Lovely frame. I really like Gazelles - nicely made bikes that ride well. But aren't those brake cable loops on the top tube absolutely the worst thing ever invented? They are nearly always a source of rust because of thin paint, paint wear from slight movement of the brake cable and perspiration. I do have some bikes with these things on and I only leave them on for the sake of originality. Separate cable clips are way better, otherwise I prefer internal cable routing or cable stops with bare inner wire running between them. Those cable loops must have been in production by various manufacturers for well over 10 years, maybe still are -- I would have thought they would learn a bit more quickly than that. Hugh Thornton Cheshire, England
From: Freek Faro <khun.freek@gmail.com> Subject: [CR] FS: 1979 Gazelle 753 frame To: "classic" <classicrendezvous@bikelist.org> Cc: faro@cistron.nl Date: Friday, 25 September, 2009, 8:40 PM
Good day all,
Another nice frame to offer to the list. This is a 1979 Gazelle Champion Mondial 753 frame. This must have been one of the first 753 frames to be build by Gazelle. Condition of the frame is reasonable, but warrants some explanation. The frame has had a factory respray in the early or mid 80s: the style of decals is from that period, and the Reynolds 753R decals are definitely later than 1979 as well. After this respray it must have had a hard life: when I found it, it had some rust issues, mainly on the toptube where the brake cable rubs the tube.. I did my best to touch all the spots up, but its not perfect. The new owner has 3 options (sorry, I'm not second guessing here ...), leave as is (not all that bad I think), have a layer of clear coat put on it (better protection) or have it resprayed. In the case of the latter option: I have a complete set of original Gazelle decals exactly like the ones on the bike now, only for a AA-Super frame, so you'd have to figure something out for the 753 part. I'll gladly include the decals with the frame. Originally I wanted to ride this frame (and did for one ride), but the toptube is just too short for me. This could be 70s Gazelle geometry, or a custom build (it does have a tag for a race number). I'm still trying to reach one of the Gazelle frame builders from that period to find out more. It is a nice and tight ride though, especially if you're inclined to responsive frames. Campy gearlevers and the Clarks cables are included.
Dimensions are the following:
- seattube 59 c-t - toptube 56 c-c - rear spacing 125 mm - English threaded bb shell
Pictures are here:
http://www.flickr.com/
I'm asking 225 usd; shipping to the US would be 95 usd, or 50 usd (both Priority, insured, trackable) if I skimp on protecting the frame. Payment through Paypal only, at faro@cistron.nl.
thanks for looking, and always at your service for any questions you might have.
Freek Faro
Rotterdam Netherlands