Know Anything About This Bike?

[Sooowee]

Hey All,

Normally a lurker, just learning from everyone and enjoying your posts. I thought I'd help a friend out. Has anyone ever seen one of these? It says it's a Jan Van Eyck. I can't find anything about it and I Googled the heck out of the name. It has a beautiful lugged frame, pinstriping, fully enclosed chain, rear stand, vintage bike lock and original crusty white tires. Thanks for any help you can give!

Fred

 

[deorman]

Looks like a Dutch. Sounds like a Dutch. Maybe it's Dutch. :mrgreen:

 

[ScurryMurray]

Sorry I can't help with any info, but that is a great looking bike. Good luck with finding out more on it.

 

[aka_locojoe]

Looks like a Dutch. Sounds like a Dutch. Maybe it's Dutch. :mrgreen:

What he said.
Jan Van Eyck appears to have been a famous Dutch artist. Whether the bike was named after him or it's a different Jan Van Eyck?

 

[Ace]

Looks like a Dutch. Sounds like a Dutch. Maybe it's Dutch. :mrgreen:

Looks like a Dutch. Sounds like a Dutch. Maybe it's Belgian. :mrgreen:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jan_van_Eyck
Besides the old artist's name, this bike is a mystery !
Perhaps it was released by this shop: http://www.vaneycksports.com in Belgium. They just might know more about it.

 

[badmuller]

Hey guy's,

I tried to find something about this bike.
"Jan van Eyck" (1390-1441)was a belgium painter who pioneerd oilpainting technique.
so it could be a belgium bike too.
I noticed the alternator bracket and gearcable entry on the hub, are on the otherside then what is common in dutch/the netherlands and belgium.
I think its a copy of what we call an omafiets(grannybike), except this being a mens frame.

This kind of bike design is prewar and still is a very popular framestyle today.
the womans frame makes you sit up straighter than most bikes and the are very nice to ride.
origanal/vintage ones are a collecters item overhere.

I find it hard to date it,the white frame,The springloaded clip on the luggage rack, the hardplastic chainguard, the use of a lugged frame and the way the lugs look, i would say early 1980's,
but the use of gears on this type of bike is very rare, and looks very 2000&up type of shifter(could be a later add-on).

I cannot say for sure that it is dutch or belgium, but that is where the inspiration for the manufacturer came from for sure.
Other then that i'll go with Ace, this bike is a mystery.

May be its in this catagory; the Electra Amsterdam does not look like any type of classic bike you will find in Amsterdam or The Netherlands.

 

[Sooowee]

Thanks guys! Yeah, the only information I could find was about the artist and the bike shop in Belgium. I think the bike looks like a mix of the two bikes that Badmuller posted. I agree that the shifter looks to be an add-on. In fact, the shifter is for a three-speed hub and the hub seems to only have two speeds, as far as I can tell. It does appear to be missing either a light or some sort of embellishment on the front fender, and yes, it's missing the generator. I'll just tell my friend that he got a good deal on a cool bike and he should just enjoy it. Thanks for all your help guys!

Fred

 

[Markm]

looks like it had a chrome tip on the front fender like a Raleigh

 

[American Vintage Bicycle Supply]

i second the looks like a dutch idea... :lol: