awrycycle

might throw a rack and some fenders on this one.

rando_couche

Ah, a Gazelle! I'd love to have one, for the blue-collar vibe and their rarity in the US.

mhespenheide 

I'm surprised there's room for fenders. Most Gazelles that I've seen have very tight clearances, almost like track bikes.

awrycycle

mhespenheide

designed for 27 inchers, possibly?

the wheels they came with had matching generic shimano hubs, and were the only non-shimano 600 parts on the bike.

oddly, the rear cones were loose and couldn’t be tightened all the way in. turned out, somebody swapped it with a campy axle and slightly too short campy cones.

and while the front axle was assembled correctly, it only measured 96mm o.l.d.

so, probably not the original wheelset.

Ct03911

https://www.gazellechampionmondial.nl/framenumbers.html

The site above has a lot of Champion Mondial info. Perhaps your serial number falls in the range for one of these models. I'm not sure you have a Tour De L'Avenir model. Most of the models I've seen have the model on them in a decal. I had a 1972 Tour De L'Avenir and currently have a 1977 Champion Mondial A model.
It can be hard to determine the models of Gazelle's in my experience but yours looks more like a Champion Mondial to me than a Tour model.

1989Pre 

My Manufrance has 95mm front spacing. This was in 1980, so the French used this on some bikes much longer than the English. Maybe Dutch, too.

awrycycle

Ct03911

I’d love to be wrong, as it was sold to me as a tour de l’avenir by somebody that didn’t really seem to be an enthusiast; but from what I’ve read, a 531 main sticker suggests a tour de l’a crafted by the racing department.

https://www.bikeforums.net/18616839-post7.html

https://www.******.com/r/ThriftStore...avenir_racing/

1989Pre

maybe the dutch too. although, the seatpost was also missing, or rather, there was some random seat on a much smaller post just resting loosely in there..

Ct03911

What is the serial number on the bb?

non-fixie 

The seat cluster and fork crown say it's not a CM. Tour de l'Avenir seems very likely if the remaining decals are legit. Built for 700C, as 27" was only ever a thing in English-speaking countries.

Nice bike. Excellent candidate for fenders and a pair of really nice tires.

awrycycle

3280898.

Ct03911

So that serial number would seem to place your frame into 1983 I believe. In a Classic Lightweights web site for gazelle they have an undated catalog but it appears to be from the 83-85 timeframe.

198x Gazelle Catalogue - Classic Factory Lightweights

looking in that catalog there is a “Trim Trophy” model that appears like yours. Same fork decals, same seat stay caps, top tube guides, campy drops, main tubes 531.

I am inclined to think you may have this model and from 1983, although the definitive answer would be to find a full lineup 1983 catalog and see if the Trim Trophy was available in the Ivory color yours appears to be.

Ct03911

If your bike is a Trim Trophy the first time I see it offered in white (Wit) is in the #23 Oct 1984 pricing chart. The link below is for all the catalogs. Scroll down until you see #23.

Prices are, I believe, in Dutch Guider. My best guess is in Oct 1984 is 398 Guilder was about $117 USD for that frame. 3.4 Guilder to 1 US dollar. Super rough conversions. Lots of fluctuations back then.
So, the serial number lookup seems like '83 and the year that model came out (if I have the model correct) in white seems like '84 but that's the best my sleuthing around can come up with.

I think it's a cool bike but then my first bike was a '72 Tour De L'Avenir so I'm partial to the maker.

Catalogs: https://www.gazellechampionmondial.nl/brochures.html

awrycycle

Ct03911

trim trophy makes sense for the frameset, tour de l’avenir or not.

non-fixie 

I believe the Trim Trophy was the successor to the Tour de L'Avenir, which in turn was basically a 'tre tubi' version of the Champion Mondial A frame, at least during the later years. They also came from Gazelle's racing department during that era, AFIK. Before that, the TdLA was much more entry level, made by Raleigh, and had more in common with the Raleigh Grand Prix.

To muddy the waters a little more: Gazelle did actually also build Raleigh Grand Prix bikes. Find one with a "G" prefix, and it will have come from the Gazelle factory in Dieren, Holland. Gazelle also built those for themselves, and those were branded Gazelle Sprinter. And an upmarket version of that bike, the Gazelle Sprinter Race, has a Reynolds 531 main triangle.

I have acquired one of those from 1980 last year. I haven't compared measurements, but it looks a little less race-y than the Tour de L'Avenir:



EDIT: I see that I really need to work faster, as awrycycle beat me to it, and by some margin. Anyway, it confirms my suspicion that the early eighties TdLA and Trim Trophy were essentially the same bikes.

non-fixie 

BTW, it is really cool to see a bike shop sticker from Sjefke Janssen's shop in Elsloo. Sjefke started cycling before WWII on a step-through ladies bike to which he added a top tube, using a broom handle, to make it look legit.

It was not in vain though, as he became a Dutch professional, the only one to finish the 1947 TdF. He was also part of the winning 1953 Dutch TdF team:



OK, back to the main program.

awrycycle

well, it helps to be able to reference a post of yours from 7 years ago.

non-fixie 

Dang! So my memory is failing me as well ...

Ct03911

Where did you find the Gazelle spec page showing the Tour De L’Avenir is a Trophy frame set? I am assuming it is from 1987 if it has 105 indexed and the OP bike seems to proceed that but it does show the Tour De L’Avenir being made at least that long. I’m also wondering when Gazelle stopped putting the Tour De L’Avenir decals on the frame. Great info.

awrycycle

snipped it from the 1986 catalog, which does show a tour de l’avenir with the named decal.

although, there is an a 1987 printed at the bottom of those specs.

Ct03911

I see that now. Great info in your thread, thanks for indulging me. Enjoy your new bike.

awrycycle