Yearning for the 1st ride (Batavus Professional Cylco Cross)
 

Within now and an half our it will be the 1st time out for me on this gem. In the snow :) The bike has been collected by me recently. It was the crossbike of ex-team Batavus rider Egbert Koersen. Drivetrain is full Dura Ace with the exception of Suntour VX rear mech with 1st generation Tacx jockey wheels - the ones without teeth. Brakepower is delivered by MAFAC through DA levers. Tape is white cotton dipped into shellac. To me it looks like that this bike has still pretty much its original specs.

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4047/...59f85791_b.jpg

Frame: Full 531 tubing, Bocama lugs, Zeus 2000 crown and Campagnolo dropouts. More on it here >>>

http://bulgier.net/pics/bike/Catalog...Cyclocross.jpg
Source: Bulgier site

Very nice bicycle and I understand the yearning for a first ride thing. As a winter dweller in Thunder Bay, Canada, I go through this all the time(well, only in the winter, if you get my drift - pardon the pun). When I complete a bicycle in mid winter these days, I put it into a trainer and ride it for a short while anyway. This allows me to test shifting better than I could in the work stand. It also allows me an opportunity to expedite fitting the bicycle for my body size. And it adds just a little bit extra to the power of the yearn that you are expressing and experiencing at the moment. And you might even want to do it a few times as you get to know the bike.

By the way, how did you get there? No tracks? Were you air lifted into place. Where I live, that would be bloody cold with bare hands and no hat.

Thanks you. Overhere conditions for riding are quite good atm. It is about 0 or -1 degrees Celcius. Exactly enough for that the snow won't melt away and still comfortable with the bit of sunshine. There are no tracks, because I jumped from the tree and the bike was trown to me...

More seriously: I came through the low fence behind me.

The 1st ride: It is a Champ in the snow. I had a very enjoyable ride. The bike masters bumpy section quite well, due to it's huge hoops and tallness. On the other hand a comfortable experience was underminded by the shellac cotton wrap and absence of hoods. The cockpit is also not the right one for me. For riding I need to construct another. I need a 1 or 2cm shorter stem, a wider bar, hoods and the current routing of the mech cable sucks. It leaves at the brake lever and it fights a continious battle with my thumb. That the stem has to go is a little bummer. Current one is a neat Cinelli 1R with brake cable routing through the stem. If anyone knows a source for alike stems, please let me know. Alternatively I'll have one modified. I want to keep that nice touch.

I did two rides today. One on this Batavus and another two hours later on a Grove Innovations Hard Core mountainbike. Because of the raised bottom bracket, you would think the HC lends itself not so well for winter conditions. But it has tractor tyres. On the 2nd ride conditions had dramaticly changed. Because of the many cyclists, walkers and so on, snow became much more compact and conditions more slippery and dangerous. Ate snow on several occasions during the ride on my local track.

On the Batavus I can say it is quite well preserved. According to the seller it hadn't been used for over 20yrs. It was covered in an oily substance and parked away. This created a bit a 'dirty' look over time for which the seller multiple times apologized. I am gratefull instead, as the residu can be wiped away with WD-40, while I know that would not have been the case with rust. The seller were unsure on whether I would take it till the last moment, while I were enthousiastic about it all the time and the asking was also not that opportunistic that carefull consideration was an absolute necessity. On my 1st ride it didn't explode under me, so to me it looks like money well spent. I will put up a couple more pics up soon.

I would opt to not modify the new stem and get a hanger/headset spacer.... it will weaken the stem and make it prone to cracking. That is a very nice bike BTW, I would love to get my hands on a classic cross bike like that. Currently, my cross bike is the only non-steel bike I own (except a polo bike but that doesn't REALLY count).

UH Um you are not going to actually ride the beautiful bike off road are you? I mean I know it is a 'cross bike but it is just too pretty to ride in the dirt.

can we get a close up of the chainwheel? does it have two guards?

I have been the happy owner of two aluminum cross in the past: an Alan made Guerciotti and an again Alan made Colnago Duall. Both handsome and enjoyable frames. Currently I have another cross frame ready for being build: A Ritchey SwissCross. Ritchey Logic tubing (modified Tange Prestige) and neat biplane crown forks. There is not much pace in the process, so I am also happy to got my hands on this Batavus because it is ready to go.

The stem: Yes, it could very well be I decide for a hanger between cup and lockring. Only (potential) issues are there is not very much room between them and the current headset is construted of aluminum. I replace the headset for a steel DA one if I go the hanger between cup-lockring route. If alternatively I will go for the drilled stem than I will opt for the smallest possible diameter hole and that it is perfectly filed so there are no edges/stress risers. A hanger clamped on the stemshaft is no option, as that would involve a raised bar and that is not what I can use, as the frame is already on the tall side for me.

Yes, a guard on both sides. I think these were custom constructed back in the day, but I am not sure. Next post pictures.

On whether I am taking it off road: Yes, I am taking it off road. Sure the bike is in beatifull (thank you), but it is not NOS or in concours d' elegance condition. There are some marks like scratches or chips and there is some wear. In the way I am using and take care of my bicycles ussually I do expect a nigligible effect on condition. Moreover there is also a benefit factor, because of the regular servicing and other utmost care meassures like rust prevention.

More pictures

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4014/...23b93789_b.jpg

Cockpit with the Cinelli 1R stem and shellaced tape >>>

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4003/...28955f44_b.jpg
Notice the pinstriping and painted lug-cutouts. Quite a fancy touch for a bike you drag into the mud ins't it?

Not the usual Batavus headbadge, but 'Batavus' painted on the headtube. Glimpse of the Zeus crown >
The Suntour VX mech with the early Tacx wheels >>

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4001/...40fef842d3.jpg http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2642/...2938c65629.jpg

Wrap over seat stays: A common feauture on the Professional road frames of the era, but also present on this cross edition >

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4015/...387197ff05.jpg

What size chainring is on there? All the little modifications are interesting. I wonder if the rear derailleur was changed while it was being in use as a team bike? Everyone knew the suntour derailleur would outshift anything performance wise, but im sure the team was under contract from shimano!

I like!

Beautiful bike! :thumb:

It's too bad you're not here in California where you could ride it anytime. :D

I held a 42t chainring next to the chainring on the bike and it turned out that the ring on the bike is fractionally smaller, so probably 40 or 39.

Relatively seen I often encounter Suntour mechs on cyclo cross bicycles. Probably, like you said, due to that they outperform everything else and that especially under severe conditions. Maybe a Dura Ace mech was the original spec and that it was the 1st thing that had to go when the sponsoring obligation ended because of new bike or new owner.

Conditions for riding overhere are quite good throughout the year. The crosser can deal with the snow quite well. Only in high summer some off road tracks on which many people ride (and brake!) can become that sandy that they are more suited as sandbox than as natural habitat of crossbike or even MTB.

Elev12k, where are you?

Noglider,

The track I were talking about and that I often go to is located 30km above Amsterdam at the coast. It is situated in the dunes. In September last year I and some friends organized the Old World MTB Championship at and around the particular track. Next year we go to UK. Here the website with pics of last years event >>> www.owmtbc.org