non-fixie 

Gazelle mounted Bluemels (Club Specials) on their Champion Mondial semi-race models in those days. They're nice and light and work great, but they are a bit vulnerable. I really like them and have bought otherwise uninteresting bikes for € 25 just because of the Bluemels. Not sure what the availability stateside is though. NOS pairs surface regularly over here.

gomango 

Thanks for the info guys.

I have a set of new Berthouds on a shelf here, which would work fine until I manage to come up with the Bluemels Club Specials.

I'll send some feelers out locally to see if anyone has some.

If not, the previous poster's idea would work fine as well.

So, keeping with the black color scheme with red windows in the lugs, I noticed these online.

I think they would look great, but are they close enough to the 1977 time period to work?



...and am I safe to assume these are the correct Reynolds 531 decals for this 1977 A frame?

Zieleman

to be period correct, you'll need a TT decal in the font of my 78 CM's. This is my red one:
https://velospace.org/node/45113

My girl's champagne CM:
https://velospace.org/node/41593

If you can find those decals, I highly reccommend them. They look bloody cool.

btw an AK-Special frame? wtf

gomango 

Ah, thanks for the links. Quite helpful and may I say, those are beautiful bicycles!

I have sooo much to learn about Gazelles though.

Always feel to set me straight.

Looking at my parts shelf, I noticed my Campy NR gruppo is a little rough while the 600 Arabesque is very clean.

How often were these equipped with 600?

I've ridden both many years ago, but just interested in a more knowedgable viewpoint from current owners.

..and what is an AK frame anyway?

Zieleman

Well Grady, an AK-frame would be funny in size 47, but it's non-excistent I believe. An AA-Special frame though is kind of the top model in 531 CM's. With cable routing through the top tube, panto's, chrome and a special BB shell and such. I guess those decals are counterfeit

Don't forget to check out the brochures on that website pullup told you about:
https://jvs.webklik.nl/page/gazelle

They also show the variety of equipment you could order your Gazelle with. Don't see any Arabesque gruppo in those brochures though (they're not complete yet). But I'm certain that was the popular choice back in the day. Cheaper than campy but very good quality. And it looks pretty awesome IMO.

btw Are you sure you're going with black? There were so many colourschemes to choose from...

gomango 

Thanks again!

I'll keep learning.

Black for me is more of a vanity choice. A good friend picked up a black Gazelle track bike over thirty years ago. He still has it and rides it occasionally at our Velodrome. I've always admired the look. I do get where you are coming from though. Your red Gazelle is eye popping, so I do know how good they can get.

I am also looking for a vintage cyclocross frameset down the road, so that can be a more lively choice as far as color goes. They come up from time to time, so I know I'll find one eventually.

As for the brochures, there is so much to study. I have all winter though.

The gruppo choice is really no biggie. I have a Campy NR, a 600 Arabesgue and more on the shelf.

I also am not super worried about the whole period correct piece. The bike will be ridden constantly, so function is going to win out on this one.

Zieleman

I know a guy who has a size 58 he would like to sell...

Btw function before form is very much in the Gazelle tradition

gomango 

PM me please when you have a free moment.

I'll be bike $$$ short for a month or so, but if it's not too expensive......

ultraman6970

still not here

ultraman6970

NOthing yet

Zieleman

And now?

ultraman6970

Arrived the 30th of december together with other parts I did not expect to show up. I knew something else was inside of the box but pretty much never imagine that an almost full suntour group from around the same era showed up inside of the box. Sincerely I got speechless with such a generosity.

Chromed has been cleaned and polished like a mad man , paint has been sanded and polished. The good thing is that reus graphics are very easy to redo and that makes me think in a new paint job but doubt will do it (I do paint bikes as a hobby) anyday soon.

From the numbers in the BB looks like it was manufactured in 1988?? and size 55. Maybe a custom job or something? There is an F at the opposite side of the BB shell that who knows what it means, maybe june?

