Gazelle are one of the top Dutch makes. The Gazelle Toer Populaire Export is an archetypal men's retro styled Dutch bike with modern components including an 8 speed Shimano Nexus hub gear and modern drum brakes. This model in one form or another has been around since 1892 apparently, and Gazelle have attained appointment to the Dutch court - bit like the Royal appointment label recognition in the UK (I think).
You don't see many of these round my area so it sometimes gets a few looks...
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| Gazelle - one of the top Dutch makes
I "needed" a classic Dutch bike,
as in want so much, it's a must-have: ergo needed (so there). Typically they
are 3 speed, but I prefer the versatility of more gears for hills, so went for
the 8 speed Shimano Nexus option. This is the top of the range version of the
Toer Populaire. It comes with all the typical town bike equipment and features
including: hubgears, mudguards (fenders), front splashguard, dynamo lights,
wheel lock, upright riding position, adjustable propstand, rear rack with
spring clamp, and full chaincase. There are some classy touches too: an aged
leather Brooks saddle, leather grips on the handlebars, polished stainless
steel wheels with creme coloured tyres, shiny chrome bits on the forks
and chaincase and the steel frame is joined in 3 places by lugs, sort of steel
joints into which the frame tubes fit. Much more attractive than welds in my
opinion. The steel makes the ride much better and there's an air of solidity
about the whole bike which is much smaller than my Kettler but still weighs
22.5KG - about the same or maybe more.
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| Reflector and dynamo powered rear light |
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| Retro dynamo powered lamp |
Lugs instead of welding - OK one very neat weld on the seatpost. Much better looking in my opinion.
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| Grip shifter |
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| Dynamo and drum brake on the frontwheel |
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| Ding dong bell - suits the bike - not something you'd put on a carbon fibre road bike though... |
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| Rear rack with spring clamp |
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| Shimano Nexus 8 speed hub gear |
Shimano Nexus 8 speed hub gear and Gazelle's own twist shifter: easier to use and more precise than the Sturmey Archer thumb shifter on my Kettler. Gearshifting is so smooth. I also like that nifty little window showing you which gear it's in. The leather grips complement the rest of the bike.
Brooks B67S aged leather saddle - nice - I do like it and the colour provides relief to the black of the rest of the frame. Think I prefer my Kettler's B190 though as I like the smooth leather without the dimples in it.
Large single adjustable propstand: I tend to prefer doubles, but this is so sturdy and the bike leans well on it, that I don't feel it lacks stability. You can see why motorbikes which are much larger and heavier have something similar.
Wheel lock - a chain can be fitted into the other side of it for longer term security. You have to lock it before you can remove the key.
Large rubber splash guard fitted to the front mudguard.
Full chaincase with shiny chrome bit: protects your clothes, chain and looks good - 3 times thumbsup :-)
Shiny stainless steel wheels with patterning on the rims; the tyres came with Woods valves - had heard of these but not come across them before. Popular in parts of Europe and Asia. Used to be popular in the UK and also known as Dunlop valves.
I've started riding it and will give my impressions on the next post.
