Freek! You just solved a mystery for me!
Several years ago I purchased a Huissoon Sport from Europe, complete with milled, drilled, reduced Campagnolo Record parts, c.1970. I took those parts to use on my Italvega Superlight, although they still have yet to make it to the ultimately intended frame.
It was difficult to find anything about Huissoon on the Internet, although I saw the shop and reference to a racing team associated with it. OK, so it was a team bike, but no reference was made of Huissoon being a builder, so I had been trying and trying to figure out who built the frame.
It was too large for me, and so I eventually sold it a couple or three years ago. Still, it is good to know the truth. I had believed it was an early 70s frameset that had been upgraded with under b.b. cable guides, etc., but now I'm thinking it was indeed an 80s frame. Photos are still posted at Wool Jersey, for those interested in viewing another Huissoon Sport frame:
http://www.wooljersey.com/
The lightened Campy cranks, c/rings, shift levers, brake calipers and levers, with shortened and non-anodized Cinelli bars and stem, all from the Huissoon ... can be seen on the Italvega Super Speciale, here:
<http://www.wooljersey.com/gallery/fujifish1/MarksVintage/Torpado/Italvega _1974_Super_Speciale/>
The cranks are the most interesting part to me .. note how thin they made the spider arms, inside to outside:
<http://www.wooljersey.com/gallery/fujifish1/MarksVintage/Torpado/Italvega _1974_Super_Speciale/Italv76_SupSpec57SilvGreen28.jpg.html>
Thanks for all the info., Freek!
Ciao, Mark Agree Southfield MI USA ~ ~ ~
Date: Thu, 23 Apr 2009 19:32:11 +0200 From: Freek Faro <khun.freek@gmail.com> Subject: [CR] Fwd: FS: KOF Dutch exotic, Huissoon frame + fork To: classic classicrendezvous@bikelist.org
Forgot to mention: bottom bracket is English threaded.
Freek
---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Freek Faro <khun.freek@gmail.com> Date: 2009/4/23 Subject: FS: KOF Dutch exotic, Huissoon frame + fork To: classic <classicrendezvous@bikelist.org> Cc: faro@cistron.nl
Good day all,
I'm offering for sale this late 80s (I'm guessing 1988) Huissoon frame and fork. Its a 55 c-t seattube, 56 c-c toptube, and is build of Columbus SL tubing. The frame is beautifully build, with some nice details. The geometry, and some lugs and other details suggest its a custom build frame (for the guy who's name is on the toptube probably, R. Hellemons). I spoke to mr. Huissoon a couple of weeks ago, and he confirmed this, although he couldn't remember this particular customer.
Huissoon is a very small framebuilder in Goes, province of Zeeland, in the south-west of the Netherlands. Imagine endless polders, grass, cows, sheep possibly, not many trees, and a lot of water. And wind! This is the country that bred riders like Jan Raas, Cees Priem and many others. There is one other framebuilder in that area, Cera: Cees Raas, nephew of Jan Raas. I asked mr. Huissoon (who is in his 60s now) how he learned to build raceframes. He said, 'well, when I was young I went to visit Marten often (Marten van de Bergh of Remy, Ossendrecht; I wrote about Remy, Gardin, and the bikes of Rini Wagtmans about a year ago), I looked how he was building frames, and tried it for myself.' I guess it developed from there. When I raced in the early 80s, I saw quite a few Huissoon bikes in the races in Zeeland and the west of Brabant. Now he doesn't build that much anymore, aluminum and carbon have taken over ...
This frame is very nicely finished: I very much appreciate the bottom bracket shell, which looks like a smaller Cinelli spoiler bracket, but is Taiwanese. It has some nice eclectic tangs and fangs and reinforcements so to speak. Also the fork crown looks out of the ordinary, a very narrow and sleek integral crown. Brake cable routing is through the toptube, there is a pip for a framepump on the headtube, braze-on front derailleur and chain hanger on the seatstay. Wheelbase is a pretty short 975 mm, rear spacing is 125 mm. Dropouts are Columbus. Paint is in very good condition, some chips and scratches.
Pictures are in my wooljersey album:
http://www.wooljersey.com/
Frame includes the Stronglight headset you see in the pictures, abut I will supply a like new Athena headset (looks like C Record) which is much better match for the frame. If so wished I can alos supply a reasonably used Rolls or Turbomatic saddle, to sweeten the deal.
I'm asking 175 usd + 95 shipping to the US. Payment only with paypal please: faro@cistron.nl.
Tomorrow I'll offer another Dutch exotic to the list, this one from the 70s. Two frames will fit in a box, and still weigh less than 10 kilos, so shipping for two frames will be 95.
Thanks for looking!
Freek Faro Rotterdam Netherlands
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