Hi,

I've been wondering if people in the US and Canada would like to buy Gazelle bikes. I'm thinking particularly about the Orange and Medeo lines, plus some in the "Favourites" such as folding bikes.

Here's the english 2008 catalog.
https://www.gazelle.nl/brochure_uk_2008.pdf

Prices in Euro here (sorry, dutch link but it's easy with names):
https://www.gazelle.nl/nl/productcate...php?idParent=2

I'm starting to think about importing some. I know the prices will probably seem steep to most in North-America, but is 1500 really too much for say the Orange Excellent considering the bike comes equipped standard with:
- Full chaincase
- Suspension seatpost
- Aluminum frame
- Suspension fork
- Dynamo hub
- Adjustable stem
- Seat bag

Seems to me it's about the same price as a N-A bike with the same features.

Your opinions? Which model would you be interested in? What are your favourite features?

I've always admired the Dutch commuters. I think they'd sell and so does Joe Breeze.

By the way, I love my Gazelle:



Some days I even commute on it.

Well, I'm saving for an Azor Oma or Swan. They've been selling pretty well where I live, so I'll bet the Gazelles would sell, too.

I'm sure they would sell, but the price seems a little steep compared to Breezer - but cheaper than some of the other Dutch bikes that are being sold.

At this price point, I would personally either go cheaper with the Breezer, or more expensive with one of the brands that has a more appealing aesthetic to me.

Donna, what about the Azor appeals to you over your current bike? I know the geometry is more appealing to you, but aside from that, is it a functional thing, that you just like the look better, or a mix?

We loved the Gazelle Medeo so much that we went as far a brining two of them back with us last year on our last trip to the Netherlands. See the attached photo of the bikes taken in a famous Canadian city on the St-Lawrence River. The bikes are in the special livery of Cycletours Holland. We have been trying to configure a North American bikes the same way for our bike tourism operations, but we can never can manage to get a perfect match.

Cheers,

I think it's a combination of both. I really like the classic lines of the Oma & Swan. (you can blame my dad for that sort of aesthetic preference ) Having ridden the Breezer and the Azors, there seems to be something more natural to me about the way the Azor is put together. That isn't to say the Breezer isn't a great bike - it's fantastic. I do think it would be the ideal transition bike for someone who rides mostly road or mountain bikes and wants something more practical and/or leisurely for utility transportation. The Azor's design is interesting in that it hasn't changed all that much over the years. There have been bikes like that for a good long time, so something about them is working for their riders.

When all is said and done, I do strongly suspect that if (for example) bikes like the Trek 7XXX series and some of the Giants had the same sort of standard extras as the Gazelles pluc is referring to, there would be fewer bikes of that ilk collecting dust in garages, because more of them would be ridden. When people who don't ride much at all see my Breezer, they usually make a rapid observation that my bike sends a message that this is set up for some serious urban transportation. No one thinks it's a toy and many of them realize it features needful things that were missing from the last bike they might have possessed.

That said, I realize these kinds of bikes aren't meant for all riders, and certainly not a great many who haunt Bike Forums. Then again, most of us are absolutely crazy about bikes. What we're trying to do where I live is get people who aren't necessarily passionate about bikes for their own sake using them for trips of 5 miles or less. Some of those people will like the classic Azors, but I believe the majority of that target group would prefer the more modern looking (and considerably lighter) Gazelles.

And - if you want females on bikes to be a more normal sight - do not pooh-pooh those skirtguards the way manufacturers of North American bike models do.

We bought a Gazelle Medeo Trekking for my wife last year when in the Netherlands (actually, we bought it in a discount shop in Belgium...) What I liked was how complete it was. fenders, front and rear racks, splashguards, chainguard, lights, pump, etc. My wife liked (and still likes) the way it rides. She really likes the trekking handlebars and she thinks the shifting works great.
We got in into the US for about $900 including additional charge on the plane. But at that time the US$ was still worth something...
Duppie

Yeah but the Gazelle are a notch above Breezers in terms of functionality, whereas Breezers look more of a "sporty" geometry (compared to "real" dutch bikes).

The problem is that when I've done some research (only about 20 people), bikes like the Oma and Opa were not very popular. People in general really liked the Chamonix for its modern looks and don't like "classic" aesthetics. An interesting fact was that the step-through frame of the Chamonix model appealed to men also (not as much as the diamond frame of course tho).

I wonder how many would be needed and how much and what models/sizes.

By the way, does anyone know where these bikes are made? Are they from Taiwan like many brands?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gazelle_(bicycle)

Love my Gazelle too:

Gazelle is nice (well, not so special to me, probably because I see 100/day), and it's true that bikes are expensive here in the netherlands but they come with absolutel all the extras you can imagine.

However if I were you I would try to search deeper if cannodale, trek... have something similar or a base that you can upgrade and how much would that cost, because 1500€ and considering the €-$ change... may be too much for a commuter.

Anyway, just for the record, this year I had to buy a new bike and I went through gazelle catalog, but all theis bikes are too much upright for my likes, I ended buying a more sportive koga-miyata roadrunner

I love it

Well, they lost all their credibility to me with this line:

The bikes kind of look like cadillacs. Do you see your legs as a northstar equipped V8? Cause you have to push all of these features up hills.

The bikes themselves look kind of cool. I'd personally have to do too much to make them to my tastes (I'd replace the seat and everything suspension on it). You might also look at an Amsterdam from Electra.

No you don't... if you live in the netherlands

In a word, yes. They're very good bikes.

That Cabby on page 30 of the catalog would be AWESOME for grocery/errand running. Looks expensive though...