Batavus Champion bike from yesteryear
restoring retro glory with some help from the Internet
Sep. 3, 2016 - Willem L. Middelkoop
Almost a year ago I bought an old steel racing bike from 1978. I wanted to figure out if using a bike to commute worked for me. It did! I used it to ride more than 1000KM before I decided to get a modern road bike. Now, almost a year later, I decided to put the powers of the internet into good use: to bring the bike back to its retro glory!
Continue reading![New school Sensa Romagna Sport '15 and Old school Batavus Champion '78](/blog/2016-09-03_batavus-champion-bike-from-1978/images/i_00_New-school-Sensa-Romagna-Sport-15-and-Old-school-Batavus-Champion-78_500px.jpg)
![The rear derailleur was rusty and not original to this bike](/blog/2016-09-03_batavus-champion-bike-from-1978/images/i_04_The-rear-derailleur-was-rusty-and-not-original-to-this-bike_500px.jpg)
![The big ding-dong bell is an overstatement and the tiny Garmin Edge 25 is a touch from the modern era I added to the bike to GPS-record my rides](/blog/2016-09-03_batavus-champion-bike-from-1978/images/i_10_The-big-ding-dong-bell-is-an-overstatement-and-the-tiny-Garmin-Edge-25-is-a-touch-from-the-modern-er_500px.jpg)
![The Brooks C15 saddle with matching bag is a perfect (and comfortable) match for this bike](/blog/2016-09-03_batavus-champion-bike-from-1978/images/i_11_The-Brooks-C15-saddle-with-matching-bag-is-a-perfect-and-comfortable-match-for-this-bike_500px.jpg)
![An original advertisment of the bike from the 70s - with specification of original parts](/blog/2016-09-03_batavus-champion-bike-from-1978/images/i_05_An-original-advertisment-of-the-bike-from-the-70s-with-specification-of-original-parts_500px.jpg)
![Thank you Ebay: a period correct Hurret rear derailleur](/blog/2016-09-03_batavus-champion-bike-from-1978/images/i_06_Thank-you-Ebay-a-period-correct-Hurret-rear-derailleur_500px.jpg)