Retro Dawes Galaxy, gravel bike, sacrilege to change?

Got given this old 531 Dawes Galaxy touring bike the other day:

bar end shifters, canti brakes, RSX gears, nice Mavic/XT wheels, 56cm so right size, looks like plenty of clearance for fatter tyres. I’m not going ‘touring’ with my 70’s Karrimor panniers on any time soon so tempted to strip it down to basics and update various bits. Thoughts on what might be good or is it sacrilege and should be left as is and passed on to a CTC member? Help us decide..

take the rack and guards off, put some grippier tyres on to turn it into a ‘gravel’ bike, ride it

exactly that sort of bike was doing ‘gravel’ riding for a good number of years before Gravel Riding turned up

Wheels 700c or 27 x 1 1/4. Might limit your tyre choice. Either way, stick some bar tape and a saddle on it and go for a ride, bet it’s super comfy.

Sod it, I’ll change it, can always put back and flog if it doesn’t work out. 700c wheels, people on here recommend WTB nano 40c I think. Might get some, take guards, rack off, find a comfy saddle, new bar tape and give it a go, will post pics as it goes

Its not a rare bike so no problem with changing it.

Make it a single speed and some hipster will forget he’s vegan this week and bite your hand off for it down Shoreditch.

ride it

This!!

I have a 1980s Raleigh Randonneur frame which is the equivalent of the Dawes Galaxy. I rebuilt it last year and rode it again for the first time in many years, and I was amazed at how comfortable and what a pleasure to ride it was, compared with my other more modern bikes.

I’m not going ‘touring’ with my 70’s Karrimor panniers on any time soon

I don’t think that very heavily laden touring is what these bikes were best for: they were ‘do it all’ touring bikes for when people would have only one bike, and whilst you can use them for cycle camping with front and rear panniers, in my experience the older narrower tubesets mean that the frames are probably more flexible than is desirable for that compared with something like a modern Surly touring frame*. The other side of that coin is that they handle very nicely and feel incredibly comfortable with a saddlebag for day rides, or B&B touring with panniers.

(* That said, I’m talking about the weight of cycle camping kit available 20+ years ago: your Galaxy would probably be perfect for carrying the very lightweight camping kit you can buy now.)

As for stripping it down and updating it, what is there that needs updating? It looks fine to me as it is. Just ride it – you can worry about different tyres etc. when you’ve worn out the existing ones.

I would not even bother taping bars to begin with: wait till you’re sure the stem length is OK (it’s probably the one thing you might need to change) and you’ve got the brake levers at the angle/height you prefer. Unless the mudguards do not have enough clearance for the tyres, I would leave them on, but would fit a couple of the Secu clip[/url] type emergency release fittings to the front mudguard, given that the risk of mud being picked up and jamming between tyre and mudguard is obviously higher if you are going to ride it on gravel/off road.

A friend of mine will be doing her second Eroica this summer on an old Dawes tourer. Perfect gravel bike as far as she is concerned.

Stick the wheels in and buy a saddle.

Crack on and replace as things wear out.

I spent most of my youth doing what we now call mountainbiking on a bike just like that.

If it’s a 1″ stem, bung about 3″ of dowel up from the bottom of the steerer.

If it’s a 1″ stem, bung about 3″ of dowel up from the bottom of the steerer.

What does that do?

I’ve got a Raleigh a lot like that dawes. 531, 1″ headset, Edit: it’s a Randonneur just like slowster’s ight even be the same year – ’87?

Annoyingly, there’s probably plenty of room for 40c in the forks and the seatstays, but barely enough for 32s in the chainstays.

Effing smooth though! 😀 All of this;

I was amazed at how comfortable and what a pleasure to ride it was, compared with my other more modern bikes.

Feeling inspired now thanks, will get it back together soon & post pics

i think the randonneur circa late 80s/early 90s was/is a better bike, just to be argumentative.

pre mtb days the super galaxy was my dream bike, never had one though. a few years back i saw an ad for a randonneur, one owner, everything original right down to the certificate signed by the chap who made it, for just a few quid and knowing it was worth more bought it to sell on. except as soon as i tried it in the carpark i loved it. i only use it on sunny summer days for a roll along the seafront and that, and i love the down time slowness of frame tube shifters… may but bar ends on though as i’ve got some wider nitto bars to fit.

then last year when buying a saw the chap had an old super galaxy in the garage and i got that for 15quid, hence i dont think its better than the randonneur as i have both.

anyhow, point of this long post… check the value of the bike before you do anything. you might be surprised. certainly the older ones like i have can go for some silly expensive cash.

Yes, nothing intrinsically rare or valuable, so make use of it in any way you see fit.

It was only from the mid-80s and the trend for super-skinny ‘race’ tyres that road bikes deviated from being good all-rounders to distinctly different ‘race’ and ‘touring’ bikes.

Guessing this dates from late 80’s/early 90’s going on the kit on it?

