0.2HP

OK I picked this up today, hoping it is one of the better Dawes models:















Seller said it was repainted, and most of the components are not original, except maybe the derailleurs:

Rear Suntour V GT Luxe, date code 1976

Front Suntour Compe V, 1975

No pump pegs, no light braze-on on the fork. Has center pull brake loop on the seat stays (although it has non-original side pull brakes on it now.) Has top tube braze-ons for the rear brake cable (although it is running a full case rear brake cable now, with non-original clips. Chrome fork and crown, with some bad re-paint on the one fork blade. Chrome rear drop-outs, but if the chrome extends up the stays, it has been re-painted over.

So...I'm asking:

1. Can any one know the years Dawes used the head badge pictured?

2. Can any one ID the lugs? (i.e. are these the "Continental" lugs listed in the old Dawes catalogs?)

3. Any guesses on year/model?

Thanks in advance for any assistance.

T-Mar

It can be a hard hard to tell with a repainted frame with non-original parts. Generally, stamped dropouts are not a good sign but it does use top tube clamps versus cable stops, which is an encouraging sign. The most reliable measure of level in such cases is the diameter of the seat post.

3speedslow

Galaxy model possibly 70 76 range. Nice enough with straight gauge 531 tubing. Would of helped the price if it was sporting original paint.

Creindesign

Seeing the head badge, my first thought was late 60s. The Galaxy was introduced in 1971, so I expected it to have this headbadge:

But after I googled some early Galaxy's, I stand corrected. 3speedslow was spot on, an early Galaxy.
Originally they came with Simplex gearing, steel cottered stronglight cranks, and centrepull brakes.
It looks like non of the components on your bicycle are original, but tbh they are upgrades. For example those Suntour Powershifters are probably the best "vintage" downtube shifters you can get.

If I were you, I would give it a good clean and ride it as is. It would look already a lot better with a nice(r) saddle and some rattrap pedals (with toe clips).

I have had a 1962 Dawes (probably Red Feather) and am building a 30's Dawes Club at the moment. There is not a lot of info out there, which is a shame as Dawes used to be one of the bigger/better manufacturers back in the days. Not lightweights, but they always have been very popular as touring and club bikes.

Good find, have fun with it and kr, Rogier

juvela

if you have not dealt with one of these headsets previously you may find it interesting. it employs floating u-races.

hoping the huge gap in the lower stack due to looseness, but it appears it may have been assembled by someone who did not know what they were doing...

some of the head parts are amongst the bicycle's few original fittings.

should three main tubes be discovered to be seamed that means she is a Realmrider rather than a Galaxy.

oddjob2

If you need a reference Galaxy, I won this a week ago on ebay, local pickup only auction. Other than the FD and rear wheel, pretty much box stock. Currently all the parts are ready for cleaning. Probably will replace the heavy chrome rims, seat post, RD, twin stick shifts with barcons.

Creindesign

Nice, like the green and gold! Stylish

Are you keeping the foamy grips
If I look at the shape of the handlebars, it could be the Concorde ones - with the engraving...

oddjob2

Sharp eye, the bars have nice engraving.

3speedslow

Double nice are the original end caps with the Dawes flame and spare bulb message.

0.2HP

Thanks for all the informative responses.


Since making the original post, I've done extensive research of the archives on this site and elsewhere on the internet. I discovered:


1. My questions are fairly common.


2. Provable answers, not so common.


There seems to be an internet consensus that the head badge on my bike started in the early 1970's as a modification of the red-flame head badge Dawes used in the mid and late 1960s. It is clear there was a fire at the Dawes factory (1976? 1978?) and many people posting on the net believe the head badge on my bike was changed to the wreath badge (shown in Creindesign's post above) right after the the fire. This was the fire that burned up all the records that could answer my questions and most of the other questions about Dawes bike on the internet.


So....confident that there is not enough evidence to prove me wrong, I'm going to say my bike is a Galaxy GT from the mid 70s, just before the fire, and derailleurs/sifters I have are the original "Suntour V.G.T ensemble" listed in this catalog scan:


https://bulgier.net/pics/bike/Catalogs/Dawes-77/a3.JPG


My bike has a fork bend similar to this photo, and is missing the pump pegs, as per the listing.


juvela , good call on the headset. The bike does not want to ride in a straight line, and I was driving my self crazy with a string line looking for where the fame/fork was bent. After reading your post. I noticed the top lock ring was loose. When I hand tighten it to where I think it should be, the head set locks up. If I leave it loose enough to steer, the bike will not hold a straight line and the ring continues to loosen as I ride, like all the other miss-fit head sets I've had. Going to try to figure it out this weekend.

juvela

wrt headset -

from what can be seen in the photo it appears someone may have assembled it with TWO fork crown races.

combining head parts from differing brands/models can be an invite to difficulty.