tugrul

A Dawes Galaxy I picked up from the original owner. Says he bought it in 1970 while attending Northwestern.

habes78023 

Beautiful bike, will be good to see when it is cleaned up.

tugrul

It's a beautiful machine, but much too small for me.

I'm going to see what, if anything, is in better shape than on my Supercourse, like the hubs and the leather saddle that my Supercourse was missing. And then somebody is going to get an awesome frame set for their new single speed.

tugrul

And, yes, the rear Huret Allvit derailleur is a twisted wreck.

ColonelJLloyd 

Further proof that Benotto tape will last for-ev-er.

wahoonc

Nice

I have a slightly newer version of that bike.

Aaron

JohnDThompson 

Despite that, it probably didn't affect the performance much.

pastorbobnlnh 

Did they originally come with stem shifters? If so, this throws my "conventional wisdom" about Reynolds 531 tubed framesets, out the window!

Tugrul, I can possibly help you out for parts if you want to try to flip it. Let me know what you might need and I'll dig around and send you a box.

pastorbobnlnh 

These pictures just make me sad. Short of re-chroming, what can be done? Why the neglect?





I am currently have in the basement for winter restoration, a 1968 Raleigh Record. I'm doing this for the original owner. While the Wrights saddle is shot along with the consumables, the rust and oxidation is at a minimum. Every other bit has potential. Even the steel crankset.

tugrul

I don't think I've seen a photo of another with stem shifters. They are the same enormous levers my Supercourse has as down tube shifters.

I've thought about what to do with it, and I'm not sure if there is a market for it if I make it functional, but don't take steps to deal with the frame's condition.

And whatever "restoration" I do to the frame limits the market in one way or the other.

I figure it is best to send the frame out into the world as is and let the next owner have a blank canvas.


If it were my size, I've been drooling over this:

Zaphod Beeblebrox 

Gonna go out on a limb and ask... Is the OP's bike really early 70's?

Seems more like mid 60's with the components and stuff.....anyone?


I thought they were using that style 531 sticker earlier than the 70's.

tugrul

I think it has more in common with the mid-70's Galaxy than the 1964 one.

SteveSGP

Great looking bike, shame about the rust though.

Time to make friends with the local chrome shop.

ftwelder

I have a nice 23" Galaxy frame set just hanging here..

jacksbike

My guess is that it is from the late 60's. I remember selling brown and green Galaxy's in about 1971 and they came with down tube Simplex shifters and black plastic derailleurs. Otherwise, Reynolds 531 frame, 3 piece steel cottered crankset, leather saddle, Weinmann center pull's, Weinmann aluminum rims with 2 quick release hubs. Too bad about the really bad condition of the OP bike. If restorable, it is a major project.

cycleheimer

This chrome was in much worse shape than the chrome on the Galaxy. It is from a late 1950s Dawes. There is hope.

Rabid Koala

I didn't realize that you could twist a Huret Allvit like that without also destroying the dropout.

dvaid

I have a similar Galaxy from same decade early 70s. The decal is the same on the down tube. I don't know which year they started fitting centre pull brakes, mine are side pull. Those giant gear levers look really useful but clearly not a standard fit. Everything on this bike apart from the frame needs to be replaced except perhaps the brakes and bar. The Brook saddle looks pretty weathered and uncomfortable - I'd flog that on Ebay where you'll get a good price to invest in a decent gel saddle. The Chainset, derailleurs and chain and block all need replacing. The bearings all need servicing and possibly new wheels and tyres etc. Personally I think overall the cost doesn't justify the value of the bike. Even with all that work it still wouldn't ride as good as a modern equivalent. My one had some work done before I purchased it on Ebay which (I guess) as an abandoned project and it is somewhat cleaner and more promising than yours. Even so it's cost me an arm and a leg already and it's no where near ready to ride on the road. For example, I fitted Cinelli wider drop handlebars and with a view to testing the position of the brake levers (I have kept the originals plus suicide levers) before applying new Cinelli tape, I took it over to a quiet car park only to have the rear mech whip up into the wheel spokes and nearly throw me on the ground! So that's a new Shimano to add to the list!!! Most if not all of the moving parts on a 1970s bike are past their sell by date - including me the rider! I had one of these brand new in 1972 for my 18th Birthday starting college, it was my pride and joy, so it's a purely sentimental trip for me with no expectation that any restoration will ever turn it into a practical machine or even medium touring bike.

Insidious C. 

Mind the Zombies.

dvaid

I repeat really my last bit, "I had one of these brand new in 1972 for my 18th Birthday starting college, it was my pride and joy, so it's a purely sentimental trip for me with no expectation that any restoration will ever turn it into a practical machine or even medium touring bike."

Also, I cycled on a similar secondhand Raleigh (which I abandoned in Rome) all through Greece, Corfu and in Italy in the 1970s. A good work out. Since then I've stuck to Treks in the mid price range. There is no comparison!

Vintage bicycles are just vanity projects for hobbyists or perhaps the odd person who had one "in the day" and has time and personal interest enough to idle their time away fixing it up. For real cycling enjoyment on crowded roads as they are today (that's an important consideration) a modern bicycle wins in every way.

100bikes

My 1974 Galaxy sported a very similar frame, although the DT decal was individualletters instead of a wrap one.
Mine also had Simplex derailleur and downtube shifters with a Stronglight cottered crank.
The chrome rear triangle went from chrome to paint in 1975.
rusty

dvaid

Thankfully all the chrome on the one I picked up on Ebay was in superb nick. The brown enamel paint had been touched up in various places with a non matching bronze metallic car paint and all the decals are in pretty poor rubbed out state due to wear and tear. I aim to rub as much as the frame down as possible without dismantling it and removing spray with Ford Brazilian Brown (I think that's right) then source some Dawes decals from Ebay.

Does anybody have any suggestions for a replacement rear derailleur? I have my eye on a short cage Suntour Blue Line - would that fit a non indexed vintage Dawes with it's original cassette? The usual 14 speed set up. Many thanks.

Mr. 66

The blue line should be just fine for your setup, if it can cover the width of seven. A slight modification would do if does not.

BikingViking793 

Nice, never seen one of those before.