That looks nice. 😀

I reckon it would make a nice day ride bike that could take on a bit of what old school CTC members (my dad) would call rough-stuff along with some lovely day in the saddle rides.

nedrapier – Member
“If it’s a 1″ stem, bung about 3″ of dowel up from the bottom of the steerer.”
What does that do?

Stiffens it up a bit. Supposedly protection against fracturing around the crown race. Lots of us did it – bit of broom handle shaved to shape, and Bob’s your uncle.

it’s a Randonneur just like slowster’s ight even be the same year – ’87?

Mine is either 87, 88 or 89 – it’s not strictly a Randonneur, because it was sold as a frameset and the Randonneur was a complete bike. I think Raleigh were making more frames at the time than they were able to sell as complete bikes at full retail price, so they gave batch of the frames a cheap and nasty champagne/bronze fade paint job and the Raleigh dealers sold them for £125. I think the only physical difference compared with the proper Randonneur frame is that they did not bother with the spoke holder.

Guessing this dates from late 80’s/early 90’s going on the kit on it?

That style of Dawes logo doesn’t look very 1980s to me, more like (mid?) 1990s, but to be honest I’m just guessing.

That style of Dawes logo doesn’t look very 1980s to me, more like (mid?) 1990s, but to be honest I’m just guessing.

96, I think.

That RSX kit would put it at 95/96 if it’s original

As above though, it’s not rare or special but it will be reliable, capable and versatile, just adjust things to fit and ride it. If you can’t get on with bar end shifters STI are an easy change, but spend some time getting used to them before you decide as they do have some benefits over STI that can outweigh the ‘not at your fingertips’ element.

A friend did Torino Nice Rally on his back in September.
I saw lots of smiles and laughs.

Saddle, bar tape, ride. It’s fine as it is. Great frame that you’ll pay at least £600 for new. If you must “gravelize” it, put some Schwalbe G Ones on it. Personally, I think older# frames with modern components always does it for me, so I’d add nice new wheels and perhaps a groupset with STIs. I like aheadset stems, so an adaptor to replace the quill stem and bars would be fine too – I have one on two bikes. Would look great with black finishing kit, Ultegra and some black Avid cantis 8)

#It’s really not old – has vertical dropouts for a start!

As everyone has said, that’ll be lovely.

Really nice framesets, very comfy on crap surfaces and still fun to ride.

There’s loads of new quill stems and all sorts of silver bars available.
SJS have loads.
No reason why you can’t get a perfect fit and stay classy.
🙂

And if you can’t cope with cantis, fit V’s or mini V’s.
They work really well with (cheap) Tektro levers.

I’d be tempted to ditch the guards, fit some nice modern bars and some off road tyres and go exploring.

Spa Cycles do excellent retro chainsets in single, double or triple, if you fancy a change.

Keep us updated.
🙂

Had a Claud Butler majestic back in early 80s as my 1 bike used for general duties,touring and rough stuff as it was then .
Used to go away weekends with RSF group of local ctc Bristol branch with a chap I think his name was Rob Porter remember doing the “Wayfarers path” up in snowdonia .
I couldn’t make start of day so joined them late sat night after i’d driven up after work ,parked the car then rode up in darkness to try and find them , gave up around midnight and pitched my tent then in morning realized i was a stones throw from them over the brow . ( no mobiles then and pretty dim torches too)

531 tubing was where it was at . The bike cost me best part of £400.00 which was over 10 wks wages as an apprentice butcher ,my pride n joy.
Not for getting my old Brookes B17 saddle which dad had from a friend at work at the time .

as said prob not so rare but nice and if it fits – maybe keep any original parts and keep an eye out for any missing bits so can restore if want to – see a lot of nice frames as singlespeeds/hacks with modern “retro” parts most ok but some I nearly cry about

we have an 80’s Dawes Tandem which gets less use than would like and has various bits changed because were’nt that good – never been anything special but by default have the original bars/pedals/saddles so could return to original if wanted – probably got the clothes as well 8)

Just put it back together and ride it. It will cope with gravel riding exactly as it is, nothing to change. Guessing even the tyres would be fine as they are presumably touring tyres so will be tough enough.

Gravel bikes are generally a lot of over thinking and marketing.
I am currently using a 531c 1990 track frame as my road/gravel bike and it is doing fine. Finding it comfortable enough even running 23c tyres (can’t get anything bigger in the chainstays!)

Would look great with black finishing kit, Ultegra and some black Avid cantis

No it wouldn’t, it would look dull.

I like aheadset stems, so an adaptor to replace the quill stem and bars would be fine too

No to that as well. An aheadset stem looks out of place on a traditional horizontal top tubed bike with curved forks; the quill stem just looks right. Moreover, most ahead stems would require new bars with a larger clamp diameter. Whilst the aheadset system and oversized bars on a road bike have some advantages of lighter weight and greater stiffness, for a gravel or touring bike the less stiff combination of a quill stem and 26mm bars is better. If you are Mark Cavendish, you need the stiffness for the sprints, but otherwise for general riding – and especially on gravel – the quill stem and 26mm bars will dampen some of the buzz and be more comfortable.

