Dawes Galaxy (2005 onwards)

Epoch
Epoch Posts: 23
edited August 2007 in Tour & expedition
Been browsing the net looking for reviews and opinions on dawes bikes of new.

If anyone has one of these bikes tell me bout what you should pay and the pros and cons!

Cheers

Comments

  • Carpe Diem
    Carpe Diem Posts: 238
    edited August 2007
    I have the ultra galaxy (2004 spec) bought from Spa cycles for £850

    The 2004 bikes had a better specification, Mavic rims, 105 chainset etc.

    (Spa are still selling the 2004 bike)

    I have only changed the brakes, to Veloce mini Vee's as the canti's were crap.

    It's a fantastic allrounder type bike.

    I have bought a set of lighter wheels from Hewitts for audax and general riding which transform the bike.

    Then when I want to tour I just put the Mavic/xt/marathons back on.

    With lighter wheels and stripped of rack it weighs about 25 lbs, I am a big lad so I dont worry to much about the bike weight, but I do like the solidness of it when I am giving it some power.

    Its 853 steel and a compact design, which I prefer the look of.

    Good luck :)
  • camDaveT
    camDaveT Posts: 7
    I went for the vanilla Galaxy from Spa Cycles.
    As regards the bike, absolutely no complaints. Reliable (3700 miles till the first puncture, 3 broken spokes in 4200 fully-loaded miles) and easy to maintain (once you get your head round what the three different Allen key adjustments on the brakes do).
    Having said that, I might have had complaints if I hadn't immediately changed the supplied saddle for a Brooks B17, and the brake blocks for some reasonably hard-wearing ones.
    As regards the suppliers, Spa Cycles are among the cheapest - if not the cheapest, but it took me a couple of evenings to get the thing put together and the brakes adjusted so they sat properly (though that might be because it was the first proper bike I'd had for 25 years).
    For a given model, Picton Cycles are usually within a few tenners of the same price as Spa, and they do boast that they supply the bike fully built, rather than just passing it on boxed from the factory. Depending on the level of your mechanical enthusiasm, that might appeal.
    Unless you really need the bike now, it might be worth waiting till the start of next year before buying one, as Spa, Picton and many other suppliers have generous discounts on previous years' models even before the new ones have arrived.
    Good luck with your choice, and I guarantee that after a couple of thousand miles you'll be a fierce partisan of whatever bike you end up with.

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