Skala-Gazelle trackbike, ex-Ron Groen

Hi All

Got my hands on this baby quite a while ago and now after some blood, sweat and tears I got everything right

Right after collection my attention was drawn by the remnants of a name on the toptube: "Ron Groen". Ron Groen raced with the Skala-Gazelle team in the mid 80s. It is a small world: I happened to stumble upon someone who made the tech drawings for this rig with without any doubt great speed potential. He immediately recognized it as being Ron Groen's bike.

The serial unveils it is a 1983 frame. Ron was riding for Vredestein-Gazelle-Campagnolo at that time. The history is that the frame has been resprayed in Skala-Gazelle colours when Ron entered the professional Skala-Gazelle team, somewhat later.



Ron Groen >



Skala-Gazelle >


Clearly visible in pic are a telly & video. That was where Skala's
business was about: Rental of audio and video equipment.

Brief specs:
Full 531(c) frame
3T cockpit ("Union" panto stem)
Super Record post
Brooks Professional seat
Nuovo Record Pista cranks
Nuovo Record low flange hubs
Rigida DP18

Part of the specs will be original, some will be added by later owners and I can tell the cockpit and post/seat are by me. I gave the bike a big overhaull too btw. Ready for the next 1/4 century

Serialnumber: 3281831

More pics to follow

I am personally very happy with the aesthetics of the bike. It looks clean, basic with a few simple accents. It doesn't look bad at all in the pics, but I can tell, it looks nicer in the flesh.





Tight clearance >



"Origineel Gazelle Handwerk" >



531(c) tubing for fork & frame >



Bocama long point lugs >



Wrap around stays >



Something to read for the people not as fast as you >



Nuovo Record Pista >

.

Another Melvin classic... :shock: Makes me want to love fixies...

Mr K

You must be my sort of height. Will you stop taunting me with all your wonderful road bikes that are my size!

Another timeless classic.

Beautiful

Another great machine you have there.
It looks fast just sitting there.
Remember me when you find that one thats too small for you

Jamie

It is a 57/58cm. Maybe it looks somewhat taller because of the steep angles. I have a RIH Campagnolo in 65cm flavour and with very relaxed angles. You would think it is only a 60 or so.

Jamie, a friend had a 50cm Visser-Vainqueur track frame recently, but I think he sold it already.

Very nice indeed.
That is the distilled essence of a bike, wonderful.

I like it!

I don't suppose Ron was any relation to Timon Groen was he?

I googled on it and I did not found a connection. What I did find:

Late 60s, right after his carreer Timen Groen emigrated to South Africa where he started a business in antique. He was strongly in favour of equal rights for anyone and called the Afrikaner pigheads.