Dawes Galaxy downtube shifter lugs and cable routing

tom_dot_com

Hi,
I've recently got hold of a lovely 2007 Dawes Ultra Galaxy 2007 853 frame. It looks like someone has had a go at removing the downtube shifter bosses in the past. I have also had a go at them now (as I have no intention to run downtube shifters) and come to the conclusion these aren't threaded or riveted, and must be welded on. Either way they have lost their shape, are useless now, and I plan to hack them off (leaving the rectangular plate in place).


This will leave me with nowhere to mount gear cables though. There are no cable stops on the downtube so I will need to add two stops, I think I have 3 options, but have problems implementing each of them:
1. Try and buy a pair of braze on cable stops from a frame builder and get them brazed on (costly, time consuming, will need to repaint the frame)
2. Once the protruding parts of the bosses are removed, tap into the frame at the same locations (I don't know whether there is a piece of bar inside the frame here, thus preventing me from tapping threads, also I haven't seen an adjuster designed to bolt up like this with no boss)
3. Bolt something like the below onto one of the underside bottle cage mounting holes (I can't find one which is designed for gears, just brakes).


Anybody care to shed any suggestions on the issues I have in brackets please?

arlowood

Some thing like this might solve the problem



Available from SJS Cycles

https://www.sjscycles.co.uk/gear-spares/jtek-clamp-on-twin-slotted-double-down-tube-cable-stop-286mm-118-silver/

A bit fugly but cheap enough

tom_dot_com

I looked at these but unfortunately the downtube is quite an unusual shape (not a cylindrical or even oval shape).

balthazar

The thread in those bosses probably extends deep enough that you can cut off the outer damaged part and still fit an ordinary down tube stop, ie:

tom_dot_com

This was possibly the case when I got it (as pictured), but after foolishly continuing the previous owners attempts I've made sure that this is no longer possible

Ben6899

How about the Campagnolo cable stops which bolt onto downtube bosses?

tom_dot_com

That is my option 2 in the OP (although I would use Shimano downtube cable stops). I think these are designed to sit in and thread into the bosses (which are now defunct). But I think if I can tap the frame then the combination of the bolt and the square shape of the boss backing will be enough to resist the lever force of the gear cable.

But this requires me to drill and tap the frame and I don't know if this is wise.

balthazar

tom_dot_com said:

This was possibly the case when I got it (as pictured), but after foolishly continuing the previous owners attempts I've made sure that this is no longer possible

Ah! Ok, sorry, I missed that the photo isn’t the current state. Based on what you describe, I could envision using a long narrow bolt to bridge the two cable stops, going straight through the down tube, and maintaining the square boss to locate them? You’d need to use a nut on one end which wouldn’t look as neat, but it should be structurally fine. The down tube is slender enough to resist the compression as long as you don’t go nuts.

tom_dot_com

balthazar said:

tom_dot_com said:

This was possibly the case when I got it (as pictured), but after foolishly continuing the previous owners attempts I've made sure that this is no longer possible

Ah! Ok, sorry, I missed that the photo isn’t the current state. Based on what you describe, I could envision using a long narrow bolt to bridge the two cable stops, going straight through the down tube, and maintaining the square boss to locate them? You’d need to use a nut on one end which wouldn’t look as neat, but it should be structurally fine. The down tube is slender enough to resist the compression as long as you don’t go nuts.

I think this might be the front running solution at the moment

whyamihere

You could talk to a frame builder, or a repair place such as Argos Cycles and see how much it would cost to get new bosses brazed on.

tom_dot_com

Spent far too much time thinking about this today.

I had a little look around but unfortunately there don't seem to be any frame builders local to me (Bedford).

I may look to only attach guides (as opposed to stops) at the existing downtube bosses, as I have just ordered the stop below. If I use this I will bolt to one of the downtube cage mounts holes and then flat rivet the other hole to a short thin piece of sheet metal which I will bolt into the other bottle mount.
This bike will hopefully take me on tours to some pretty remote places eventually, so a bit of over engineering might not be such a bad idea. I think alignment between this bit of kit and the cable guide under the BB will be pretty much perfect from the highest underframe bolt hole.

topsey_turvey

There is nothing to stop you running full length outer cables. All you will need is a simple means of holding them in place. No great tension will be generated. You could almost epoxy some guides onto the frame and that would be strong enough.