non-fixie 

Hello emy_knopfler, welcome! Nice, I have a soft spot for these Belgian sports bikes.



From these pictures I would say mid-seventies, but I could be off by 10 years either way. If you're willing to do some detective work, look for date codes on the parts. For instance, if you've got any Shimano parts, you should find a code, that consists of a letter and a number (like A 7) that indicates the year and month of manufacture. You can look them up here:

https://www.vintage-trek.com/component_dates.htm

non-fixie 

Nice Bertin, Jim! Thanks for posting it (again).

emy_knopfler

Thanks @non-fixie!

I'll look at the parts and see if I can check it there! Actually the bike rides perfectly, just need some cleaning but everything is working: lights, breaks, gears etc..really surprised with the bike!

Cheers,

E

emy_knopfler

PS: any advice to get rid of the rust in the handlebar and some other parts? Is not really too much but I want to have it in good shape

non-fixie 

I usually take one of these to clean the chrome. Follow with a polish and wax and it will look much better (if not like new).

randomgear

You might want to try 3/0 or 4/0 steel wool and a few drops of oil before you start scratching up the finish with a green scouring pad.

emy_knopfler

Just checked the breaks, are Weinmann type 810 brakes! Any clue here?
Thanks guys!

3speedslow

Weinmanns from the 70's onward. Don't know when they ceased production so not much help. Might want to replace the rusting parts with alumimium ones so no more rust and a little bit lighter in weight. Hang on to the parts so a switch back is possible. All depends if you want to keep and ride this one. But to get rust gone for now, 0000 steel wool and wd-40 will do the trick. Bronze wool if you can score some. Chemical method would be a oxalic acid bath.

Looks nice for a easy ride.

Munny

The Weinmanns alloy brakes are much older than that.
I'd say that you can find earley fifties Weinmann.
The type (810 - 730 , ...) is a code I never understood. It combines the reach and the acceptable tyres size. 810 should have long reach, no ?

To date the bike, I'd have a look at the cranks.
The pictures are very small but they could be Hermesse cranks, which usualy are dated on the back.

emy_knopfler

Thanks for the info Munny! I will check the cranks then! Thanks for the help guys!

3speedslow

Glad to be of help. Good riding !

emy_knopfler

There's no visible number or name in the Hermesse cranks, but in the frame, where the frame meets the back wheel, there's this number on the frame:
B394144 Any clue here?
Thanks guys!

non-fixie 

I'd say it looks like a Flandria frame number, but I haven't cracked the code yet. Mine looks like B 628137 and could be from the same era.

non-fixie 

This frame I recently found is said to be a Clemenso. I've no reason to doubt it, but so far I haven't found any proof either. Any info that could help further identification would be appreciated.

It has been well-used and the fork is a little rusty, but it's my size and it has some nice details.

Munny

Een kleine lange Clemens Schimt ?

The frame looks nicer than the other Clemenso I've seen so far and why "Klein" on the bottom bracket box ?

Nerdy Norm

Klein = Small in Dutch

non-fixie 

No, definitely not a 'klein' frame. If it had said 'ALLEJEZUS GROOT' I would have understood.

I have no idea why it says 'KLEIN'. I had hoped someone here had a clue. Maybe the name of the first owner, or the LBS who had it made?

blitherbike

This super cool little bike seems a bit out of place here with all the racers and tourers, but it is Belgian and helped to confirm my conclusion that my bike was built by Superia. It’s not mine, I found it on eBay. I’d buy it if I could though!


Rand Superia Muscle Bike | eBay


It’s the stippling on the rear dropouts that really sealed the deal. Of the thousands of bike pics I’ve looked at over the last 7 or 8 months, when I could see the dropouts in detail, the only bikes I’ve seen with dropouts made from that stippled steel plate were bikes with identical details to my Montgomery Ward’s Elite estate sale bike. But one bike, an American Arrow which was identical to mine in every way except color, actually had a decal which said it was made for American Arrow by Superia of Belgium. This, of course, was one of the bikes that I could not see the dropouts clearly enough.
So, if any of you have a Pan World, American Arrow, Rapidix, or Belgian made Montgomery Ward’s bike in your stable, and it’s got weird dimples all over the stamped dropouts, it’s really a Superia. There’s probably some other brands out there that Superia built frames for in the ‘70s too.

non-fixie 

Love the faux exhaust pipe! Merckx, eat your heart out!

3speedslow

Don't you just LOVE IT when half your questions are answered by the decals ? Nice spot of the muscle bike !

My Rapidix is getting another change out. Hope to throw the pics up soon but stumped by the 70mm BB and english threading

As was Getting closer

blitherbike

3SS- Can’t wait to see those Rapidix pics


I finally got the Montgomery Ward/Superia together. I upgraded the Simplex Delrin derailers to Suntour Vx rear and SL front with Suntour thumb shifters. I spent a ridiculous amount of time cleaning, filing out gouges, and polishing parts for such a low-end bike, but once I got started I just couldn’t stop.

All the cone nuts were shot and I had a heck of a time finding some that would work with the rear hub. They were weird sizes and I ended up swapping out the axle.


(Sorry about the flipped image)


I’m really happy with it- it’s the most comfortable bike I own. It rides really nice and feels a lot faster than I expected it to. I LOVE the thumb shifters. I bought some fenders for it, but they don’t look right, they’re just too wide.
I just need to make a spacer for the kick stand mount so it will stand it up at a decent angle.


Anybody ever heard of “Bing” saddles? I got this one for $8 on ebay. It had busted rivets that I replaced with very custom aluminum washers and ss screws. I think it looks pretty good with the Brooks grips I found in a Habitat for Humanity Re-Store for less than $5- also busted but fixable.

non-fixie 

Nice! Pity about the fenders, as fenders would look good on a bike like this. Thanks for posting. And for bumping this thread, as that will hopefully attract more Belgian bikes.

Cyclosaurus

lotekmod

I just picked up this Flandria 3 speed which is similar to emy_knopfler's and I feel is in remarkable condition for it's age. The Sturmey Archer hub has a '73 date stamped on which seems right. I was told by the seller, who got it from the original owner, that it was brought to the US from Belgium. The most obvious proof is the license tag from Namur. I suppose that tag could be bought anywhere, but the fact that the fork has the braze-on mount for it makes me believe it is not a US bike. I was also surprised to find 700c aluminum rims on it. I'm going over it now and I'm pretty excited to take it on the road soon. It's my first 3 speed. The photos are not mine, they are from the sale posting.

b dub 

As non-fixie suggested I should post this Leon Cattrysse bicycle in this thread, so here I go.



See more info here.

I really don't know anything about this brand. I do see some design elements similar to the Flandria 3 speed right above this thread. Black lugs (not the same though) and integrated rear rack. The Cattrysse also has a bolt half way down the left side of the fork. I don't think it was meant for the license plate though, but for a generator.