Royal Dutch Gazelle is the largest and most famous

bicycle A bicycle, also called a pedal cycle, bike, push-bike or cycle, is a human-powered transport, human-powered or motorized bicycle, motor-assisted, bicycle pedal, pedal-driven, single-track vehicle, with two bicycle wheel, wheels attached to a ...

manufacturer in the Netherlands. The company employs 550 workers at its factory in

Dieren Dieren () is a town in the eastern Netherlands. It is located in Rheden, Gelderland, between Zutphen and Arnhem, on the bank of the IJssel. Dieren was a separate municipality until 1818, when it became a part of Rheden. The Gazelle bicycle fa ...

, Netherlands, producing 300,000 bicycles a year. Total production has passed 13 million.

History

1892-1919

The company was founded 1892 by Willem Kölling and Rudolf Arentsen. Initially they sold bicycles imported from England. They started their own production using the Gazelle name in 1902.

1920-1949

During the period from the 1920s to the 1940s, Gazelle had success exporting bicycles to the

East Indies The East Indies (or simply the Indies) is a term used in historical narratives of the Age of Discovery. The ''Indies'' broadly referred to various lands in Eastern world, the East or the Eastern Hemisphere, particularly the islands and mainl ...

. Many Gazelle bicycles survive throughout Indonesia even today and are a highly sought after Dutch collectors item. During this period, Gazelle was to use the Piet Pelle cartoon character throughout many advertising campaigns
This video
from 1925 shows the Gazelle factory and production techniques. Developments include a collapsible delivery bicycle in 1930, and a

tandem Tandem, or in tandem, is an arrangement in which two or more animals, machines, or people are lined up one behind another, all facing in the same direction. ''Tandem'' can also be used more generally to refer to any group of persons or objects w ...

bicycle introduced in 1935. An electric bicycle was produced in 1937 together with

Philips Koninklijke Philips N.V. (), simply branded Philips, is a Dutch multinational health technology company that was founded in Eindhoven in 1891. Since 1997, its world headquarters have been situated in Amsterdam, though the Benelux headquarter ...

1950-1979

In 1954 Gazelle became a public company and built its millionth bicycle. In 1959, Gazelle patented the first 3-speed grip shift gear system. Gazelle was the first Dutch bicycle manufacturer to introduce the "Kwikstep"

folding bicycle A folding bicycle is designed to be compacted into a smaller, more manageable size or shape, making it easier to store or carry . When folded, the bikes can be more easily carried into buildings, on public transportation (facilitating mixed-mo ...

in 1964. The front-hub drum brake was developed in 1968 and is still in production today. In the mid-1960s, Gazelle built a "Special Racing Division" workshop at their factory in

. In this workshop, race frames were handbuilt by skilled craftsmen. At the height of their commercial success (around 1980–1985) about 35 people were employed. Gazelle had success with the steel framed "Champion Mondial" bicycles and sponsored the now infamous TVMracing team. The team folded in 2000 because of a doping scandal.

1980-2009

The centenary in 1992 coincided with the eighth millionth bicycle produced. Princess Margriet classified the company "Royal" Gazelle in honor of the anniversary. From then on one million bicycles were produced every three to four years. In 2009, Gazelle won the Dutch Bike of the Year with the Chamonix Innergy electric bike. This was the first time in the competition's history that an electric bike had won the prestigious award.

2010-present

In 2010, Gazelle was voted the most trusted bicycle brand in the

Reader's Digest ''Reader's Digest'' is an American general-interest family magazine, published ten times a year. Formerly based in Chappaqua, New York, it is now headquartered in midtown Manhattan. The magazine was founded in 1922 by DeWitt Wallace and his wi ...

annual brand survey in Europe. In 2011 Gazelle was acquired by

Pon Holdings Pon Holdings BV is a Dutch conglomerate in the transportation sector. It is one of the five largest bicycle manufacturers in the world, and owns bicycle brands Caloi, Cannondale, Cervélo, Derby Cycle (owner of Focus), GT, Gazelle, IronHo ...

, co-owner of

Cervélo Cervélo Cycles Inc. is a manufacturer of racing bicycle, racing and track bicycle, track bicycles. Cervélo uses Computer-aided design, CAD, computational fluid dynamics, and wind tunnel testing at a variety of facilities including the San Die ...

bikes, and importer of

Volkswagen Volkswagen (VW; )English: , . is a German automotive industry, automobile manufacturer based in Wolfsburg, Lower Saxony, Germany. Established in 1937 by German Labour Front, The German Labour Front, it was revitalized into the global brand it ...

in the Netherlands.

References

External links

Gazelle bicycle company website
{{Bicycle manufacturers of the Netherlands 1892 establishments in the Netherlands Bicycle framebuilders Companies based in Gelderland Cycle manufacturers of the Netherlands Dutch brands Manufacturing companies established in 1892 Rheden 2011 mergers and acquisitions