Locomotief

This is my visser Vainqueur I bought a couple off years ago. I initially bought it for the mafac tiger brakes and for the Brooks saddle.

This is how it was advertised:


Today I dug it out of my shed.


i took off all the parts I wanted to keep and was on my way to the scrapyard when I changed my mind. I really liked the frame and lugs. And it's been in my shed the last couple off years.

This is how he looks now:












Is it worth saving it? And what should I do with it? Repaint or leave it as it is. Do a restomod with more modern parts. Or a restoration.

And can anybody tell me more about the bike? How made the frame?

And I forgot to make a detailed picture but there are small mounting points on the front fork for some kind off luggage rack. Does anybody know what used to be there?

Happy with any info or input

Greetings stef

nlerner

That’s very cool and has a ton of potential as a city bike build. What’s the wheel size?

BFisher

I don't know anything about Visser, but I'll second the comment that it is a very cool bike. If it is your size, even better. If it were mine I'd try to clean it up and get it road worthy - decide on paint after riding it.

Kdogbikes

So I’ve been starring at these pics for about ten minutes..... the headtube/headbadge and the chain guard need to ride again. Although the chrome is rough,give the frame a deep clean. Try out some different setups that you may have at your disposal. (Straight bars, coaster wheels, front rack. Whatever you might have in the bin. Good luck! Cheers, Kevin

ironwood

It could use a bath in oxalic acid to remove the rust and inspect the frame to see how serious the corrosion was. I have no knowledge about the frame material. Have you put the brakes to good use? A few years ago Bicycle Quarterly had an article on centerpull brakes and mentioned the Tiger. The chainguard is a classic also.

dedhed

https://www.pedalroom.com/bike/1970s...ck-sold--30842

https://studiobrisant.com/visser-vainqueur-singlespeed

Visser (Teun Visser) ? Klassieke Nederlandse Racefietsen

dweenk

I see too many nice details to scrap it. If it were mine, it would be a project.

non-fixie 

Thank you for posting those pictures here, Locomotief . There is a lot here that's worth trying to save, IMO.

The frame is one. Looking at it I'm fairly sure it was made in Belgium and may be a decade younger than my earlier assessment. Teun Visser had his frames made elsewhere, and Wout Verhoeven was one of his suppliers. Verhoeven was an importer of Belgian "no name" frames for the Dutch market. More information on these here: Show & Tell: Giovanni.

Giveaways are the stays, which are painted silver rather than chromed (correct?) and the front rack braze-ons. Both are rarely if ever found on Dutch bikes. The "AA" decal above may be a clue as to by whom this frame was built. It looks well-made, and is certainly worth getting back on the road or even restoring to its former glory.

The chainguard is an Ardex, and a nice one at that. Worth a couple of tenners to someone. Several on eBay right now. The cranks and bottom bracket are Stronglight products. Worth keeping if still in good working order. The pedals look interesting too. I don't immediately recognize them, but the dust caps say "good stuff".

alexnagui

Nice frame and interesting details. Subscribed!

non-fixie 

Ah! The Rotterdammers are chiming in. Excellent.

For those who didn't know: Visser Vainqueur is a Rotterdam brand, owned by Teun Visser. He started his shop after a stint as a mechanic with the Dutch Televizier team which rode a couple of Tours de France and was very successful in the Vuelta a España during the sixties.

3speedslow

That rear rack gives me a visual to look for on my French project.

63rickert

Oscar Egg lugs. Every detail of frame says this is a top bike. May be that Teun Visser bought them elsewhere, for this example he was demanding a quality product.

Big project. There is not enough time to save them all. If this one appeals to you it could be worth it.

Nemosengineer 

It would be fun to consider a dual drive for the Visser, spread it to 135mm, with something like the cheap and cheerful Sturmey Archer CS-RF3 and your choice of 9 speed bits, keep the chain guard and the crankset.

repechage

That "chrome" may not be chrome, but paint. Have seen other brands in better shape appear similar.
I would make it a project.

norcalmike

Scrap? Never heard of it

merziac

This is very cool, do not let it go.

We are really wishing this would have gotten an inhibitive treatment when stashed away.

I say get to work, undo all you can with all your might.

Locomotief

Thanks for all the replies guys!

The Visser Vainqueur is a keeper. You guys convinced me. It will take a while before I can start this project. I first want to finish my french folding bike. But I'll slowly start collecting parts.

A while back I took my cargo bike to the dump and found these wheels in the dumpster. They might end up on the visser.

Locomotief

Never cleaned up a frame before. Mostly ride them like I find them. I might give this frame a go and see how it cleans up.

Locomotief

The rust isn't to deep. Will have to see how it cleans up.


tiger break is still waiting to be used. I only use mafac on my bikes. I really like the look and there inexpensive and easy to get. These are my first tiger ones do.

Locomotief

Thanks a lot for the background info on the bike #dedhed !

Locomotief

Hi #non-fixie

your very knowledgeable on the visser bikes. I'm happy I drove back from the scrap dealer. Can't wait to get the bike on my wall to start stripping it down and look at it in more detail. I've checked the web a couple off times now and the braze ones on the front can be used for quit a lot of racks. Hopefully I'll find something nice to put on the bike.

I'm not sure if its chrome or paint the back. I'll have to check it next time I'm in my shed.

Locomotief

My girlfriend lives in Rotterdam and she likes the fact that the bike is from her city. Even if I wanted to the bike is not leaving anymore

Locomotief

Hi #3speedslow ,
I don't think the rack is the original one. The one that's on it is a typical dutch rack and was probably put on it to carry more weight.


Im gone look for something like this. Wish me luck. Don't see ones like these come by very often.....

And good luck with your project. What's your plan?

Locomotief

hi #Nemosengineer ,

I'm new to this stuff and I never knew that these dual drives existed. I really like them. the plan for now is to use mostly secondhand parts from several secondhand bike shops and what I have lying around. I know of some places that might have some interesting stuff. Picking secondhand parts from online market places is dangerous for me. Somehow I always end up with more project bikes....

And visiting bikeshops everytime I bump in to one sounds like a nice way to spend my time. There are some really cool shops hidden away in cities i would normally not look for.

crank_addict

Glad you've decided to save it. The 'if' is usually a money pit of a project but if patient and holding a strict budget, avoid looking at new pricey bits like above. Also, I would rather see old parts on this one.

Regarding your interest in a 'dual' drive, suggest a nice 3 speed IGH Sturmey Archer (or the like Styria / Austria) easily obtained for $30usd or salvage freebie. Then with patience, hunt the US and euro e-bay for Cyclo 3 speed cog and an old derailleur.