Gazelle Champion Mondial AB - sensible road bike

[lae]

This has been my main bike for a couple of years. Relatively short top-tube (64x5 which combined with the Technomic stem gives an incredibly comfortable riding position. With a bit of fettling I've managed to squeeze 28c tyres and SKS full mudguards on using P-Clips (shame it didn't come with eyelets from the factory). Rides nicely on the road and the 28c tyres also handle towpaths and dirt paths fairly well (although I would prefer a similar frame that'll take 33.3c Jack Brown tyres). No rack eyelets but I've got some bikepacking bags which would be fine for light hostel-touring anyway. Annoyingly the BB spindle was too short to fit the granny ring... perhaps I'll sort it out, it's fairly low-geared anyway.

Future plans - I've got some Shimano Santé 36h hubs (converted to hyperglide) so I'd like to get some new wheels built. I've measured and calculated that if I run 650b rims, that 38c tyres will fit with 2mm clearance on the chainstays, and 47-57mm drop brakes will fit fine too. I could also get a framebuilder to add some mudguard eyelets. I appreciate this is an expensive way of making an audax/light-tour bike, but I've been searching for a 64x58 (or 62x56) light touring frame for 2-3 years and haven't found one yet!

Apologies for crap post-ride photo. Has a whiff of Grant Petersen about it.

Frame & Fork: Gazelle Champion Mondial AB-Frame

Headset: Shimano 600
Stem: Nitto Technomic
Handlebar: Deda Piega 46cm
Bar Tape: Fizik Microtex over plain cork

Brake Levers/Brifters: Shimano 600-Ultegra
Brake Calipers: Shimano 600-Ultegra
Brake Pads: Shimano 600-Ultegra
Brake Cables: Jagwire Road Racer

Shifters: Shimano 8sp (run in friction)
Front Derailleur: Shimano Deore
Rear Derailleur: Shimano Deore XT
Derailleur Cables: Jagwire Road Racer
Cassette: Shimano 7sp
Chain: Shimano 7sp
Cranks: Shimano Deore XT 175mm
Chainrings: Stronglight 46/34
Bottom Bracket: Shimano 600
Pedals: Shimano M520

Rims: Mavic MA40
Hubs: Shimano Deore LX 32h
Hub Skewers: Shimano steel
Spokes: Butted
Tyres: Rivendell Ruffy Tuffy 28c

Saddle: Selle San Marco in photo, since replaced with white Specialized Romin
Seatpost: Shimano 600-ax
Seatpost Binder: Campag

Weight: About 11kg from memory...

 

[matthew71]

nice bike, but the AB frame was the top of the range in 531,with only the 753 above it in complete range .it was hardly made for mudgards or racks,it really is a race frame. as for new wheels,will the brakes reach the rims? i have no idea,but would keep with the wheel size it was made for



edit , just see the bit about the brakes , but would a frame with proper touring geometory been a better buy ?

 

[lae]

Yeah it's 531c throughout.

It would indeed be better (in some senses) to buy a 25" light touring frame, but I can't find any in my size. All the old ones seem to have been snapped up and when they do turn up (about once a year) they're ridiculously expensive. No modern touring frames come with relatively short toptubes (I have T-Rex syndrome) so I'm either too stretched out on a large frame, or I have ridiculous saddle-bar drop on a medium frame. And also, I like the paint scheme on this and touring frames tend to be rather more sedate.

Besides, I already have a bike for loaded touring - it's not as much fun to ride! I'd like to keep this as my nice quick-ish weekend bike but with mudguards and slightly wider tyres it'll turn into the perfect bike for overnighters or long weekends staying in hostels (carrying about 7kg or so in a barbag and saddlepack).

650b wheels will drop the BB and toptube slightly (only by 10mm or so). It'll also lower the race-oriented trail to a 'neutral' 55mm trail. And also, I just like playing around with stuff to see if it works...

 

[Tel]

Hey Lae. What are you? Like really tall!?

Aesthetically the bike is a beast, and with the new addition of 650B wheels probably will be even more so

The Gazelle CM A-Frame came with mudguard eyes and I had this 531st version once, with rack eyes too:

I'll keep my eye open for a very large tourer/ frame for you.

The thing I like best about your thread is this:
"And also, I just like playing around with stuff to see if it works..."

 

[ededwards]

Rubbish photos but this one http://www.retrobike.co.uk/forum/viewto ... ht=gazelle is a 64 and has mudguard eyelets so perhaps more of what you are taking about?

Not for sale but just to illustrate that out there - frame, fork and Record headset was very reasonable too.

 

[lae]

Hey Lae. What are you? Like really tall!?

I'm only six foot. When I hop off my bike, cyclists look twice and bike fitters run a mile, screaming. The bike does look a bit peculiar - it's worse when viewed from a side-on photo than when seen in the flesh, though!

Both of those Gazelles look great. Strangely, I did see a Champion Mondial with eyelets but according to the seller it only had about 2mm more brake drop than mine, so the largest tyres I could get in would be 28c with mudguards (which is what I have now). Didn't seem like much of an upgrade so I left it.

 

[Tel]

Ha yes it will certainly stand out in a crowd

You're right even though the A Frame has mudguard eyes it is still close clearence, you can just squeeze guards in there with 23c.

Be interesting to see how you develop this, I'm always interested in what works and what doesn't especially when someone else is making the investment and doing the work

Regarding a suitable bike/ frame Koga Miyata have a very good range in this sort of market. Obviously there is the Randonneur which is an out and out tourer (very good one indeed) but there were others. I had this KM Gents Touring which was more light touring and comfortably took 32c tyres with guards.

Size was 58cm x 54cm and with the north road bars bringing the bars even closer it had a very upright position (hence big fat saddle for the lady buyer).

More pics: http://s597.photobucket.com/albums/tt55 ... ?start=all

 

[lae]

Be interesting to see how you develop this, I'm always interested in what works and what doesn't especially when someone else is making the investment and doing the work

Might have to wait a while though, come June I'm going away for a couple of years so this bike will be dismantled and snuck into a relative's loft...

This will give me time to see whether 650b rim and tyre options develop, or whether it fades back into obscurity.

 

[grumpycommuter]

Hey Lae. What are you? Like really tall!?

I'm only six foot. When I hop off my bike, cyclists look twice and bike fitters run a mile, screaming. The bike does look a bit peculiar - it's worse when viewed from a side-on photo than when seen in the flesh, though!

Both of those Gazelles look great. Strangely, I did see a Champion Mondial with eyelets but according to the seller it only had about 2mm more brake drop than mine, so the largest tyres I could get in would be 28c with mudguards (which is what I have now). Didn't seem like much of an upgrade so I left it.

bloody hell... you must have grown a bit since we last met (think claud butler f and f)

 

[lae]

Heh, what was that, 58? It was perfectly ridable but the saddle-bar drop made it uncomfortable over 25 miles or so.

Have you still got it? It was a lovely frame. I would get another if I could find a 25" one.