About 8 years ago, I tried to change going to work by car to go by train and the last part by bike. I got an old bike from my father and fixed it up mechanically. Dropped it off at the trainstation on Sunday evening and when I got to the station the next Monday morning, it was stolen!!!!
Now I am pretty involved in classic bikes and as my father is terminally ill, I started to think about that bike again. I like to try to find it again, as I rode it so many times when I was a boy on holiday. If I fail I can always try to find a similar one.
I want to try to put out an add in the town it was stolen to start with, but for that I need a picture. I am now trying to find out what bike it actually was. I hope you can help me with that!
The bike was bought somewere around 1970, most likely between 1969 and 1972. It was a Gazelle sportbike, brown of color. No type name as I can remember. It had aluminium fenders and small tires, but I can't remember if it was 27". I think the rims were aluminium as well. It had a 3-speed Sturmey Archer gearing in the rear hub (the one with the little chain) and I remember the shifter being metal instead of the black plastic covered later versions. I think it was the shifter cable that was without a outer cable and was run by pulley just below the Brooks saddle. I can't remember what kind of brakes it had but I guess sidepulls, but I do remember the levers being metal with a small red metal rectangular insert. It could be that these were actually red and green, like with ships to denote left and right, but I am not sure.
Grips were off-white hard plastic. Further I remember the headlight being rectangular shaped, most likely metal color top half and white plastic bottom half, attached to a brace from the stem (not on top of the fender). The stem was a racebike type, were the the 2 parts (vertical and horizontal) were clearly two tubes welded together, one more or less sticking through the other. I have seen that more often, also on on race bikes from that era. The handlebar was pretty flat and low. Last thing I remember is the pump being under the toptube.
I have asked my parents to go through some old photographs, but no luck finding a picture with it. (my father made 99% of the pictures and he was actually riding the bike...).
I hope that you can help me!
Now I am pretty involved in classic bikes and as my father is terminally ill, I started to think about that bike again. I like to try to find it again, as I rode it so many times when I was a boy on holiday. If I fail I can always try to find a similar one.
I want to try to put out an add in the town it was stolen to start with, but for that I need a picture. I am now trying to find out what bike it actually was. I hope you can help me with that!
The bike was bought somewere around 1970, most likely between 1969 and 1972. It was a Gazelle sportbike, brown of color. No type name as I can remember. It had aluminium fenders and small tires, but I can't remember if it was 27". I think the rims were aluminium as well. It had a 3-speed Sturmey Archer gearing in the rear hub (the one with the little chain) and I remember the shifter being metal instead of the black plastic covered later versions. I think it was the shifter cable that was without a outer cable and was run by pulley just below the Brooks saddle. I can't remember what kind of brakes it had but I guess sidepulls, but I do remember the levers being metal with a small red metal rectangular insert. It could be that these were actually red and green, like with ships to denote left and right, but I am not sure.
Grips were off-white hard plastic. Further I remember the headlight being rectangular shaped, most likely metal color top half and white plastic bottom half, attached to a brace from the stem (not on top of the fender). The stem was a racebike type, were the the 2 parts (vertical and horizontal) were clearly two tubes welded together, one more or less sticking through the other. I have seen that more often, also on on race bikes from that era. The handlebar was pretty flat and low. Last thing I remember is the pump being under the toptube.
I have asked my parents to go through some old photographs, but no luck finding a picture with it. (my father made 99% of the pictures and he was actually riding the bike...).
I hope that you can help me!