My Gazelle AA super doesn't make sense

I'v bought this Gazelle AA super a few days ago. At first sight a lovely looking Gazelle:

But when I gave it a clooser look there were some remarkable things about this Gazelle:

1. The cable routing of the rear mech.
   It has a Cinelli bracket (With Cinelli logo, not Gazelle logo) With the cables running underneath it. However the cable stop is put on top of the chain stay. This means the cable is twisted over the chainstay
   
   

Edit: The original cable routing has been changed, to underneath the BB. Therefore the cableguides have been removed on the down tube. I think the BB has been replaced.

1. The top tube has an intern cable routing, which is normal for a AA super. However this is the newer type, with the cable going in on the side, and going out on the top. This type of cable routing was later then the last production of the Gazelle AA super.
   
   

Edit: Top tube is most likely original, have seen more AA supers with this top tube

1. There is to much space left between the "dent" in the seat tube and the tyre.
   
   

Edit: I think the space is ok, have seen more AA supers with space like this. The space is diffrent between each AA-super.

1. The vork crown has no Gazelle logo engraved. This was only used with older Gazelles. And this Gazelle must be newer, since it has the newer type of Gazelle decals.
   
   

Edit: Also the vork crown is most likely original, there are more Gazelles from this era with this vork crown and front fork.

The paint of the gazelle is the same over the bike, it has no parts where it has a diffrent shade. Only at the top tube at the Gazelle decal it has a different shade.

Does somebody know what's going on here? Or ever seen something like this before?

ps. Sorry for my bad english

My AA-Super TT has the same mount on top of the chainstay, which is fine if you have the aero cable guides going over the BB shell (see pic)

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That cable routing is horrific, I doubt it works does it? You can buy a little component that clamps around the seat tube above the bottom bracket and helps guide the cable across the top of the bottom bracket shell instead, it would work much better.

Tyre spacing, your tyres are maybe just quite small? One manufacturers 23c tyre might = another manufacturers 21c tyre, they are all a little different.

Yes, that's the right combination. I already saw that on the internet. I just don't understand why my Gazelle has such a weird cable routing. It's just ridiculous.

The cable routing does work. it keeps the same cable pull, and the resistance of the cable rubbing the chainstay isn't that high. I'm going to sell the Gazelle, so I'm not going to fix it. But I'm still very interested how and why this Gazelle is put together.

There is some diffrence between the tyres, however this space is just to much. You can see that dent has no purpose on the back. Without it, the tyre would still fit (with a tight clearance).

Hi, I've had a few gazelles in my time, each frame has its quirks - the chainstay cable stop/bb shell one is odd though... does the frame also have the stops as in Skull and Biscuits photo?

It could just be a mistake that meant the frame was then shelved, forgotten about, pulled out and given a newer paint job and sold on? - it has been mentioned on the Gazelle thread that some frames ended up on the shelf in the factory for a while and were then given a respray and the newer decal style added to be sold with their more up to date look.

Can you see any sign at all under the paint on the top-tube that the internal routing went through the top as with the older, more typical models?

Of the white ones I've had I too had noticed discolouration around the 'champion mondial' decal

^ and as mentioned above, maybe try a different tyre... My AA Supers took 25c tyres to fill the indent in the seatube...

perhaps @dicki can shed some more light on it? Shame @Dutch_Cheese doesn't seem to be around any more, he was very helpful with information about my AA Super Lo-Pro

Actually, if they'd have made a mistake it would have been easy to add the correct cable stops to the chainstay near the bb... Hmm, it doesn't make sense!
My aa super Lo pro has the same non panto'd fork crown, I've been told that they only made a few early ones like this as prototypes before adopting the panto'd crowns...

You're also missing the aero downtube shifter mount... ?

this might help

http://jvs.webklik.nl/page/gazelle

if you look at the 1986 or 87 catalog it looks like an AA special champion mondial but with AA Super champion mondial stays?

this geared lo pro looks pretty normal re cable routing

straight down the down tube above bb and straight across the top, two stops at the bottom of the downtube, the one at each end of the chainstay, all hidden by the chainring and spider unfortunately, just like skull and biscuits

It could be that this Gazelle was put in the shelfs an is given a respray. But even then, the frame is still weird. It also doesn't have cable stops like Skull and Biscuits AA super. And I am missing the aero down tube shifter mount.

