Gazelle Champion Mondial - first fixer-upper
msw
Posts: 313
The story here is that I wanted to buy and fix up a nice old bike that I could actually use, not that would sit on a wall or be a perfect restoration - so I wanted to keep what components I could. That didn't turn out to be much, mainly because I flushed all the grease from the freewheel by mistake and the bottom bracket was fused.
The idea was to keep the whole thing under £500, equivalent to an entry-level road bike but more satisfyingly mine. I've blown that but it probably came in under £600. Also, in my teens I had a beautiful Peugeot in 531 Pro that was nicked so I had a hankering for something similar. After a bit of research I overpaid for a poor condition Gazelle Champion Mondial on a Well-Known Auction Site, stripped it and had it resprayed and a few months later I'm quite happy with how it's turned out.
Replaced: pedals, seat post, saddle, brake levers & calipers, cables, front derailleur, freewheel, bottom bracket (fused so had to be drilled out when the frame was resprayed), chain, bar tape, most decals.
Original: Frame, forks, wheels, crankset, rear derailleur, headset, stem, bars.
Before:
After:
Frame: Reynolds 531c
Forks: Reynolds 531
Bars: Cinelli Campione del Mundo
Stem: Cinelli 1A
Headset: Tange Seiki Levin
Bar Tape: Cinelli Cork Tape (to be redone shorter to route front brake cable better)
Front Brake Lever: Cane Creek SCR 5
Front Caliper: Shimano 105 5600
Rear Brake Lever: Cane Creek SCR 5
Rear Caliper: Shimano 105 5600
Shifters: Campagnolo Triomphe
Cables: Gore Ride-on
Front Mech: Campagnolo Veloce
Rear Mech: Campagnolo Triomphe
Seat: Charge Spoon
Seat Post: Campagnolo Chorus
Cranks: Stronglight 107
Chainring(s): Stronglight 52-42
Chain: SRAM 8-speed
Cassette: Shimano MF-HG20 6-speed freewheel 14-24
Pedals: Shimano 105 5600
Bottom Bracket: Shimano UN54
Wheels: Ambrosio 19 Extra Aero Elite rims on Shimano 600EX hubs (I think)
Other info: It would have been nice to keep the brakes (which I think were Modolo Superprestige) but the condition was awful and I quite like having new brakes when I'm going downhill...
The idea was to keep the whole thing under £500, equivalent to an entry-level road bike but more satisfyingly mine. I've blown that but it probably came in under £600. Also, in my teens I had a beautiful Peugeot in 531 Pro that was nicked so I had a hankering for something similar. After a bit of research I overpaid for a poor condition Gazelle Champion Mondial on a Well-Known Auction Site, stripped it and had it resprayed and a few months later I'm quite happy with how it's turned out.
Replaced: pedals, seat post, saddle, brake levers & calipers, cables, front derailleur, freewheel, bottom bracket (fused so had to be drilled out when the frame was resprayed), chain, bar tape, most decals.
Original: Frame, forks, wheels, crankset, rear derailleur, headset, stem, bars.
Before:
After:
Frame: Reynolds 531c
Forks: Reynolds 531
Bars: Cinelli Campione del Mundo
Stem: Cinelli 1A
Headset: Tange Seiki Levin
Bar Tape: Cinelli Cork Tape (to be redone shorter to route front brake cable better)
Front Brake Lever: Cane Creek SCR 5
Front Caliper: Shimano 105 5600
Rear Brake Lever: Cane Creek SCR 5
Rear Caliper: Shimano 105 5600
Shifters: Campagnolo Triomphe
Cables: Gore Ride-on
Front Mech: Campagnolo Veloce
Rear Mech: Campagnolo Triomphe
Seat: Charge Spoon
Seat Post: Campagnolo Chorus
Cranks: Stronglight 107
Chainring(s): Stronglight 52-42
Chain: SRAM 8-speed
Cassette: Shimano MF-HG20 6-speed freewheel 14-24
Pedals: Shimano 105 5600
Bottom Bracket: Shimano UN54
Wheels: Ambrosio 19 Extra Aero Elite rims on Shimano 600EX hubs (I think)
Other info: It would have been nice to keep the brakes (which I think were Modolo Superprestige) but the condition was awful and I quite like having new brakes when I'm going downhill...
"We're not holding up traffic. We are traffic."
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Comments
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The only thing I would say is you could have been a bit more generous with your brake cabling. It may hinder your turning circle/hand hold positions. I say this only because I have encountered the same problem in the past. You want some overlap if possible.
Nicely done though. Change from all the fantastic plastic. *doffs cap*Rock 'n' Roule0 -
Thanks!The only thing I would say is you could have been a bit more generous with your brake cabling. It may hinder your turning circle/hand hold positions. I say this only because I have encountered the same problem in the past. You want some overlap if possible.
Yep, agreed. Luckily I have some spare housing so I'm planning to redo the front cable at least (which will also make the tape neater)."We're not holding up traffic. We are traffic."0 -
Nice to see some classic steel, 531's great and rides really well, you'll have to get a period wool jersey now0
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Good job!0
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I like...0