Redstripe, if you do need to change the stem length and SJS etc. do not have anything at a suitable price, I suggest you post a thread on STW asking if anyone has the length you need. Someone is likely to have a suitable quill stem lying around which they will let you have cheaply. However, you may very well not need to change the stem length, which brings me neatly to my next point…

perhaps a groupset with STIs

And again, No. If it’s 126mm rear hub spacing, then that would cause headaches/hassle getting it to take a 130mm hub. More importantly, the bike as it is already is just perfect for gravel riding. The bike has cost little or nothing, and any damage it picks up riding off road can simply be shrugged off with equanimity. I’m asuming it’s 7 or 8 speed, which is probably the pinnacle of reliable, long lasting, easy and cheap to maintain off-road and touring gearing. 11 speed Ultegra, for example, is very nice to use, but would need a lot more TLC and more frequent replacements of expensive parts, e.g. chains replaced at just 0.5% stretch.

In my experience, another negative for modern Campagnolo Ergolevers and Shimano STI shifters, is that they offer less flexibility for positioning the lever: they are designed so that the top of the hood has a large flat area which pretty much needs to be positioned on the bars so that it is horizontal. It offers a nice big area for the hand to rest on and for support, but it restricts your hand/wrist angle.

I think the ergonomically ideal position of the hoods is such that they are at the same angle as if you were gripping a pistol and pointing it in line with your forearms (so any recoil or road shock is transmitted in a straight line up the forearms and absorbed by slightly bent elbows and at the shoulders). It’s easier to get that pistol grip position just how you like it with the older type brake levers, because they can be rotated back further on the bars (so the stem length choice may be determined by how far back or forward the brake levers are roatated). In my experience, modern Ergolevers and STIs will not rotate back much at all beyond horizontal.

Had a Claud Butler majestic back in early 80s

Me too! (and Trevor Francis and his wife according to the Claud Butler adverts for the Majestic and Majestique)

new bike time

Hi redstripe – see my recent post about my Galaxy. I would keep it as original as possible and just ride it. Mine has been brilliant and I don’t care that I look like a 90’s retro rider. I did try an experiment with some 35c Kenda tyres which just about fit with the guards still in place.

22hrs since original post and it’s not rebuilt yet !!! 😉

It is now….

Done this morning: changed a few bits with used stuff I had spare, guards and rack off, gave it a clean and then went out on it – pretty heavy by today’s standards but rides really smoothly, all the gears and brakes work well, no play anywhere, think it was put together well originally. The 32c Conti touring tyres seem okay too. Bar end shifters are a bit odd to reach not having had these before but do work fine. Might put bigger chunkier tyres on at some stage if they’ll fit and possibly a shorter bar stem, no rush. Pleased with it overall & thanks for the kick to do it.

looks great!

Crimp the chainstays for bigger tyre clearance, and get some dfs nanos or rock n roads on there:

Very nice! Are those Module 4 rims?

Oooh, that’s a nice idea, wzzzz. I’d feel bad, though! I might have to take it to someone who knows stuff to assuage the guilt of bending a lovely 30 year old frame!

nedrapier – yes module 4 rims
wzzzz – what material is that in the vice used to push it in opposite the wood, the thing that looks like a brake block?

Dawes Galaxy you say…gets all misty eyed, who said you they don’t do heavy touring?

Excellent work, and pleased to hear you like it.

Incidentally, what centre to centre width are the handlebars? Maybe it’s the angle of the second photograph, but they look fairly narrow. If they are only 40cm or less, then unless you have very narrow shoulders I would suggest trying a wider pair of bars.

I think the rule of thumb about road bars being the same width as shoulders is fine for racing, but for touring and gravel riding, wider bars seem to me to be better and more comfortable and give better control.

You can get something like the Deda Elementi pretty cheaply.

Thanks for the tips, GB bars are 42cm outside to outside, feel okay

If they feel good, that’s all that matters. I only mentioned it because I think a lot of older bikes came with fairly narrow bars as standard (my Claud Butler Majestic had 38cm c-c bars). When I rebuilt my Raleigh last year, the original 40cm c-c bars felt a bit too narrow, so I swapped them for an old pair of ~42cm c-c bars I had lying around, and they made all the difference to how the bike felt.

redstripe – Member
Thanks for the tips, GB bars are 42cm outside to outside, feel okay

That’s wide enough. I used to ride with 38cm bars. It’s more about the bike’s front end geometry, if that’s right, then you don’t need huge leverage. There’s only so much resistance to turning available from a relatively skinny tyre. If you’re talking 4″ tyres, it’s different.

wzzzz – what material is that in the vice used to push it in opposite the wood, the thing that looks like a brake block?

Probably a shaped metal slug of the right profile.

Its how frame builders do it.

Some pics here, I wouldn’t do it to alloy or ti frame but steel OK
http://www.velocipedesalon.com/forum/f2/improving-chainstay-tire-clearance-post-production-28489.html

google chain stay crimp or chain stay dimple