Doesn't look like a champion mondial to me. Both mine have the rear derallier cable stop on the top of the chain-stay. The seat stays don't look like they are wrap-over either.
Ask for a close up of the bottom of the BB shell, it should have "Gazelle" and a serial number stamped on it.
They offered a Columbus frame for a while, but stopped with it.
Columbus frames had to be soldered with silver, while all Reynolds 531 could be brazed with brass.
Silver: more expensive, need more skills thus more experiences staff, could not be done with the big sets of torches Gazelle was using in their brazing "street", need better/tighter fit between lugs and tubes.
Instead of columbus, Gazelle continued with Reynolds 753, which required the same skills and handling as Columbus, but was a bit lighter and fashionable at that time.
Perhaps the fact that Gazelle and Reynolds both belonged to the Tube Investment group also played a role.
Later, Gazelle made some prototypes with Columbus tubing (SLX, Max, MS), which never made it to production. A friend of mine still has the SLX somewhere in his garbage as a relique.
After I left the company, there was a model with Columbus Foco tubing, but I can't tell more about that. Just brows old (post 1990) catalogues.
Enough history lessons for today ;-)
I actually ended up buying it, £41. Sure isn't light! The seat stays do wrap over and the brake bridge is similar(I think) so I'm guessing that's where the confusion came from.
It does have a Gazelle Headbadge though, which has been poorly painted round by the looks of things. Perhaps a lesser Gazelle?
I actually ended up buying it, £41. Sure isn't light! The seat stays do wrap over and the brake bridge is similar(I think) so I'm guessing that's where the confusion came from.
It does have a Gazelle Headbadge though, which has been poorly painted round by the looks of things. Perhaps a lesser Gazelle?