1000th post and a Gazelle
 

So, I had hoped this bike would be complete before my 1000th post so I could do a bit of an unveiling. Alas, I broke a shift paddle and haven't rebuilt the shifter yet/wrapped the left side of the bars. My camera is also on the fritz so the pictures aren't what they should be, but here goes...

The build, thanks to a couple forum members and countless hours scouring ebay:
Gazelle Champion Mondial (531) Frame with Campagnolo drop outs, butterfly brake bridge and chain stay stiffener, Roto Bottom Bracket shell and Zeus 2000 fork crown.
Omas Headset (it had an Omas bottom bracket but I had to destroy the cups getting it out and it wasn't going to work with my drive train plans).
Shimano Ultegra FD, RD, and 53/39 Crank
Shimano 600 Pedals (dura ace clips and velo orange leather wrap and straps)
Shimano Dura Ace 2nd gen brakes, Bottom Bracket and Chain
Ritchey WCS seatpost
3TTT Titanium 130mm stem
3TTT Forgie Classic bend handlebars
Campagnolo Record 10 Shifters and cables
Vuelta Bassano Reynolds 531rail saddle with cork pattern on the leather
Hudz Barcelona gold replacement hoods (if someone needs a hideous set of green hudz, I have some that came with my shifters)
Planet X Model B wheelset wearing Michelin Pro 3 Race tires
Tubular wheelset built up with Dura Ace hubs, Campy Semi-aero gray anodized rims and Gommitalia Espresso tires.
SRAM 12-26 Cassette

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2419/...92dea197f8.jpg
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2514/...ea9dc9d852.jpg

I really like that color. Looks great!

A shot of the fork crown
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2746/...2068415b63.jpg
And how it started life with me.
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4035/...7029daa1c1.jpg

It has a bit of rust I plan to touch up, but for now I'm riding it as much as I can.
Excuse the mis-matched skewers in the photo above, I have a set of Ritchey skewers like the one on the front, I just hadn't put the one in the rear at the time of the photo.

Cool build. That frame is quite handsome!

Very nice.. Can you post a link to some higher res. pictures?

How well do the Campagnolo ergos work with the Shimano stuff(derailleurs & brakes)?

It's always good to see a Gazelle on these pages. The modern parts are more in tune with the frame than I would have expected. The result looks very comfy too. Well done!

Nice gazelle. Great frankengruppo. How's the spacing on the powerdome working out with the pull of the records on that derailler? It really begs the question, why not full ultegra, or better yet, full campy record? Did you just wait for good deals to pop up online for those parts or is thos really a parts box special?

Link to the photos at higher res. http://www.flickr.com/photos/24428532@N06/5787567711/ Like I said, the camera is on the fritz so the photos aren't much better there. Farther back in the album, the frame pictures can be found.

The frankengruppo works. I used the alternate routing method from a few articles on 'Shimergo'. I guess I forgot to mention that the Shimano parts are 9 speed while the campy shifters are 10. I ended up going this route because I hate the way Shimano parts look and I just wasn't getting any deals on Dura Ace shifters. I would have been better off to buy a full group in the beginning, but hindsight is always 20/20.

I will say that occasionally I don't feel the shifts. They happen, and it indexes very well. I just don't feel it happen which can bother me a bit. One might say it's an incredibly smooth shift, but I'd like confirmation, be it audible or through feel that I've completed my shift.

Very nice. Also I really dig that porch railing.

Yeah, the porch railing is interesting. I think the only way they got away with doing it was that there were existing ones there they were repairing. The rest of the building has code compliant ones.

Hot bike, 20grit! I dig the brown.

Beautifull 'AA-frame' example. Good it gets ridden :thumb:

Random aside since weight comes up fairly often.

I couldn't find a black seatpost that wasn't some ridiculous length. I could shave off a decent chunk of weight by getting rid of some seatpost length. The ones that were shorter were much much heavier though. I guess it's just an odd trade off.

The brakes aren't exactly the lightest pieces ever. That added to their dull gray finish makes me want to spring for something else.

One could easily loose a few grams by removing the tire savers, the toe clip leathers and using a less bulky strip clap.

With all those attached to it though... the bike still comes in at 21.4 lbs. It's a 61cm frame btw.
For a comparison... my bosses Colnago Bititanio which is around a 56cm frame and sports 10 sp Dura Ace is right at 22 lbs. These weren't done on the same scale so I'm sure there's some discrepancy but I'm still fairly happy with the weight.

I do wonder if I could get it down closer to 20 lbs. I don't know if switching to dura ace cranks and derailleurs would be enough or if I'd have to do a few more things.

It's being ridden in its uncompleted state. I only have use of the 39 tooth ring but luckily that works perfectly for my commute to work. I have the parts to fix the shifter, just haven't done it yet. Once I get that done, hopefully it'll start seeing a whole lot more miles.

Sorry to derail your thread, but what's the issue? Someone worried it's a pinch hazard? Those spaces don't look nearly wide enough for little Suzie's head.

I can't come up with where but somewhere in looking through code I seem to remember something being mentioned about catching hazards. One's hand could very easily get caught between those railings because of the 'V' profile.

I really like vintage frames with modern or altered build-ups to enhance riding; it underlines the fact that C&V frames can be destined for higher levels than its origin. And the Gazelle is outstanding!

Forgot to mention the Velo Orange Moderniste Bottle Cage. I think they're pretty sweet looking. Haven't tested it yet but it feels pretty solid. And while I'm reviewing...

Chombi asked me a long time ago about that saddle. Starting out... it's a bit of an ass hatchet. It seems to be breaking in so I'll know more later. It was NOS saddle soit's obviously going to need a bit of a break in period.

Others have asked about the Planet X wheels previously. So far... so good. The tires mounted easily, they look good, feel solid. The freewheel is one of the loudest I've ever heard.

I know what you mean about the silent shifts. I set up my girlfriend's RB-2 with campy 9 shifters, hub-bubbed Shimano derailleur, and 8 speed shimano cassette and those shifts can happen without any audible feedback. Funny how you sometimes don't notice the difference until you get visual/audio feeedback.

How are you liking the Shimergo combo? I think it provides a very smooth system. Shimano cassetes FTW.

Sickeningly gorgeous. That's a dream ride for me.

Thanks. It's sitting in front of me at work right now reminding me that I'm stuck in here for another 5 hours.



I hope I can find a paint to match the colors so I can do some touch up. It pains me to see the little rust spots. Aside from that, it's one of those bikes that makes me very happy.

fabulous bike and build, welcome to the gazelle club!