Lazyass

Anyone have a clue about this bike? Couldn't find much on Bauers, but I would guess it's fairly high end since Gran Sport was the top of the line from '51-'63.

juvela

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Images not displaying.

Tried to go direct through CL but get message "cannot establish secure connection."

Bauer was one of Germany's finest marques for a few decades in the past century.

Owned a Gnutti splined cotterless chainset which was marked "Bauer" from an early fifties machine.

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3speedslow

Looks interesting! Raleigh CL? I think I saw it there.

It's a 1X5. Strange that this high up a bike would go sans the front derailleur.

juvela

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Images now displaying fine.

Thank you picture gods.

1 X 5, 1 X 4 and 1 X 3 were quite common derailleur gearings at this epoch.

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exmechanic89

Very cool old race bike.

Velocivixen

It's beautiful.

bikemig 

That's a bike worth owning and riding. It's in terrific shape for that old of a road bike.

Lascauxcaveman 

Very cool. I'd buy that thing. Especially if it was a size larger.

Lazyass

I believe a single chainring was an option, you can see the shifter clamp is made for only a right shifter. They even had clamps for left only. I've always wanted a racing bike from that era and they never come up for sale around here, especially in that condition. It's the one in Raleigh. I don't know if $500 is a fair price but I think it probably is. Wouldn't take much to get this bike nice and shiny. Hard to tell what size it is. Does it look like a 56 or so?

Lazyass

So some quick research:

Founded as Bicycle and Metal Works L. Bauer & Co in 1911 in Frankfurt, Germany, Bauer started a major engagement in the production of bicycles and motorcycles from 1914 on. They remained in this business until they eventually had to shut down their facilities in 1968. They supported a racing team and single riders well into the 1950s. Their most famous success were the UCI world championships in 1952. There, two of their riders made it to the podium, with Heinz Müller and Ludwig Hörmann coming in first and third.

In the following years, Bauer Weltmeister (the German for "world champion) was the name for the top model of this German brand well until the late 1960s. Many young racers in Germany longed to own such a Bauer bike.
It was light enough to climb the notorious grades on the german uplands yet strong enough to easily deal with gruelling pavé roads, which were still the standard in most regions.

With the components I would guess the model I posted is the Weltmeister. From the serial number I'm going to guess it's a 1950's. The one below is from the 60's, looks like it may be in not as nice condition and the price is US $2431.

Velovilles | Weltmeister 54.5 cm | Vintage bikes and bicycle parts

bikemig 

$500 sounds a bit high but a bike that old and in that good a condition is worth some coin. I could talk myself into paying that much for the bike. You are unlikely to see another bike in that old and in that good a condition. As a point of comparison, I picked up a 1960 Olmo Gran Sport (also campy gran sport) that was in terrific shape last summer for $350:

Lazyass

If it was $350 I would be on the road now. You could probably get $1500 for your bike on ebay.

BTW, can anyone tell what brakes that Bauer has, and if the levers came with hoods? Kind of weird they have suicide levers.

rhm

Bauer generally made pretty high end bikes, and the forged crank, Gran Sport gears, etc, all agree with that. The brake levers with extension levers do not; I suspect they are an 'upgrade.'

The saddle may have a date code. Perhaps also the hubs, depending what they are.

3speedslow

@Lazyass I would guess a 58. But those picks make it very hard to be sure. Best bet, call the owner. It is a fantastic example of a German machine.

bikemig 

There was a valuation thread on this bike and the numbers came in nowhere near that high. The bike is not Olmo's top of the line machine in 1960 but honestly on a bike like this I'm somewhat indifferent to valuation. It is so cool to own a bike this old to ride. I like taking the bike out on an age appropriate ride on my birthday--anything north of 50 miles--and stop for a beer afterwards. That's a good day in my book.

qd-s

Apart from some minor details (brake levers) that Bauer is in beautiful, unmolested state, especially paint and decals - congrats!
Frame number seems to be 2285991 (first digit only very faintly visible but probably a "2") which would make your Bauer a 1959 or 1960 model:
https://www.tilman-wagenknecht.de/nummern/bauer.pdf
From 1961 on head badge read "Bauer 50 Jahre " (-> 50 years / company was founded in 1911, see #10)

Probably not the top-of-the-line "Weltmeister" model because of non-chromed rear drop-outs, single chainring... (I'm not an expert on Bauers!) but rather the "Super Sport" racer. Beautiful and a real racing model in its time, nonetheless.

Clincher wheels (?) possibly a contemporary modification. Perhaps taken from a touring bicycle of the same period.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/veloci...7629215091152/

bauer_meister

I've been looking for a Bauer. Do you still have that bike?

merziac

So this is a 5 year old zombie thread, the OP is active so we may be able to get a response, but.......

Paging @Lazyass

Bianchigirll 

Here is one. https://www.pinkbike.com/buysell/2752102/

Lazyass

It wasn't my bike, it was for sale. I don't even remember it.