Gazelle? Does anyone know anything about them?

if the speedo generated electricity for nothing we wouldn't have the energy problems we do now !

well the cycling machines in my old gym used to generate electricity. but then there were only two of em. not sure they'd power much at all. maybe a running machine for 20 seconds.

This is my Gazelle, a 1994 Champion Mondial:

Hi Simon,

Great bike, I've seen it live! Roy, the guy you got it from, is a friend. Think it had seen less than 1000km of use ...maybe even less than 100km. Very nice aesthtiscs with the interesting lugwork and the 'Brussel blauw' colour if you ask me. Less subjective is that it is simply a excellent rig if you want to get around corners fast.

You mention it is a 1994 bike. Maybe the serial indicates 1994, but I would say it is a 1995MY 'Criterium' model.

ur a bit of a safari hunter with arent ya zieleman??! spotting all those gazelles and what not!!

theres suddenly so many gazelles for sale on ebay / forum. bit of a london bus issue here. i've been out for one for about 8months!

LBS round the corner from me has a Flouro Yellow Gazelle Lo Pro semi built up and it is fucking gorgeous. When I went in there and saw that I told the guy who owns/runs it once I'd saved enough money I'd buy that. He's got a couple of his old Gazelles he used to race on in there too, one of them is 25 years old, all he's ever replaced on it is tyres, bartape, brake pads and cables and he still rides it every day. It's in amazing condition for how much he says he's ridden it.

where is it ? the lbs ?
i am amazed at the amount of gazelle threads on the forum
seems like the poeple who buy them love them and keep an interest in all things gazelle
was that lo pro for sale perchance ?

ur a bit of a safari hunter with arent ya zieleman??! spotting all those gazelles and what not!!

theres suddenly so many gazelles for sale on ebay / forum. bit of a london bus issue here. i've been out for one for about 8months!

I sure like Gazelles, but I not in particularly hunt for them. I like spotting much more than that, but for as far roadbikes are concerned I am especially interested in or have a weak spot for them with Dutch and Japanese origins.

My cycling virus started through mountainbiking, unlike many of you who's enthousiasm probably got triggered with building fixies. The enthousiasm for old world quality roadbikes caught on when I thought I had seen it all with MTBs.

Many Gazelles up for sale currently? Could be, I didn't notice it, but that could have a lot to do with that I am not an eBay regular. Well, as if it isn't enough than, I happen to have one for sale too.

where is it ? the lbs ?
i am amazed at the amount of gazelle threads on the forum
seems like the poeple who buy them love them and keep an interest in all things gazelle
was that lo pro for sale perchance ?

It's in Hornchurch, called Chainlink. The Lo-Pro is for sale indeed, it's currently got a Cinelli Stem/Bullhorn combo, some sort of tri-spoke on the rear and a Campag deep V/Campag hub on the front. I think Campag chainset too. That's it's current state. I'm not sure on the size though.

wow Zieleman that is one beautiful bike ...Is it yours?

i found one in amsterdam
5 speed and a pannier to carry my mate on
5 star rating

wow Zieleman that is one beautiful bike ...Is it yours?

Yes ...it still is, but I intend to let it go, because I made the decision for myself that I need to focus and pick certain biketypes I'll center my interest around. A trackbike is a bit an oddball in my current little stable.

It the only complete Gazelle I have currently btw. Have a couple of framesets, among them AA Special, AA, AB, A, but they're all future projects. 1st make room.

It's in Hornchurch, called Chainlink. The Lo-Pro is for sale indeed, it's currently got a Cinelli Stem/Bullhorn combo, some sort of tri-spoke on the rear and a Campag deep V/Campag hub on the front. I think Campag chainset too. That's it's current state. I'm not sure on the size though.

I've been in there and chatted to the owner. Funny shop, so full of stuff that you can get in the door but can't actually move around inside the shop. Sort of place that you wonder how he makes enough to pay the bills.

I saw the lo pro and a couple of other Gazelles and some other steel frame, but he either doesn't really want to sell them or he's a bit of a time waster... after 3 visits he wouldn't even give me a price, kept telling me to come back next week. I gave up in the end....

I thought exactly the same. He's a really nice guy with plenty of trinkets on display. I think he's very cautious of timewasters and ends up wasting time himself. I think if you walked in and said you wanted to buy it there and then, gave him a spec list to build it up he'd give you a price.

I do wonder how he makes any money, I see the same stuff waiting to be built up, week after week. There's crazy 2nd hand bikes outside that aren't worth anything then gorgeous bikes that just don't move. I reckon if he was interested then it'd be a brilliant business to buy into and turn around into a welcoming shop with quality stuff for sale.

