Dawes Super Galaxy (Bike Nerd Warning)

[Dod101]

I do not understand why the top horizontal rail is so short that you need to have a horizontal extension to push the handlebars further forward. Obviously that explains why the whole bike looks foreshortened to me and the result is that the wheels are very close together. Does that affect stability?

As you can gather I am being totally non technical. It looks very smart though.

Dod

I don't see what you're talking about at all there: it looks pretty bog-standard to me - at least for a frame from the era before the gear shifts migrated to the handlebars. Has the picture changed since you posted that?

The chainrings do look slightly odd. Would the bike originally have had a triple, or just two?

I've just had a mental image of Dod on a chopper

Well many many moons ago I had a touring bike, lightweight for its time, with dropped handlebars and derailleur gears (which I did not like very much and regarded them as fancy new stuff) They also tended to get damaged because I was not always on made up roads. I had a large map of Scotland on my bedroom wall and covered just about all the roads on it over a period of about 4/5 years/ I have also had several other bikes over the years but none that I took as seriously as during that period of my youth when I practically lived on my bike.

Dawes was always a good make.

Dod

[Dod101]

Just remembered. The bike which took me all over Scotland was a Parkes Lightweight. I got it secondhand, paid for by my paper rounds (I did two at weekends!)

Dod

[redsturgeon]

Just remembered. The bike which took me all over Scotland was a Parkes Lightweight. I got it secondhand, paid for by my paper rounds (I did two at weekends!)

Dod

This sort of thing.

https://luxlow.com/bicycles/vintageroad ... cycle-880/

John

[redsturgeon]

This was my first proper bike, my dad bought it for me for passing the 11 plus exams. That exact colour scheme, red and black over a chrome plated frame.

bikehttps://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/438186238740887928/

[Dod101]

Just remembered. The bike which took me all over Scotland was a Parkes Lightweight. I got it secondhand, paid for by my paper rounds (I did two at weekends!)

Dod

This sort of thing.

https://luxlow.com/bicycles/vintageroad ... cycle-880/

John

Almost exactly as far as I can remember, although the wheels look bigger than mine were. Amazing what we can find here! Thanks again.

Dod

[redsturgeon]

After a few weeks of cleaning and fixing and polishing and greasing and taking apart and putting back together it is almost complete. Just waiting for new brake cables to come in the post.

I have added up how much I spent as follows:

Cost of bike £50
Cost of powder coat £75
New Parts:
Tyres 2 Schwalbe Marathon 700x35 £20 each
Inner tubes £5 each
Cables £7
Brake blocks £5
Chain £10
Shimano Bottom Bracket £12
Tange alloy Headset £20

Total £231

Hours spent 100+

Enjoyment had. Immeasurable.

[servodude]

After a few weeks of cleaning and fixing and polishing and greasing and taking apart and putting back together it is almost complete. Just waiting for new brake cables to come in the post.

I have added up how much I spent as follows:

Cost of bike £50
Cost of powder coat £75
New Parts:
Tyres 2 Schwalbe Marathon 700x35 £20 each
Inner tubes £5 each
Cables £7
Brake blocks £5
Chain £10
Shimano Bottom Bracket £12
Tange alloy Headset £20

Total £231

Hours spent 100+

Enjoyment had. Immeasurable.

Good price for the marathons! (I get mine sent here from Germany normally... I say normally... they'll get nearly 10,000km before they finally wear out)
Even then... slime is your friend

[redsturgeon]

After a few weeks of cleaning and fixing and polishing and greasing and taking apart and putting back together it is almost complete. Just waiting for new brake cables to come in the post.

I have added up how much I spent as follows:

Cost of bike £50
Cost of powder coat £75
New Parts:
Tyres 2 Schwalbe Marathon 700x35 £20 each
Inner tubes £5 each
Cables £7
Brake blocks £5
Chain £10
Shimano Bottom Bracket £12
Tange alloy Headset £20

Total £231

Hours spent 100+

Enjoyment had. Immeasurable.

Good price for the marathons! (I get mine sent here from Germany normally... I say normally... they'll get nearly 10,000km before they finally wear out)
Even then... slime is your friend

Yes I had an unused one already that I'd bought a few years ago, wrong size for what I needed then but it was cheap! The new one was £22.99 from SJS.

John

[servodude]

After a few weeks of cleaning and fixing and polishing and greasing and taking apart and putting back together it is almost complete. Just waiting for new brake cables to come in the post.

