80velo Vintage Bikes

HISTORY

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By 1917, Batavus had taken over a large bicycle factory.  World War II saw the temporary shutdown of the factory. Business resumed in 1945 when the war ended and demand for bicycles increased. The company invested in a new factory with modern assembly lines, which brought it to the forefront of bike manufacturing.
During the 1986 and 1992 Olympic Games, Batavus was official supplier of the Dutch Cycling Union (KNWU). Monique Knol won a bronze medal during the 1992 Olympics on a Batavus. Leontien van Moorsel won the Tour Feminin twice, riding Batavus bicycles. In the U.S.A., the Agrati-Garelli Corp., the importer of Batavus bicycles, sponsored an amateur men's and women's team from 1983-1985 which was managed by Constantin Negulescu, a former amateur cyclist from Romania living in the Boston, MA. region. Negulescu was successful in placing a number of Batavus riders on the U.S. National team during these years and later went on to coach at the national and international levels.