Renaissance vs Restore

[Montclair BobbyB]

I'm at a critical fork in the road with my Gazelle renaissance
project. The main focus in fixing up the Gazelle Sports Luxe bikes
(his and hers) is to upgrade the wheels, gears and brakes, while
preserving as much charm and originality on the bike as possible.
One of the hallmarks of Gazelle (and other Dutch) bikes is the
enclosed chaincase... This makes these bikes extremely functional for
everyday commuting (in everyday clothing), but there are a few
drawbacks to having a chaincase (for me at least).

First, with a chaincase it's tricky to remove the rear wheel, and
requires a screwdriver, some minor prying, and probably lots of
practice to make up for my sheer newbieness and ignorance. Since I'm
replacing the original Torpedo single speed coaster hub with a 3-speed
drum brake hub, I would have to modify (ie cut) part of the chaincase
to adapt it to the new hub. Also I've discovered these bikes have the
beautiful leaping gazelles cranks, but they remain hidden from view
(under the case). I suppose I could remove just the crank cover
(which separates from the chaincase) to expose the beautiful cranks,
but then the chain would no longer be fully enclosed, which partially
defeats the purpose of a chaincase to begin with.

What I'm considering is whether to:

A. Modify the chaincase only just enough to fit around the 3 speed
hub, trying to keep the chaincase as sealed as possible
B. Expose the crank (for looks) and modify the chaincase to be
partially enclosed (to protect clothing, but not to remain entirely
sealed).
C. Replace the chaincase entirely with an aftermarket chainguard, or
opt for no chainguard or chaincase.

Anyone ever run into a similar situation?

Thanks,
BB

[Philip Williamson]

Hmmm... never done this, but my thought would be to leave the chaincase and rear wheel alone. Maybe use a larger cog for a lower gear, but not go wild with a hub that doesn't fit the chaincase. It seems that you could easily put a lot of work into making something you liked less well than the full chaincase. 

Keep the chaincase original, and work around that. If you need more gears, maybe build a wheel around the Sturmey S2C? 

And you can always say, "oh, you should see the chainwheel on this!" Make it mythological, but don't actually show anyone... :^)

 Philip

 Philip Williamson

www.biketinker.com

[FatErik]

I've not run into anything like this but here is the approach that I
usually try to take when making these type of decisions. I generally
ask myself how much I intend to ride the bike. If I think that I'm
going to ride the bike a lot, I have a tendency to upgrade or change
out parts. If I don't think that I will ride it a lot but just love
the bike for what it is, then I try to stay true to the original
bike. That's just me...good luck with your project...sounds like fun.

On Mar 7, 12:47 pm, Montclair BobbyB <montclairbob...@gmail.com>
wrote:

[Chris Burchell]

I agree with Phillip on the chaincase/chainring thing. Gazelles are
elusive in the wild. Naturally their bicycle component brethren would
feel more comfortable hiding from view as well.

On Mar 7, 2:46 pm, Philip Williamson <philip.william...@gmail.com>
wrote:

> Hmmm... never done this, but my thought would be to leave the chaincase and
> rear wheel alone. Maybe use a larger cog for a lower gear, but not go wild
> with a hub that doesn't fit the chaincase. It seems that you could easily
> put a lot of work into making something you liked less well than the full
> chaincase.
>
> Keep the chaincase original, and work around that. If you need more gears,
> maybe build a wheel around the Sturmey S2C?
>
> And you can always say, "oh, you should see the chainwheel on this!" Make it
> mythological, but don't actually show anyone... :^)
>  Philip
>
>  Philip Williamsonwww.biketinker.com
>

> On Mon, Mar 7, 2011 at 10:47 AM, Montclair BobbyB <montclairbob...@gmail.com

[lee.watkins]

I believe the full chaincase it merketed to the typical white collar
individual who would be wearing a nice skirt or dress pants when they
ride to work, and who would take the bike directly to a technician for
any problem whatsoever. I think the whole point is that it's hidden
from view because the rider is "above" getting their hands/clothes
dirty, and would rather pay someone else of expertise to deal with
it. Out of sight, out of mind.

If you'd like something near to a chaincase, the VO Porteur Style
Chaincase is really excellent. The 110mm hole fits many modern cranks
where the spider merges with the crank arm (as on the modern Sugino
cranks)as well as older cranks. The rear third of the chaincase is
absent (although it extends a bit further on the top), which leaves
plenty of room for any odd internal-gear system. You could paint it
to match, or buff it to a high polish with a little effort. This
would open up the possibility of upgrading both the crankset (modern
Sugino Crank ?), bottom bracket (Phil Wood, Raleigh 26 TPI ??? just
guessing), and internal hub while still maintaining both a full
chaincase look and still keeping the rear wheel free of the
chaincase.

On the other hand if you really want to show off that vintage crank a
hockey stick chaninguard should be perfectly adequate for most
situations. Just keep in mind that vintage chainwheels can be pretty
worn down on the teeth if they've had many decades of use. You might
want to compare it against a newer crankset. With a modern crankset
you could go to a 3/32" chain, which would then match the 3-spline cog
that comes with newer internal hubs. of course you can still get a
1/8" 3-spline cog to put on newer internal hubs to go with the 1/8"
chain you'd have to use if you kept the vintage crankset - not that
it's critical, but it's nice to have things match.