Restoring a 1978 Batavus Champion — Vintage Bike Rebuild

Found in a shed, stripped to the frame, rebuilt with modern parts — the bike that started it all.

Willem's first bike project: a rusted 1978 Batavus Champion found in a shed and rebuilt from the frame up. New wheels, new drivetrain, new cables — but the same Dutch steel frame that was built to last.

The Batavus Champion was a popular Dutch bike in the late 1970s — a steel frame built for daily commuting in a country where bikes are transportation, not sport. Willem found one in a shed, rusted but structurally sound.

The restoration: strip everything off the frame, sand away the rust, paint removal, new wheels with modern hubs, new cables, new brake pads, a fresh saddle. The frame itself — heavy Dutch steel — needed nothing but cleaning. It was built to outlast its components.

This project set the pattern for everything that followed: the commuter bike build, the cargo bike, the Gates Carbon Drive upgrade. It starts with understanding the machine, then building it the way you want.

From Willem's cycling as craft collection.