Suggestions on restoring a 1970s Gazelle

[juniper44]

Hello everyone,

Apologies for writing in English but my Dutch isn't good enough yet.

I've been using a beautiful old Gazelle and recently decided to learn more about it and try to restore it. From what I've found, it's a Gazelle Trim Sport or Impala from the 1970s (such as: viewtopic.php?f=38&t=321).

From what I can tell, most of the parts are original but some aren't, such as the bell, seat and chain cover. Also, some parts are slightly rusted or missing paint.

I'm entirely new to the art of bicycle restoring, so I'd really appreciate any suggestions on how to approach this or where to find replacement parts. I don't want to cause any further damage by being a novice, so I also open to any suggestions of trusted repair shops in the Amsterdam area that could do a good job.

Thank you in advance!

[asterduc]

Hello Juniper and welcome to our Forum.

It would be good to get to the 'even voorstellen' topic and tell some more about yourself.

Bike:
I don't know the purpose of your retoration project, but I doubt if the (young) bike is worth the money on a full 'as new' restoration.

If you just want to have it ready to ride, then this is not a real problem because it looks in decent condition.

If you want to learn from it to prepare for a next project, then this is a great start because parts will remove easily due to the low age and the bike is equiped with about everything you find on an older bike too (rod controlled drum brakes, old style cranks, rims, bearings, 3speed hub, ...).

You can go with info you get from this forum, but honestly said, I don't think there will be much reply because most of the members here are specialised in the older stuff.

Another source I can recommend for this info is our Gazelle community on Picasa. This is a webalbum (at picasaweb) from different Gazelle collectors all over the world where you can post detailed pictures with comments or questions. I would say, subscribe to Picasaweb (NOT Google+) and put your bike on it with pitures on every detail. If you provide me the link to the album, I will announce it to 'the others' so that they can enter, shareand advice.
As a start you can find a link to my Picasa album in my footnote. A google search for 'Gazelle Sport' will bring you to a bunch of pictures within this community also.

Parts: many of the parts that you need can be ordered from a Gazelle dealer. Most of what you need can be provided by members here, you can post the wanted parts in the 'gezocht' folder. You can also shoot me an email (asterduc at gmail dot com) with a listing of what you need. Another option is that you get yourself a donor bike, although one may see your bike as a donorbike to finish another one. Sometimes it is not easy to decide which one to choose from. I mostly end up with just another bike to restore if I buy a donor

Regards,
Ed

[juniper44]

Hello Ed,

Thank you so much for taking the time to write such a useful and detailed reply!

I have to admit, being half-American, I already thought the bike was quite old because we aren't used to being surrounded by centuries of history! But thanks for explaining that the bike is actually 'young'

I will definitely take your advice of joining the Picasa group, it sounds like an excellent source for tips.

Thank you again for your kindness and I'm sure we will be in touch as I undertake this project!

Regards,
Jessica

[asterduc]

being half-American

hello Jessica,
and what is the other half?

[hans080]

kettingkast.jpg (84.31 KiB) 5758 keer bekeken

Hello,

If you were to measure the distance between the crank- and rear axle, I could check the green chainguard I have in my workshop for size.
This comes for 10 euro, and is new old stock.


Cheers,
Hans080

[juniper44]

being half-American

hello Jessica,
and what is the other half?

Spanish

[juniper44]

kettingkast.jpg

Hello,

If you were to measure the distance between the crank- and rear axle, I could check the green chainguard I have in my workshop for size.
This comes for 10 euro, and is new old stock.


Cheers,
Hans080

Hello Hans,

Thank you! I will measure it tomorrow and let you know.