non-fixie 

What does that mean? You like the Peugeot better?

Yes, the weather is way below par. Looking forward to the 'Vette pics in August

non-fixie 

Like the Jan Janssen in post # 1 here's another Dutch bike that was actually made in Belgium. According to one of Rob van Oel's former employees (thanks, Ad!) it was probably made by Luc Desmet of Geraardsbergen in the late seventies. I've done some googling and found a Luc Desmet, in charge of Thompson bikes in Lessines. Would that be the same company? The website says they've been in the bike business since 1921.
Anyone familiar with them?

Anyway, here it is. From the estate of the first owner, who had it made to measure by Rob van Oel. Apparently he had my measurements

dddd

[QUOTE=non-fixie;15658968] ...Anyway, here it is. From the estate of the first owner, who had it made to measure by Rob van Oel. Apparently he had my measurements



You lucky dog!

And in brand-new shape no less!

non-fixie 

[QUOTE=dddd;15659903]Thanks! Yes, it definitely made my week. It looks like the PO has been very careful with it; very few scratches. The paint, however, has not withstood the test of time all that well. Here's what the BB shell bottom (and serial #) looks like close-up:

76 VETTE

Yep, at the moment I perform better on my Peugeot. It is heavier with steel bars, steel wheels and steel seatpost but it has toeclips and when I get on the Peugeot is fits me like a glove.

Probably have to take the (more) time to dial in the Diamant.

non-fixie 

One of the first bikes I bought was a blue PH10E. 103 Carbolite. It's a bit small for me, but with all-terrain tires and a flat bar it's a go-anywhere bike. I like it much better than the MTB I once bought.

non-fixie 

Another Belgian in non-Belgian livery. With a little help from fellow BF member juvela I've determined that this "Raleigh team bike" started life as a Flandria. And a low-end one at that.

juvela

hi non-fixie!

the three main colours i recall for these base model Flandrias of the bike boom era were white, orange and a deep blue flambouyant.

if you disassemble the hs and/or bb you may find a trace of this paint there somewhere...

of course there is always paint stripper to see what lies beneath that red finish.

3speedslow

Not a bike but Belgian inspired I think. A 2 dollar find at a thrift. 2002 Fi:zik saddle "Pave'" in those colours, black and orange....

Even has titanium rails, never been mounted on a bike !

zonatandem

It is not unusual for small builders to build bikes with other than their own brand name on them.
Colin Laing (a British/American custom builder now retired n Tempe, AZ) referred to them as 'brown wrappers.'
I emigrated from Belgium to the USA in 1947 and most Belgian bikes then were very utilitarian.
However the Keremesse races brought out some real fine racing bikes.

As to mketller 234 pronunciation question of the the brand name of his Belgian bike it is 'van' (NOT pronounced as in a Chrysler mini 'van') but closer to the German 'von' and followed by How and Art. That is the Flemish (Vlaamse) pronunciation.

Had the pleasure of chatting with Eddy M in Las Vegas at an Interbike show about 25 years ago and got his attention by hollering in Flemish :' Kan gij ook nog een beetje Vlaams klappen?' He trotted right over from his signing autographs and we had a nice and brief chat.

However, although being a long-time bicyclist did never own a Belgian bike (couldn't afford one when I lived in Brugge) and currently ride a custom/handbuilt (and c/f lugged) carbon fiber Zona tandem and single bike.

russd32

Just picked this fella up recently and put a few miles on it today

shoota 

Nice bike! Now go easy on the instagram..

russd32

Haha how did you guess that it was an instagram pic, could it be the overuse of filters?

shoota 

yeah that was the first hint lol

russd32

That's the only picture I have of it. One of these days I'll go outside and take a proper garage door shot of her

shoota 

She deserves it.

non-fixie 

Update on the Venturelli from post # 14. Mrs non-fixie was not really interested, so when a colleague came looking for a bike to present to his soon-to-be GF, we thought this would be a good candidate. With new cables, housing, bar tape, a better saddle and a decent set of tires I thought it looked good enough to get away with another posting here. (Darn, I see now I mounted the rear tire incorrectly )

gurkenwasser

i found that nice 1974-1978 norta top racer in the trash, it was a totally wreck, rusty chrome and all.

i completly disambled it, clean and polish all parts, even every bolt of the brakes.

after two weeks of eveningwork i had it together, with campa barendshifters.

the only thing missing is the original crane derallieur but this will follow in one week.

here are some pics.

shoota 

Way to bring her back from the grave!

non-fixie 

Thanks, Gurkenwasser. We definitely need more Nortas in this thread. Stevenc's Norta from post nr 2 is one of my favorite bikes on this forum.

mongol777

I got Belgian Bertin!
https://sdrv.ms/17vtFVZ

non-fixie 

Nice!

mongol777

Thank you! I am totally in love - bike is (actualy was as it is completely stripped right now, waiting for new classy parts and frame is being rustproofed) frankenbuild. Details are here https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...and-fair-price
Highlight of dissection was Tange BB with Campy axle and washers glued in by epoxy inside the cranks (under the caps) so campy bolts would hold it in place (which were apparently from another axle and were a bit long). Frame and fork weigh at around 4.5 lbs (with headset cups) - from my understanding main triangle is Reynolds A (like 531?) and stays/fork are Durifort.

3speedslow

Nice Rapidix project that I believe is from 66'. Date code came from the Attenbough brakes original to the bike. Now sporting a mix of components that work wonderful together. Not sure about the white cotten tape. Thinking of some eggplant newbaum.

Rides nice and the Suntours barcons are fantastic coupled with the VX series DR's. Needless to say, the purple colour attracts much attention when it is out on the street.

Can't say for certain who made the frame, Flandria or Superia. Lpw end for sure but nice lugs anf fairly light frame by itself.

blitherbike

I picked this up at an estate sale last weekend, and have been sort of obsessed with figuring out what it is and who made it. The head-badge and all the decals except for the "ELITE" decals on the down-tube had been removed. I can't see any impression of serial numbers in the bottom bracket shell, but there is a number stamped on the non-drive side dropout. Based on some Flickr photos and older posts on this forum, I've determined that it's a Montgomery Ward's bike. Yeah, department store bike. Not really what I was hoping for. But after learning that it was built in Belgium (according to others who own the same bikes that still have all their decals), I now think it's super cool, especially for the $20 I paid for it. Who would have thought that Montgomery Ward's would have ever sold a bike built in Belgium with French shift levers and derailleurs (you can spell them that way if they're actually French, you know), German brakes, Italian wheels and hubs, and a Japanese crank? Not me. But I love it that they did. And I love this bike. But I'm not sure what I want to do with it, or rather, how much $ and time I want to put into it, without knowing who actually made it and what year it is. The older posts I had read suggested it was either built by Flandria or Libertas. I am definitely no expert on Belgians, I can't even eat the waffles (wheat allergy ), so this thread seems like the ideal place to get the best information. I loved looking at all the Belgian beauties! I'm a newbie to the forum and I would appreciate any and all thoughts, ideas, suggestions, criticisms, snickers, and even snarky comments, if that's one's personal style.