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@Diamond_Supercool
This bike is finished. In fact, it's been finished since April, but I've been tweaking it since (new chain, new cassette). Here's how the story ended.
Contacted the best bike shop in London, The London Cycle Workshop, who agreed to let me use their frame tools at 7am in the morning. If there is a greater joy in life than using the right tool for the right job, I don't know it. The dropouts were probably out of alignment by about 4mm before this photo was taken.
In realigning the dropouts, I also needed to realign the rear mech hanger. They had the right tool for that too. So, with my dropouts bent in three new directions, the bike was finished.
It has since been to Yorkshire a couple of times...
And to the Isle of Wight...with its new Gazelle mate. Yes, that's right: another Gazelle.
This one is my girlfriend's. "I want a Gazelle," she said, stamping her feet. "And I want it to be red."
About a week later, this 54cm red Gazelle turned up on Marktplaats. Huge, huge thanks to forum member Mary Ann, who bought the frame for me, picked it up in The Netherlands and shipped it to London. All at cost price - which, frankly, was peanuts. The frame cost £25!
Only it didn't look like that when it turned up; it was covered in grime and bits of tape. Elbow grease and five coats of miracle wax got rid of all that though. Then it was a case of giving it the same treatment as its big black brother, first with the 2x4, then with the frame tools.
The groupset and wheels - mainly Campagnolo Veloce 10-speed - came from Spotter. With a few other bits and pieces from other forum members and ebay, it all came together in about two weeks.
The little red Gazelle is in many ways a better bike than the big black one. But really they're peas in a pod. So that's four Gazelles in our household.
Tandem next.