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Not C&V yet, but worth showing anyway (Gazelle content)

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Not C&V yet, but worth showing anyway (Gazelle content)

Old 05-17-19, 12:05 PM
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Not C&V yet, but worth showing anyway (Gazelle content)

I spent some time today visiting bike shops in my area, looking for a particular part. Haven't found the part yet, but since I've reached the point where shop owners and mechanics recognize me as "that man" and see me for what I am: an opportunity to get rid of old stuff, I did find something else. Or rather: something else found me.

This morning I was talking to one of these shop owners about this part. He couldn't help me, I thanked him for his time, and as I turned around to leave, one of his sons was already wheeling in this lovely Brussels blue Gazelle with a hopeful smile on his face. He'd told me a while ago that he might trade in a titanium Gazelle someday, and here it was.

Couldn't say no of course, so I am now the proud owner of one of the last racing bikes to leave the famous Gazelle racing department before it was closed.

It's an early noughties Gazelle Colto. 2001 or 2002.

Titanium Gazelles were introduced in 1998 with the Gazelle Titan Road:



For 2001 they changed the model name to "Colto":



Anyway, this is what I came home with this morning:



Love the color. Fitted with Campagnolo Chorus 9 speed. And needing a lot of TLC. I'll probably also have to flip the stem, as the saddle to bar drop is a little more than I feel comfortable with these days.
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Old 05-17-19, 01:05 PM
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That's a very nice bike.
Will you be putting on a coloured TA Specialites chainring again?
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Old 05-17-19, 01:09 PM
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Absolutely gorgeous! ENJOY!
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Old 05-17-19, 03:21 PM
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Originally Posted by JaccoW
That's a very nice bike.
Will you be putting on a coloured TA Specialites chainring again?
Thanks! No. As a matter of fact, I've been playing with Campagnolo 9 speed lately in a couple of Shimergo projects, and I'm beginning to rather like the stuff. I did a quick run around the block with this machine this afternoon, and apart from the low bars it felt very nice.

Originally Posted by rayooo
Absolutely gorgeous! ENJOY!
Thank you! I will.

One reason I did not have a bike from this era until now is that I profoundly dislike the color schemes the teams and manufacturers came up with. I applaud the original owner of this bike who apparently stood his ground and ordered this classic Gazelle color.
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Old 05-17-19, 03:42 PM
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Still made in Dieren ?
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Old 05-17-19, 03:50 PM
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Originally Posted by fietsbob
Still made in Dieren ?
This one was assembled in Dieren, although I am not sure where the titanium frames were made. This was just before Derby sold Gazelle, so frame production may have been a collaboration with the people in Nottingham. I checked online to see if I could find any Raleigh-branded versions, but haven't found any, so far.
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Old 05-17-19, 04:05 PM
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88 *They were part of the TI group that included Reynolds, Raleigh & Sturmey Archer..

* my quick tour was seeing brazing lugged race bike frame main triangles, in the old stone building..
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Old 05-17-19, 04:06 PM
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Very nice, you'll love riding this one. Some tan or skinwall tyres will really set the frame off - I just put Vittoria Corsas on my Bianchi Ti Megatube and the result was fantastic, both aesthetically and in performance.
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Old 05-17-19, 04:37 PM
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very nice....does not appear to need too much TLC
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Old 05-17-19, 05:06 PM
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This bike has pure C+V DNA, as well as plenty of history to go along with it.
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Old 05-17-19, 06:29 PM
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I am glad for you to have acquired such gorgeous machine that you obviously are so thrilled to have. Classic and historical, a hard to beat combination.
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Old 05-18-19, 01:26 AM
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Gorgeous! And one with pedigree/part of Gazelle's history. And Ti. What a gem!
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Old 05-18-19, 05:48 AM
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Oh that's Nice, like that color too.
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Old 05-18-19, 11:28 AM
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Thanks for the kind replies, guys. Much appreciated.

Yes, I am quite happy with it, although this is not a bike I'd normally buy. The horizontal top tube and the color have a lot to do with it.

Sadly, it has been neglected for a while and spent some time in a damp environment, which is what the TLC is needed for. Close up, you can see the corrosion:



The bike will definitely get some new tires. I have some 25mm Vittoria Corsas tucked away for a special occasion.
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Old 05-18-19, 09:36 PM
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Yup, just picked up a sweet threadless 1" Control Tech stem for my Land Shark. The stem was in great shape, but the bolts looked like that. Just got back from the local hardware store (they stock a lot of metric stuff) with new, perfectly matching bolts! Stem is good now.
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Old 05-20-19, 12:14 PM
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Originally Posted by RiddleOfSteel
Yup, just picked up a sweet threadless 1" Control Tech stem for my Land Shark. The stem was in great shape, but the bolts looked like that. Just got back from the local hardware store (they stock a lot of metric stuff) with new, perfectly matching bolts! Stem is good now.
Luckily I live in a parallel universe where everything is metric, so that should not be a problem. I will replace those bolts.

Meanwhile I've done a couple of things: replaced the tires with some 25mm "bleakwalls". And flipped the stem so the bars are at "senior level":




I'm still not sure about the bar tape. I'm leaning towards a simple white, but this light brown faux suede stuff I've got on a couple of other bikes is really nice. Comes in black as well:

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Old 05-20-19, 12:48 PM
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@non-fixie I think white or black tape would work well. Lets the violet color really stand out. Brown tape would work, IMO, if the bike wasn't so race-y looking (carbon fork, big downtube, fast looking wheels) and simultaneously purple. Competing themes, at least to my eyes.