Also, are you local to Hornchurch then? I live just the other side of the park to that shop.

oh my word.
picked up my 531 SL (super lightweight) Champion Mondial today... light as a can o' coke!!!

mighty impressed

I thought exactly the same. He's a really nice guy with plenty of trinkets on display. I think he's very cautious of timewasters and ends up wasting time himself. I think if you walked in and said you wanted to buy it there and then, gave him a spec list to build it up he'd give you a price.

Yeah, he seems like a nice enough person but I would have thought that after several visits he would have realised that I wasn't a timewaster.... he is aware that retro classic bikes/frames have a certain value so I don't reckon you'd get a bargain price for any of it.

I used to live in Ardleigh Green, and worked at Havering College. Very dull suburban area where occasional mindless thuggery is the locals' only entertainment (I am from Essex so feel qualified to comment). I'm out in Brentwood now, bit more genteel although not much and easier to get out to the lanes for training rides.

I worked in Gazelle's lightweight devision from 1985-1989.
We did all racing frame sets and bikes like Trim Trophy, Tour de l' Avenir, A, AB, AA-Special, AA-Super, 753, Cross, Track, Randonneur, TT, Semi Race, Tandem.
And some Raleighs like Executive and some other touring bikes.

Early 1980's about 50% of the Dutch road peloton was on Gazelle.

Reality Cycles (Chris Walker's dad), Sheffield, were the importers.

Supplied bikes to many amateur teams and pro's like Willem-II, Frisol, Skil-Skala, TVM.

wow
what a great job what did you do there ? was it hands on the welding machine ? or building bikes ?
you must have seen some beauties go through the workshop

what would you say was their highest quality frame ... i suppose the team bikes must have been special but how much different to the special aa / super aa's were there
extra mm of welding / brazing per joint ?

Here is my Gazelle, they are OEM fork in the photo, i wasn't going to drill the beautiful track forks which are back on the machine now.http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3593/3524534099_10f9012db9_b.jpg

@ Delaphonics: are you sure this is a Gazelle? Strange dropouts and ends of seat stays and chain stays for Gazele. Not sure about seatlug either...
Check below BB shell.

@ Dicki: I used to be designer /engineer.
Yes, some nice frames came by.
Best frame: hard to say.
Basically everything from A to AA-Special was pretty much the same. All 531C tube sets. Fork blades not all the same and bits like BB-shells and fork crowns were a bit different (sheet metal vs. cast). But differences are mainly emotional. Quality wise pretty much the same. Difference cannot be felt.
Fabrication was very much the same for all these OTP frames/forks.
Only custom (size) frames, 753, cross, track, tandem, were complately made by hand (1 frame builder one frame) and not in series.
But even then: not possible to say which one is better.

Perhaps the AA-Special was the best in all it's simplicity. The rear brake cable through the t/t was a bonus, but you could even argue about the (added) value of that.
My last Gazelle frames were AA-Specials with 2 brake cable stoppers on the top tube, a Shimano cable guide below the BB shell and 2 rings for STI shifter cables on the lower head lug. All made to measure with dedicated geometries.

Now I would love to have a 531 or 753 Gazelle track frame set in 57/58 or 59 cm.

Hey Dutch Cheese, I was never certain, so youre probably right. The BB is an italian threaded cinelli SC and the drops are Gipimme, and the stay ends are very distingtive. The lugs look like gazelle lugs ive seen in the past, very long with long cutouts, and semi wrapped seat stays. What do you think it is then? Its a nice one way or anther...

heres the seat lug

what a great job i tried to visit the factory last summer whilst cycling up to denmark but just didn't have enough time to get to dieren ... do they have one of those rooms in the basement where they have a few of each frame for each year ( a kind of treasure trove of beautiful NOS frames ? ) would be good to get a peek down in their cellars !
shame
will get there one day though
do they still do much high end stuff there or is it all dual suspension mountain bikes and traditional dutch bikes these days ?

i am missing a speciall aa track from my collection
lets make sure we don't outbid each other when the next one comes up ?

@ Delaphonics: definately NOT a Gazelle. No idea what it is. Not enough info/pics. But certainly a nice bike!

@ Dicki: no idea how the premises look like right now. I quit in 1989...
They never had a room with a frame from each year and I don't think they have it now.
They hardly do any racing stuff anymore. Even most Dutch touring bikes come from Asia.
They are about to leave the historical building they always used.
I think it's not clear yet where (in Dieren) they will exactly go to.
Don't be afraid I will outbid you on a Gazelle Track frame. I don't want to pay more than 200 - 300 EUR for it.
Are you not interested in "Zieleman's" Gazelle Track from the former Skala team / Ron Groen ?
Acceptable size, but too expensive for me. But definately a good and nice Gazelle Track frame and fork.