Vintage Steel Bicycles, restored by hand

I like all kinds of bicycles, but I have a particular love for hand-built steel classics from the 1930s through to the 1980s. My main focus is racing bicycles from the golden era of cycling, roughly from the late 1960s to the mid-1980s. Over time, a few newer examples built in the same spirit, as well as some path racers from the 1930s, have joined the collection too. Today it holds around twenty permanent bikes, with another twenty-five or so passing through as part of the non-permanent collection.

Apart from the objects themselves, I’m a cycling enthusiast through and through. Every ride is a small adventure — a declaration of self-powered freedom, fuelled only by muscle power. Cycling is simple, clean, and non-polluting: one of the earth’s best friends.

When did it all start? Hard to say. I have very fond memories of my childhood spent largely with my grandparents, in an era when men decided what was shown on television, and in our house that meant cycling. My grandfather and I must have watched just about every bike race broadcast on European TV in the late 1970s and 1980s. Later, around age fifteen, my first summer job turned out to be assembling bicycles. Prestige Bikes was probably one of the last factories in Belgium where, at the time, part of the bicycle frames were still hand-welded.

A bit of wiki-science: in both biological and mechanical terms, the bicycle is extraordinarily efficient. In terms of energy needed to travel a given distance, it’s one of the most efficient self-powered means of transport there is. I learned this early in high school, and it never left me. Who can resist a handcrafted steel bicycle? Anyone, young or old, can appreciate the beauty of a vintage bicycle — a beautiful machine that can take you almost anywhere, for next to nothing. As an architect, I’ve always loved art, design and beautiful objects. If something is elegant, accessible, practical and virtually unbreakable, it earns my utmost respect and affection.

It’s all about originality, quality, patina and charisma. Charisma may sound like a strong word, but that’s exactly how I experience an encounter with an unknown steel bicycle. Vintage steel bicycles were often handcrafted by experienced artisans, many of whom also crafted or modified their own components. Even today, many vintage frames remain in excellent condition after many decades of use. My modest collection is dedicated to their design, their designers, and the craftsmen who built them. And without being preachy about it — buy or restore a vintage bicycle instead of a new one. Help reduce waste. Build it wisely, maintain it properly, and you can pass it on to future generations.

As a hobby, I’ve been buying, selling and trading vintage racing bicycles and parts since 2011 — the same year I got married. Whether that’s pure coincidence, I’ll leave for you to decide. I buy from bike shops, individual collectors, markets and meetings across the Benelux and beyond. It’s mostly the charisma of a bicycle that gets under my skin. What exactly creates that charisma is far from obvious, even to me — after all these years, I still don’t fully understand why certain bikes speak to me and others don’t. I believe it’s a very subjective, deep-rooted and nostalgic feeling.

Call it love. Velo love.

One thing I’ve learned about myself: it’s much easier to buy than to let go, once I’ve invested time, care and affection into a bicycle. The money I make from selling restored bicycles goes back into higher-end examples and period-correct parts. Searching for, acquiring and restoring bicycles in the little free time I have has given me immense joy — and allowed me to meet and befriend many like-minded enthusiasts. With this website, I have the pleasure of sharing these bicycles with even more people.