I've put diffrent wheels and tyres in the bike, but the ones that were in the bike from the beginning, leaves the tightest clearance. I think the length of the chainstay is a failure.

I have checked the internal cable routing of the top tube, I can't see a sign that the bike had an older cable routing. Also for further info: Both dropouts have Gazelle engraved.

I think it's really weird that the bike has a newer top tube in combination with propably an older chainstay. How can it be, that the bike is put together with parts from different ages? Maybe the bike has been broken and some parts are replaced? But then the to long chainstay won't make sense. The Gazelle still doesn't make sense...

Do you have a picture of you Lo pro fron fork? Because I think my front fork is a newer type. Because the fork crown has a slope, and the older ones were more flat.

Is there any evidence of the internal cable routing in the middle of the underside of the toptube? The more modern internal routing could have been added later in the frames life... My supers all had gazelle stamped dropouts too, but maybe the dropouts have been changed from horizontal ones resulting in the gap at the rear? Perhaps it's a crashed and repaired prototype? BB cable routing is the strangest one...

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Also the fork crowns on mine are the same sloping ones as on yours...

Could the BB shell have been replaced?

What size is the frame? and what length is the chainstay?

I've found som evidence that the frame had the old cable stops on top of the down tube. They have been there, and later been removed. This is the same for the aero cable mounting. That mounting has also been replaced. So it wasn't put together like this!

The BB is also defenitely not original, because it has got cable routing underneath. Maybe it's replaced because the threads were worn down. I think the "renovater" of this frame thought: "Hey, the bb has cable routing underneath the bb, that looks good, I would like to have that". Then he changed the cable routing on the down tube, and the cable stops on the seat tube, the down tube and one cable stop on the chainstay (around the BB). And then eventually forgot about the other cable stop on the rear stay? Maybe he didn't wont to replace that because he would want to leave the chrome on the chainstay. Still this is weird, but it's the only thing I can think of.

And then the top tube. I also think that one is replaced, and this could be along with the front fork. Because the front fork is not very common. But it also could be that this front fork is still original.

After the replacement of several parts i think it had a respray at Gazelle. I cannot say it also had the replacement parts at Gazelle. Because the BB didn't had a Gazelle logo. But Gazelle could also have a reason for using a non Gazelle BB, because the original Gazelle BB's had the framenumbers stampt in. And using one of this (newer) Gazelle BB's would make a wrong framenumber with the frame.

I've measured the length at the middel of the rear wheel axle and the axle of the bottom bracket. This is a length of 39,5 cm.The framesize is 54 cm. Is this chainstay to long?

Hi Fisk,

I own an AA Super which is 54 square and i measured 384.5 from the rear axle to the BB axle. Just thought I'd mention that my BB is also a Cinelli one with the same cable routing although my cable stop for the rear mech is on the underside of the chainstay. If i can take any more photos or measurements to aid your investigation then please let me know.

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Interesting detective work! Do you think you'll be adding a stop on the underside of the chainstay, seems that would solve routing and let you get on with using the frame?

Edit: I'm going to sell the Gazelle, so I'm not going to fix it.

Gotcha.

What was the outcome of all this?

Hi Lacey,

Lovely bike you have there. As far as I can see you have the routing of the cables going in on the top? Never seen that before.

Thanks for sharing the info. Your picture and the picture of the other Gazelle AA super frames do make a lot clear.

Haha. I'm maybe going to keep the Gazelle for my girlfriend, if it does fit her. And then I will solve the cable routing. A clamp on, or a rivet construction.

Edit: Gazelle is for sale now!

The outcome is that the Gazelle had a diffrent cable routing then in the early days, and then over time it changed. And I think the top tube could be original. I don't think the BB is original, because it has cable routing underneath.