- Gazelle (bicycle)
Gazelle is the largest
bicycle manufacturer in theNetherlands , and dominates the middle to high end bicycle market there.Fact|date=January 2008 It has a history of innovation and sound engineering with a reputation for building comfortable and reliable bicycles.Fact|date=January 2008 Gazelle has 550 employees at its factory inDieren , and produces 350,000 bicycles each year.The company was founded 1892 by Willem Kölling and Rudolf Arentsen. Initially they sold bicycles that had been imported from England but they started their own production using the Gazelle name in 1902. After changing hands several times, Gazelle is now owned by Glide Buy Out Fund, a Dutch
venture capital fund.The centenary in 1992 coincided with the production of the 8 millionth bicycle. Princess Margriet classified the company “Royal” Gazelle in honor of the 100-year anniversary. From then on one million bicycles were produced every 3 to 4 years.
In 2006, the
bicycle frame production stopped at the Dieren factory. Gazelle was the last mass produced bicycle company to finish frame manufacture in Western Europe. Gazelle frames are now built inChina and then transported to the factory, where the bicycles are finished. Total production has passed 12 million bicycles.Notable developments in the company's history include a
tandem model in 1935 and an electric bicycle in 1937. In 1954 Gazelle became a public company and it built its 1 millionth bicycle. The Kwikstep folding bicycle was introduced in 1964.In recent years they have resumed production of electrically-assisted bicycles using modern motor, battery and control technologies, for instance with the [http://www.atob.org.uk/Electric_Buyers'_Guide.html Gazelle Easy Glider] . In 2008, Gazelle introduced the Innergy E-Bike.
Today Gazelle is gathering momentum developing export markets around the world.
External links
* [http://www.gazelle.nl Gazelle bicycle company website]
* [http://www.rijwiel.net/gazellee.htm A History of Gazelle Bicycles]
* [http://www.rhizomes.nl/kwikstep/kwikstep.html Kwikstep folding bikes]
* [http://www.gazellebicycles.com.au Gazelle Importer Australia]
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