Renovation and thanks

[printedland]

I've asked an awful lot of questions on this forum over the past few weeks, and always received really detailed and accurate answers. I thought it might be nice to show the finished product:

It's a 1987 (?) Dawes Galaxy, bought from a kind forum member, who was incredibly helpful over transport and collection.

The components were all in good shape - they made good bikes in those days. Only the wheel rims were not original, as far as I can tell.

The only new components have been the mudguards and the brake levers (Tektro RL340) which, matched with some Clarks 522 brake blocks and a Tektro uphanger, have turned the Shimano cantis into a very effective set of brakes:

Apart from that, it's has new bearings, cables, chain and bar tape. And of course that lovely Spa Cycles saddle. I reckon that it's cost around £90 on bits and consumables (not including the saddle), which is frankly a bargain for the pleasure it gives.

A huge thanks to all the forum members who contributed so generously with their time and knowledge. I salute you whenever I ride off on it.

[iandusud]

That looks lovely. I sold a lot of those in the 80s and I'm trying to date yours. I would put as a late 80s model. It was only later on that the Galaxy got proper touring ratios. Previously only the Super Galaxy got the 48/36 chainset and a 32t at the back that you have. The galaxy got a 50/40 I believe with 14-28 block! Now we get a 50/34 with 32t as standard on our super lightweight carbon fibre road bikes that will never see a set of panniers! How times have changed.

Well done on reviving a classic. Enjoy it.

[rjb]

Shimano put date codes on some of their components. Check the rear of the brake arms.
https://www.pedalpedlar.co.uk/blogs/blo ... date-codes
Are the rear dropouts drilled to accept screw in adjusters.
https://www.sjscycles.co.uk/frames/m3-x ... -per-pair/

[printedland]

That looks lovely. I sold a lot of those in the 80s and I'm trying to date yours. I would put as a late 80s model. It was only later on that the Galaxy got proper touring ratios. Previously only the Super Galaxy got the 48/36 chainset and a 32t at the back that you have. The galaxy got a 50/40 I believe with 14-28 block! Now we get a 50/34 with 32t as standard on our super lightweight carbon fibre road bikes that will never see a set of panniers! How times have changed.

Well done on reviving a classic. Enjoy it.

I was reasonably sure it's a 1987 as it has the older blue frame colour and decals, is still a double chainset, but has cantilever bosses - that brackets it quite well.

However, following @rjb's comment above, I do recall seeing an '87' stamped on one of the components. I'm damned if I can remember which one. It wasn't the brake arms.... It doesn't have the drop-out adjuster holes.

[Brucey]

1987 used those colours, brakes etc. Not sure about 1988.

If the hubs are (sachs-) maillard then they will have a date mark on them with the year and week number.

Bike looks nice!

minor quibble; front mudguard should be fastened to the rear of the fork crown, not the front, and you might want to fit a mudflap too.

cheers

[printedland]

1987 used those colours, brakes etc. Not sure about 1988.

If the hubs are (sachs-) maillard then they will have a date mark on them with the year and week number.

Bike looks nice!

minor quibble; front mudguard should be fastened to the rear of the fork crown, not the front, and you might want to fit a mudflap too.

cheers

The hubs are Suntour Sprint - I assumed they were original, partly because the rear OLN is 120mm, which must have been on its way out by 1987.

Thanks for the tip on the front mudguard brace! I need to replace that ugly bolt with an Allen key one, so can do it then.

[geomannie]

The hubs are Suntour Sprint - I assumed they were original, partly because the rear OLN is 120mm, which must have been on its way out by 1987.

Yes, 120mm well on the way out by 1987. I bought a Raleigh Royale in 1988 at 130mm and in the same year my wife bought a Raleigh Classic at 126mm. Those late 1980's seem to have been the transition years.

[Brucey]

...The hubs are Suntour Sprint - I assumed they were original.....

I remember your photo and earlier description now. I don't remember seeing SunTour sprint hubs on a Dawes galaxy before, so I'd suppose they arrived with the rest of the wheels.