About tubing, Im not sure, it looks reynolds due to a fork stays 531 decal and because the ends of the blades are thinner than columbus. The frame looks like it is reynolds (looks like dutch builders back in the 80s did not use columbus?), the seat tube i'm not sure if will fit 27.2 or a 27.0; 27.2 fits too tight, not that tight is bad in some cases if you know what I mean hehehe

Now I'm trying to source some small parts I need to complete it with the suntour parts I received . I don have a dime so probably will have to wait till the next swap meet in february to find the missing stuff, today started snowing so doubt will use the bike for a while, so I have time to source the little missing parts i guess.



After like 3 days polishing and cleaning the chroming in the frame now I'm ready to get some pictures maybe tonite ;D

pullup

Congrats on the bike and it coming complete with the group is a really nice bonus
I am really interested in framepictures from maybe before and after polishing and (sanding?)

I think every Reus from that era would be a custom job for sure so no surprise there.

Tubing will be Reynolds for sure as he did not like to work with Columbus. i try to attach a little article about him from a series focussing on Dutch framebuilders where he talks about his tubing preferences. Hope it works.

non-fixie 

^ Thanks for posting that article, pullup! Hadn't seen it before. Do you know when it was published?

pullup

I have no idea where i got it, just downloaded it sometime ago I guess and forgot the source, luckily I have the rest of the series as well for you.

non-fixie 

Many thanks! I enjoyed reading them. BTW, I just found out when this was published: Fiets magazine # 2, spring 1982.

non-fixie 

With the ink on my new year's resolution - of not buying so many bikes this year - not yet dry, I kicked off 2014 by getting two orange ones.

Yesterday: a Gazelle Champion Mondial E2 Superbe. An A-frame in my favorite size, built with Suntour Superbe. A little scruffy, but I dig those '70's CM's.



Today: also in orange, also 62 cm's, a Sprey. Handbuilt by Daan Sprey in Reynolds 531 some 35 years ago for the PO who happens to be my size exactly. Didn't even have to adjust the saddle.

EDIT: spoke to Daan Spreij about this bike and it turned out to be a Viner frame, and is an orange version of this one.

pullup

That's a great way to start the year and they are both great and I like that Gazelle color orange a little better.

ultraman6970

Ok here are to pictures... of the frame but I'm still sourcing some parts, got lucky and a friend from my city had a set of hubs moving around and got them for free as long I built a few wheels for him, since I dont mind even doing it for free was a good deal IMO

ultraman6970

Thaks a lot, wish I could read that hehee

DO you know if the actual owner or reus can figure it out a serial number? So far I read looks like reus son was the one building after wards, I imagine the guy in the picture is his son? Hope they have registers because would love to know the paint color name to repaint the frame completely in that color leaving the seat stays chromed.

wallymann

not sure how i've missed this thread all these years! here's my repainted Gazelle AA-Special...mid 90s frame in mid 70s colors:



since changed to super-record bits instead of c-record:

ultraman6970

Good stuff

gomango 

So, I have read through most of this excellent thread looking for info about Cees Jonkers.

Definitely some good leads here.

My nephew, the bike hawk, has come across a Cees Jonkers rando bicycle in Austria.

Is there a "definitive source" of info on these nice bicycles?

Zieleman

Well I know Pullup had a couple nice Jonkers'. And the guy I put you in contact with (Gazelle cx) is from Rotterdam, so he probably knows more.

pullup

Indeed, I had a nice matching pair ( A 80's roadbike and stepthrough) which i aquired when I was working in Rotterdam. The stepthrough is supernice and still in my posession, the roadbike I passed on to a friend as it was a little bit to big for me.
https://www.klassiekeracefiets.info/2011/03/21/jonkers/

The shop where Cees worked still exists https://www.wielerstudio.nl/ but it changed hands in 2005 and they don't build frames anymore.