Advice needed: VSF vs Gazelle

[WalthamCity]

I am returning to regular cycling and am looking for a bike for a daily commute. I have fallen in love with "practical" bikes - akak "Dutch-style bikes" with chain-guard, dynamo, upright riding position etc.

My current favourites are the VSF Fahrrad-manufaktur T-100 and a Gazelle Orange C7. They are similarly priced, but quite differently specced - e.g. the T-100 feels more solid and better made, but the Orange C7 has disk brakes.

The specs for the T-100 are here:
http://www.fahrradmanufaktur.de/katalog ... uct_id=678

And for the Gazelle Orange:
http://www.gazellebikes.com/collection-bikes/orange-c7


I am finding it hard to choose between them and I need some advice. Which would you consider the "better bike"?

Are there any other good Dutch-style bikes in this price range (£500 - £750) that you'd recommend?

Thanks a lot!

[reohn2]

There's a Gazelle C7 that looks like a bargain to me:- http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Dutch-Gazelle ... 234cf85a1f

BTW the brake are roller brakes(type of hub brake) not discs.

[WalthamCity]

Great spot! I'm unfortunately too lanky for a 57cm frame - need a 61 or 62! But that looks a great bike in good condition.

Thanks for the clarification re the brakes. So would roller brakes be no better than the hydraulic brakes on the VSF?

[reohn2]

Great spot! I'm unfortunately too lanky for a 57cm frame - need a 61 or 62! But that looks a great bike in good condition.

I don't know if you're male or female but there are one or two other similar Gazelles and Batavus gents 61cm sized bikes,in good condition on Ebay ATM,search for 'dutch bike'

Thanks for the clarification re the brakes. So would roller brakes be no better than the hydraulic brakes on the VSF?

Hydros are really overkill on such a machine,ordinary cable operated V brakes or rollers are very good and much simpler to maintain in the long run.

[bigbloke]

FWIW I have had a VSF T400 since 2011

VERY solid bike , rock solid paint job. the only problem
ive encountered is the front dynamo hub failed after about 2000 miles

despite this I would reccomend VSF

Regards

BB

[WalthamCity]

Thanks BB! The VSF is my favourite and I think that's the one I'll go for.

[Valbrona]

Van Moof: http://vanmoof.com/

[WalthamCity]

Van Moof: http://vanmoof.com/

Interesting suggestion. I dismissed those as "style over substance" (same reason I'm not considering Pashleys!). Are they any good to cycle?

[Brucey]

FWIW I'd assumed that all such 'practical bikes' would have hub mounted brakes of some kind. The VSF doesn't. It also has a chainglider-type chaincase which may be a little noisier than the usual type. So I'd put the VSF into a slightly different category from most Gazelles.

The Orange C7+ is meant to be a practical machine but IMHO it has some design features that may prove problematic. The front light, the mudguards, the carrier, the chaincase I suspect are all Gazelle specific parts. These will usually be of excellent quality but if they get broken (and anything made of plastic on a bicycle will get broken...) they may be difficult to replace them with identical parts. I also think that a suspension fork is not necessary on a bike like this.

My own 'practical bicycle' is an older Gazelle Impala. It has a steel frame, an SA 3s hub, stainless steel wheel rims and it is fitted with the very excellent SA 90mm hub brakes (which I very much prefer to Shimano Roller brakes). It has many Gazelle-specific parts on it but none that are fragile enough to be broken easily and none that are difficult to replace with generic parts should the need arise. It has many stainless steel parts and was clearly built to last many years without trouble. IMHO this type of machine is deeply practical and durable in ways that many newer machines are not.

I also would not discount a Pashley as impractical.

With any traditionally-styled roaster some basic maintenance on the hub gear and chain is necessary. If you plan to keep it a few years it is prudent to corrosion proof various parts of the bike; the insides of steel mudguards, all the entry points to the frame etc.

cheers

[WalthamCity]

Thanks Brucey,

That is interesting what you say about hub mounted brakes. In this case, I think I'll trust the Germans, since they have a culture of "practical bikes" almost as strong as our friends in Holland, but I wonder why they chose not to go down the hub brake route.

[Brucey]

Thanks Brucey,

That is interesting what you say about hub mounted brakes. In this case, I think I'll trust the Germans, since they have a culture of "practical bikes" almost as strong as our friends in Holland, but I wonder why they chose not to go down the hub brake route.

it is always cheaper (to start with) to use rim brakes and the bike is slightly lighter. But for bikes that get ridden every day in filthy weather if you have rim brakes you may well go through one rim for every two tyres. To my mind this isn't really very practical.

I like SA hub brakes because they are weatherproof, zero drag, and typically last for years with no attention whatsoever. The same cannot be said for any other brake. Shimano roller brakes are second best in the 'practical stakes' but they

a) require a shot of grease once a year
b) can drag slightly
c) must be removed to replace a broken spoke
d) must be removed to adjust the hub bearings.

SA drums have none of these disadvantages; nothing is perfect but SA brakes are just a better arrangement all round.

Let's not get started on what happens when we start trusting the Germans, eh...

cheers

[resus1uk]

My utility bike is also a Gazelle Impala with roller brakes, Shimano 7 speed hub & generator lighting.
Minimal maintenence & used to tow a trailer.
I take it to Germany & Holland as it is "street-legal. It's weight is little problem in the flat lands.
My German relatives ride lighter aluminium framed Kettler bikes, with coaster brakes (which take some getting used to), & rim brakes on the front.

[WalthamCity]

So in the end I plumped for the VSF T100, and I am extremely happy with it so far. It's a beautifully smooth ride.

I'll come back here and post a longer review of the bike once I've had it a while, seeing as there seem to be hardly any reviews of this wonderful bike anywhere!