excited (another Dutch bike)

[Elev12k]

Yesterday on my little cycling trip I passed a tiny local bicycle shop. The shop has only very high end MTB and roadframes and parts. The shopowner builds according to your specs. Anyway, he had a Batavus Professional just traded in. It had full Super Record and looked tidy to me. Said the shopowner I had to let my mind go on the matter and I thanked him for showing it to me. He had to pull the bike from behind a dozen other bikes. The shop is that small that all occasions move outside every day.

Today I got back and bought it I am excited. It is very light, in particular considering it's steel and 60cm high. Tubing is Columbus, SL or SLX. I'll have to verify that. Year I believe 1987.

No pics yet.

I do know you Brittish got the Gazelle Champion Mondial, but I am wondering: Did the Batavus Professional ever made it to UK?

 

[Elev12k]

1st pic

As you see most of the parts is final edition Super Record. I think brake levers are Cobaltos or early c-Record without Qr. Friction shifters are c-Record.

I think I will, like with all my new bike, take it in pieces, service everything and put it all back together. I think there will also be put more c-Record in the equation: I do have Deltas and high flange hub examples that would be excellent for this build.

Don't expect finished result today or tomorrow. Enough projects in the cooler.

 

[Old Ned]

Ooohh, extreme jealousy here in darkest Yorkshire :twisted:

That's very nice. I think Batavus might have had a British agent at some time but I haven't seen many - if any - especially of this standard.

Batavus were very popular with Dutch amateur international riders weren't they?

 

[lelobysfoot]

Batavus

Paris-Roubaix rear rim and SSC front? Maybe not but that bike was VERY expensive in its day. I remember seeing one very similar in a shop in France. I was on a mission to pickup a bike there as it might have been cheaper than the UK at the time. It wasn't. This kind of thing was the'Holy Grail' at the time.

 

[Elev12k]

Ooohh, extreme jealousy here in darkest Yorkshire :twisted:

That's very nice. I think Batavus might have had a British agent at some time but I haven't seen many - if any - especially of this standard.

Batavus were very popular with Dutch amateur international riders weren't they?

Hi Ned,

Batavus were material supplier for the national KNWU AMEV team and were raced to many titles including Gold Olympic medals.

On other teams/riders: I do not know. I were a child when those bikes were raced, so I'll have to find that out. Of course I am happy to learn if somebody knows.

 

[Elev12k]

Re: Batavus

Paris-Roubaix rear rim and SSC front? Maybe not but that bike was VERY expensive in its day. I remember seeing one very similar in a shop in France. I was on a mission to pickup a bike there as it might have been cheaper than the UK at the time. It wasn't. This kind of thing was the'Holy Grail' at the time.

Yes, 2 type rims. The front rim is also showing more wear ...but the shopowner gave me a 2nd identical rear wheel and I could lace that rim to the front hub, he told me.

VERY expensive you say: I can't tell how expensive it was for the 1st owner, but it is a very well made performance frame in combination with Super Record, so yes, it must have been expensive.

More pics:

Clearly visable are the final edition Super Record cranks. The bike is stripped now and I can tell the cranks are very light. Way lighter than c-Record examples. I also think they are superior in construction compared to earlier NR/SR cranks. Those were relatively prone to cracking. On the back of this final ed SR crank you can see less machining at slightly more material added at strategic places.

Batavus headbadge >

The callipers will make place for Deltas. Finally got a project to use them on

A fade. Popular in the 2nd half of the eighties >

Lug detail and c-Record downtube shifers >

The shifters are not symetrical. The right/rear one seems to have
a kind of mechanism in it, but it is absolutely not a Syncro shifter.

I hope you like.

 

[Fat Mike]

Pure, classic loveliness!

My Chas Roberts roadbike from the mid- late 80's was decked out in Campag Super Record and was painted in a very tasteful (?) white with lilac faded overspray. Seeing this has given me some warm and gooey nostalgic moments.

How I wished I'd kept the Super Record stuff. Surely the most gorgeous groupset ever!?

Thanks for showing.

 

[FemtoMetre]

Cool Emblem!

 

[Elev12k]

Frame could be made by that man. Execution is not highly refined or with much detailing, but frame shows great pragmatism and what is there is functional. This goes for more Dutch bikes of course.

The project's progress is at low pace.

It is not anymore my only Professional I own. Got my hands on an earlier one last week. I am really a fan of it. It is finished in Aruba Blue with yellow head tube >>

The top of the fork crown show two cyclists. Not road racers, no, regular Dutch cyclists.

 

[FemtoMetre]

This Batavus bike http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... 0248319989 which is in an ad being sold must be from the '70s. Now, this has to be a rather unique bicycle, a folding bike maybe.