But then again they might have sneaked into the standard Galaxy specification without me noticing; they chopped and changed components quite a lot; some years nearly all Japanese, some years nearly all European. If the sachs-huret RD, chainset etc are original, it might have been the latter originally. OTOH the gear levers look like SunTour ones?

cheers

[slowster]

Very nice, and I envy you a frame of that era in such good condition.

Is that the original quill stem? Does it have an extra long shaft, given how high it is?

[printedland]

Very nice, and I envy you a frame of that era in such good condition.

Is that the original quill stem? Does it have an extra long shaft, given how high it is?

Interestingly, the frame was in pretty poor shape - quite a few scrapes and knocks. I sanded them off, painted any patches with red oxide primer, then touched up with a rattle can from Halfords (Ford Ocean Blue, in case anyone's interested.....). I dispatched my wife to buy it, as I'm colour-blind....

The quill stem is a normal one, I think - I've set it at the maximum for comfort. There's 95mm showing to the top of the clamp.

Brucey's observations are interesting:

I don't remember seeing SunTour sprint hubs on a Dawes galaxy before, so I'd suppose they arrived with the rest of the wheels.

But then again they might have sneaked into the standard Galaxy specification without me noticing; they chopped and changed components quite a lot; some years nearly all Japanese, some years nearly all European. If the sachs-huret RD, chainset etc are original, it might have been the latter originally. OTOH the gear levers look like SunTour ones?

The Suntour hubs are probably original - the lettering and branding are consistent with the 1987 Suntour catalogue on Disraeli Gears
The gear levers, however, are Sachs. They are a thing of beauty, IMHO, perfectly shaped:

[Brucey]

Ford Ocean blue; I shall try that. I have long sought a good recommendation for a colour match for this colour.

Re the age of your bike. 1986 model Galaxy had centre pull calipers. By 1989 they had introduced less, er, 'restrained' graphics and made lots of other changes



1988 has the same graphics and fork but uses a stronglight chainset [edit and the 1988 colour is a new 'deep blue' too]



this is allegedly a 1987 galaxy (which is reasonable since it clearly isn't an '88 or an '86 model....)



and it wears the same brakes, gears, chainset etc as yours. It also has Maillard hubs, which would 'match' the rest of the parts fitted. Whereas 'Sprint' hubs wouldn't; they are (were) about Ultegra quality, appreciably more expensive than the ones you might normally find on a Galaxy of this vintage.

That SunTour Sprint hubs were available in 1987 is on the face of it 'necessary but not sufficient' to make them original to the bike; to have made it onto the bike as OEM equipment they would have had to be available in late 1986. IIRC this model of hub was available in unchanged form until the demise of SunTour in the early 1990s. Maybe the original owner would know but the most usual thing was that Pianni rims were bought as part of a complete wheelset from Pete Matthews (whose brand it was I think).

cheers

[Valbrona]

It is far too large for you.

I would be far too kind to sell anyone a bike that is too big for them.

Hearing the truth is sometimes not very nice.

[printedland]

That's a fine piece of detective work - thanks Brucey. I'll go with you on the Suntour hubs and agree that Pete Matthews must have supplied whole new wheels. Of course, they are one of the reasons that the bike is so lovely to ride - a lucky addition.

[printedland]

It is far too large for you.

I would be far too kind to sell anyone a bike that is too big for them.

Hearing the truth is sometimes not very nice.

Sorry - I didn't quite understand. How is it too large for me? And how do you know how large I am?

[Brucey]

It is far too large for you.

obviously not the case, not for this type of bike. Fashions change like hemlines on ladies skirts and sometimes this blinds folk to common sense; is the top tube too long? No; so it 'fits' in that respect. Pointing out the bleedin' obvious here but with this type of bike how on earth would you get the handlebars to the chosen height if the frame was smaller? Duh.

Hearing the truth is sometimes not very nice.

'Truth' is a relative thing; for example most people are relatively clever or relatively stupid.

There are exceptions, of course...