the late 70's

Those washing machines had nothing to do with the Flandria factories in Zedelgem, though. There the Claeys brothers produced the then famous Flandria bicycles and mopeds (as well as gasheaters and lawnmowers, btw!). After the brothers split up, one continued the Flandria line, while the other started the Superia brand, also producing bikes and motorcycles (see the famous ad with multiple cycling champion Rik Van looy endorsing the Superia motorbikes!). Most Flandria's and Superia's were a very striking kind of pearl-finish high gloss candy apple red, a simply gorgeous colour; they were also VERY fast, although that could have been on account of their riders (Maertens, Van Looy, Sercu, Pollentier,
Demeyer, etc, etc, etc...) ... A very long time ago!!

I believe (but am not sure) that the Flandria teambikes, like the one Maertens rode, were really De Rosa frames. There was a 70s Flandria (with all the right colours) on kapaza.be where the seller claimed it was Maertens training bike. This bike looked like it was accidentally but partially covered in some black paint, looked like it had been slung in a ditch and dragged out again. Closer inspection revealed an Ishiwata 022 tubing decal. I can't believe Maertens would have used that, with all due respect to Ishiwata of course.

Probably just a period team replica bike.

Didn't expect to see this resurrected. But I'll throw out another plug. I would really like to find a nice early 70's example. Frame and fork or complete.

Here is one that appeared on Boston's Craig's List
Asking $100

My brother's flandria

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a2..._2168Large.jpg

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a2..._2169Large.jpg

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a2..._2170Large.jpg

It's a pretty average bike IMO

There's one at the LBS that one of the wrenches found for next to nothing. It turns out next to nothing didn't want it so the wrench kept it. No idea what his final plans are for the frame.

My first real bike was a used Flandria, I rode it for 3 years. Memories......:)

This is correct. Freddie reportedly hated the Flandrias he was issued as a team member and had his bikes built by De Rosa. Freddie was apparently not the only team member who felt this way, as others had there bikes built elsewhere, too. There's a funny story told by Maertens to a well-known collector that he used to sneak his new De Rosa frames into the Flandria factory to be painted. On one occasion, he was caught, and his frames wrecked by one of the Flandria bosses. Some of the team replicas are really attractive, and I wouldn't mind owning one, but I don't think Flandrias were ever really considered top-end in the 70's - certainly not pro-level.

I had a $60 Flandria in high school, which was promptly stolen. Simplex plastic der's, etc, etc. I guess I was in high school during the "bike boom"; even I knew back then that it was junk, and lusted only after the $100 Continental...

This is just a tease. I will scan the rest of this small catalog later today and post a thread to announce where it may be viewed later today. This is undated, but surely from the early 1970s. Below is the back cover. Brochure is in English and printed in Belgium. It has a history of the company on the two opening pages. And shows the full line of bikes... at least those imported to the United States for Flandria USA, New York, NY.

Original size is 160mm x 215mm (6.25 x 8,5 inches).

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2239/...730e3297_o.jpg

Check out new thread I just posted under "Flandria Bicycle Catalogue." Photo of the front cover is posted and also a link to my Flickr photo pages where the complete catalogue may be viewed.

Enjoy!