Most any place (at least here in the NW, or on the west coast, per my experience) has metric here, but there are certain places that have a lot more of it, in a lot more variety. And in bike land, this is very helpful. Inches and feet have their place for me and most everyone here--there are some practicalities inherent to measurements that are roughly within or just outside one's hand span--but I enjoy working in metric. Certainly a huge benefit in working on cars and bikes. As I work in metric often (and with bikes), I'm better at on-the-fly mental conversions from inches...cm's are a little fidgety some times, but mm are my friend. I was watching the highlights of the Tour of California this year, and they'd go back and forth listing miles and km's left to go. Seeing miles there was a bit funny.
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Old 05-20-19, 01:12 PM
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Congratulations! That’s a lovely looking bike!

What’s that faux suede stuff? I was hoping that the Brooks microfiber tape would be like that- but it seems to be more like plastic-y faux leather.
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Old 05-20-19, 02:41 PM
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Originally Posted by The Golden Boy
Congratulations! That’s a lovely looking bike!

What’s that faux suede stuff? I was hoping that the Brooks microfiber tape would be like that- but it seems to be more like plastic-y faux leather.
Thank you! So far I'm very happy with it. Still have to really take it for a ride, though.

WRT the tape: it is this stuff. Ordered it once out of curiosity and to get an order up to the free shipping amount, used it on mrs non-fixie's touring bike and was pleasantly surprised by how good it looked and how nice it felt. Have since fitted a couple of my own bikes with it, and so far it has held up well. I am looking forward to testing it on the Inter 10 above on a couple of longer tours this year.
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Old 05-20-19, 03:01 PM
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Originally Posted by RiddleOfSteel
@non-fixie I think white or black tape would work well. Lets the violet color really stand out. Brown tape would work, IMO, if the bike wasn't so race-y looking (carbon fork, big downtube, fast looking wheels) and simultaneously purple. Competing themes, at least to my eyes.
I agree. The faux suede stuff comes in black as well, so I might order a couple of rolls of that. Or maybe go for white after all.

Originally Posted by RiddleOfSteel
Most any place (at least here in the NW, or on the west coast, per my experience) has metric here, but there are certain places that have a lot more of it, in a lot more variety. And in bike land, this is very helpful. Inches and feet have their place for me and most everyone here--there are some practicalities inherent to measurements that are roughly within or just outside one's hand span--but I enjoy working in metric. Certainly a huge benefit in working on cars and bikes. As I work in metric often (and with bikes), I'm better at on-the-fly mental conversions from inches...cm's are a little fidgety some times, but mm are my friend. I was watching the highlights of the Tour of California this year, and they'd go back and forth listing miles and km's left to go. Seeing miles there was a bit funny.
Until I joined this forum I'd never had to deal with imperial measurements. Since then I've learned that I'm 6'1", have a 35" inseam and like 25" frames for a French fit.
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Old 05-20-19, 06:13 PM
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Originally Posted by non-fixie
I agree. The faux suede stuff comes in black as well, so I might order a couple of rolls of that. Or maybe go for white after all.



Until I joined this forum I'd never had to deal with imperial measurements. Since then I've learned that I'm 6'1", have a 35" inseam and like 25" frames for a French fit.
And I likewise now know that I'm 1.95m and 95kg...or 96-97kg...
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Old 05-20-19, 08:49 PM
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Originally Posted by RiddleOfSteel
And I likewise now know that I'm 1.95m and 95kg...or 96-97kg...
The metric system will be taking over the world. At least they told me that in 3rd grade back in 1977.
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Old 05-20-19, 09:00 PM
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Originally Posted by The Golden Boy
The metric system will be taking over the world. At least they told me that in 3rd grade back in 1977.
I always chuckled at the nearly breathless enthusiasm people had when talking about the metric system and it's immense, if not seemingly moral, superiority over the English system. I mean, it's like, I get it guys. It's a great system. Powers of ten, no wacky fractions or divisions. It's your favorite actress in a wedding dress at the alter and you just have to say 'I do'...

I was told that the construction industry tried to convert to metric in the '80s and it didn't stick for whatever reason(s). A 2x4 for framing or a 4x8 sheet of plywood or sheetrock certainly roll off the tongue easier than a 51x102 (or 50-100 in eventual shorthand, which could actually work...) or 1.25 x 2.5.

Cars are always a bit funny. Designed in metric, advertised in inches. Wheels are in inches, tires in metric, inch, and a ratio (lol). Spark plugs are 5/8" or 13/16"...maybe some things are better left alone as they are part of the fabric of life like that (in a good/harmless way). Imperfections, inconsistencies, and quirks--very human, if at times maddening.

So back to the Gazelle....

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Old 05-27-19, 02:55 PM
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I gave the bike a thorough once-over, flipped the stem, replaced some cables and housing and added modern-ish white bar tape. Me being me, I succeeded in getting it dirty before it even hit the road. Much like I do with new and expensive silk ties.

Anyway, I just gave it a first shakedown ride, and wasn't disappointed. It's quite stiff, so I'm glad I put on a pair of 25mm Vittorias. It feels quite nice.



There's some noise from the drive train that I haven't quite been able to locate yet. It seems to come from the rear, and is only more or less absent when the chain line is perfect. Which is only in two gears. It gets stronger as the angle between chain and rear cog gets bigger. Need to investigate further.
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Old 05-29-19, 08:01 AM
  #25  
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Very nice! Are you sure it's your size..?
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