It is a gorgeous frame ...not in the last place because of its gloss red colour. The craftmanship is something you will appreciate when you look more closely.
Tubing is by Columbus (probably SL or SP), dropouts are by Campagnolo and lugs are by Cinelli. Or at least I am quite sure on the later, but 100%. Let me know if you are of another opinion.
Detail: The "Zieleman" on top the stays it is made by the younger Ko Zieleman, the son. "KZ" (like on my black one) denotes the old KZ.
Of course the frame has a typical Dutch criterium style geometry. Makes a very fast bike.
Okay, the Mountainbike now.
A month ago I went to Amsterdam, to the old shop from Ko Zieleman. Nowadays it is a kind of very little bicycle repair shop by a family member. No idea how long it will exist this way. Anyway, there was one NOS frame left still: A mountainbike-frame. The frame was an experiment by Ko Zieleman to see whether producing mountainframes could be something for him. Few were made. It probably didn't catch on for the same reason why it didn't catch on with Colnago, Pinarello and for as far I know all the MTB attempts by traditional roadbike builders. After talking on Zieleman, nowadays cycling and 'the good old days', we opened negotiations. I were able to get my hands on the mountain beast.
You can see it is a frame by a roadbike builder. Quite much like the earliest (not the later junk) Colnago off road bikes. The Zieleman is neatly made with subtle transitions, sophisticated chainstay bridges, metal headbadge and even fluted tubing, but I am not a big fan of all the eyelets. Sure nice I could ever decide to make a more touring/randonneur orientated bike of it, but I normally use my bikes as performance bike and eyelets doesn't help performance looks. The angles look quite flat and (typical Zieleman!) paralel.
It has an expressive typical early 90s paintscheme. A green to purple fade on black.
The year it is built is most likely 1990.
The beast officially has no modelname, but let's call it 'Offroad Special'
Next two pics >
The fade & the flutes.
3rd pic >>
No hollow steerer used, but a cylindric part that has been machined to fit a stem and fender. Probably Ko wasn't sure about the sturdyness of a traditional hollow steerer in severe rough terrain conditions.
I started my active cycling live as mountainbiker, so this is for me a nice piece to have acquired: Zieleman & Mountainbike.