I have added up how much I spent as follows:

Cost of bike £50
Cost of powder coat £75
New Parts:
Tyres 2 Schwalbe Marathon 700x35 £20 each
Inner tubes £5 each
Cables £7
Brake blocks £5
Chain £10
Shimano Bottom Bracket £12
Tange alloy Headset £20

Total £231

Hours spent 100+

Enjoyment had. Immeasurable.

Good price for the marathons! (I get mine sent here from Germany normally... I say normally... they'll get nearly 10,000km before they finally wear out)
Even then... slime is your friend

Yes I had an unused one already that I'd bought a few years ago, wrong size for what I needed then but it was cheap! The new one was £22.99 from SJS.

John

Great!
Now everything you've saved can go on lights!

[redsturgeon]

Lights are for sissies!

[servodude]

Lights are for sissies!

I should report you for inappropriate language

One of my commute options has around 6 miles off road trails by rivers without any lighting surrounded by bloody huge trees
- you need back up lights in case (or when) your main one fails


If that makes me a cissy then fair enough - I always liked "the Meters"

[redsturgeon]

Lights are for sissies!

I should report you for inappropriate language

One of my commute options has around 6 miles off road trails by rivers without any lighting surrounded by bloody huge trees
- you need back up lights in case (or when) your main one fails


If that makes me a cissy then fair enough - I always liked "the Meters"

I admit to being a wuss that never rides in the dark.

John

[redsturgeon]

Still waiting for one part to fix the front brake.

[AsleepInYorkshire]

Still waiting for one part to fix the front brake.

I'll give you £50 for it.

But you'll have to deliver for that

It looks great.

AiY(D)

[James]

Still waiting for one part to fix the front brake.

When complete, it will look great hung on that white wall next to the fire.
Or do you plan on actually using it?

[redsturgeon]

This is the one that hangs on the wall (in the gym). The Galaxy is for riding.

[servodude]

This is the one that hangs on the wall (in the gym). The Galaxy is for riding.

Crikey... they look like before and after shots for bike steroids

[redsturgeon]

Update on the Galaxy.

There's been some good and bad news on the Galaxy, having finished the build, minus mudguards that I haven't made up my mind about yet, I have been out on various testing runs when the weather hasn't been absolutely foul (as it has been most of the time).

The rear derailleur has been problematical, the high end limit screw was seized, I had to drill it out and retap it. Unfortunately having done that it still would not change well, it just seemed to be "sticky". I have had it apart again and regreased everything but I cannot get it working properly. I do have a few decent replacements I can use, slightly later XT and LX models. Although they are black which doesn't really suit the bike as well as well bare alloy, I have been trying an LX model that works very well. I may upgrade that to the XT to see how that goes.

I went for a ride today with the new derailleur and it changed gear perfectly. It is a bit strange using the down tube shifters (I haven't used down tube shifters for 50 years) but they are actually very satisfying to use and work well. The left hand shifter is friction only but works well and the right hand shifter (for the rear cogs) is a six speed index or friction and again works well.

The bike rides really smoothly, the steel frame really does feel very compliant and comfortable on the road combined with the large (35mm) tyres to give a very pleasant ride. It seems to really move along quickly despite the weight (over 50% more than the "bike on steroids" in the photo above, @ 12.5kg vs just over 8kg). I haven't tried any hills yet though which is where the weight would come more into play.

Now the bad news, the original handlebars are just not comfortable for me. I measured their width at 38 cm. My shoulder width (across the bony bits) is 44cm and that is the width of the bars on the "steroid bike" that I find very comfortable. So I will unfortunately have to replace the originals, I have some that would be the correct width but again they are in black alloy which would look wrong.

I may just build up the bike with the parts that I have while keeping a lookout for some more age appropriate parts, then I can test out the fit over a few more miles before settling on the final build.

Nearly there though!

John

[servodude]

Now the bad news, the original handlebars are just not comfortable for me. I measured their width at 38 cm. My shoulder width (across the bony bits) is 44cm and that is the width of the bars on the "steroid bike" that I find very comfortable. So I will unfortunately have to replace the originals, I have some that would be the correct width but again they are in black alloy which would look wrong.

I sure you'll be able to offload them on to some drainpipe-wearing latte-sipping fixie-riding hipster who seem to like touching their thumbs together