Dawes Galaxy '97 - Renovation Project

MattHybrid

Hi,

I picked up a Dawes Galaxy '97 last night (Pics to follow!). It's a 12 speed which seems unusual, with a 6 speed cassette and Sora mech. The chainring is a Shimano Biopace.

It cost me £100 which I figured I could easily recoup if I find I can't do anything with it, but I purchased it with a view to doing some touring. I'm no expert, would it be too big a task to get it all in good condition or could this cost me a fortune?

I just need the brakes and gears to function basically and have it so the wheels don't fall off! In other words I want a cheap tourer, not something to put in a glass case. Currently the gears jump everwhere and the brakes have seen better days. Going to wipe it all down tonight and have a tinker, but I can see it needing new parts.

Cheers,

Matt

Weejie54

Obviously, the Sora mech is later than the bike. Does it have cantilever brakes?
You'll know more once you've 'tinkered' and possibly cleaned things up. I'd be thinking about replacing the chainset for a triple (and losing the Biopace) - is it a proper cassette or a screw on freewheel?

MattHybrid

Hi Weejie,

It has crappy looking 'Cantisafe' brakes at the back which are buggered (a funny shaped screw threaded itself when I was trying to adjust them), and the front has a cherry centre pull which I've now cleaned up and readjusted.

I've stripped down the hub on the front wheel, cleaned it up and put fresh lube in. So the front of the bike is all good.

The gears at the back look shoddy, what looks like a more modern snimano 6 speed cassette mixed with that Sora mech. There are also a bunch or washers shoved to the left of the wheel, presumably due to the smaller 6 speed cassette which I'd guess was also retrofitted. Definitely going to need looking at.

The chainring has a fair bit of wobble, so adjusting the front mech seems pointless. There is just a tiny sweet spot on each of the 2 rings where the chain doesn't touch either side of the mech. Could this be a knackered crank?

It's already looking a lot better than when I first got it home, pretty clean now and I've taken off the battered aluminium mud guards and the dodgy leather saddle.

I'd add pics of all these points but I can't find a damn USB cable anywhere! I'll try again tomorrow.

Thanks,

Matt

Weejie54

Hi Matt,

It appears that the bike has had a lot of replacement bits. As far as I recall, they came with Deore LX cantilevers fore and aft and a triple mech - mostly Shimano parts.

I was interested in one but couldn't afford it at the time. Ended up with a Claud Butler Dalesman - that must have been around 1992, but was still looking at the Dawes tourers through the 90s.
Incidentally, I had a Biopace chainset on my Claud Butler winter hack ( a real Claud Butler) and it wore out the rear mech pivot pretty quickly!
You've got a good frame there. Much better build than new Dawes tourers.

MattHybrid

I took the bike to a local bikeshop this afternoon and they were quite negative. It was like they'd turned there nose up at me as soon as I walked in!

Anyway, there was one helpful guy there who had a look over the bike with me.

Bad Points:
-It basically needs a new crank shaft, chainrings and crank arms. Biopace are a bit pants, crank arm is bent
-It could do with new wheels. I believe the current ones are 27", so convert to 700c if that's possible.
-The shifters are Campag so could do with changing to Shimano as it really needs a new 8-9 speed cassette and rear mech to suit.

Good points:
-Frame and forks are in good shape, a few paint marks but otherwise ok.
-It cost £100 so I've not wasted too much

The way I see it I can try and get my £100 back by selling it as a good frame and forms plus the bits that are on it if anyone wants them, or I try and buy a donor bike or second hand replacement parts and patch it up to workable condition. The problem with the latter is time and lack of knowledge. I'd have no real idea of what to buy.

crafty

Hi.

I've owned a '97 Galaxy for several years and I've upgraded bits and pieces as time has gone by. I replaced the original bars with wider 3Ts. I removed the original 7 speed cassette and replaced with an 8. I removed the DT shifters and replaced with barends. I replaced the original RSX rear derailleur with a Deore. As I cycle a lot in Pembrokeshire, I really needed the extra range in gearing to get around. Otherwise, I would've left it as it was. The wheels were fine too but as I had a brand new set, I chucked them on any way. The bar stem was too short so replaced with a longer one. My trusty Fizik seat was transfered to Galaxy too.

It's a great bike and would recommend it if you fancy spending some cash on it. Obviously there are limits but if it's in good shape, it may be worth the bother. It does sound like a lot of parts have been replaced.

Here's mine, before and after the refit ..

http://www.flickr.com/photos/angliatv/s ... 3292/show/

Ed