Dawes to stop making the Galaxy due to lack of demand...

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Boring_Username
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Joined: 2 Mar 2017, 2:38pm

Dawes to stop making the Galaxy due to lack of demand...

Post by Boring_Username »

Confirmed here for those on Twitter

https://twitter.com/tom_r_allen/status/1316308542245212161

Sad news, perhaps we will have to buy stocks of touring bikes before they stop making them all
Brucey
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Re: Dawes to stop making the Galaxy due to lack of demand...

Post by Brucey »

'scrimper' mentioned this a couple of months ago here

https://forum.cyclinguk.org/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=139808&hilit=galaxy&start=30

end of an era? Or just an inevitable endgame which stems from a basic failure to understand their market? For years Dawes were 'Handbuilt in Britain' and maybe that counted for something, which they lost when they started outsourcing? When you buy a bike with a frame that comes from Vietnam (or somewhere...) it isn't quite the same thing, is it? I know this doesn't stop other brands from selling but when you have traded on this point in the past, it isn't a smart move to go in a different direction...?

cheers
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Bonefishblues
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Re: Dawes to stop making the Galaxy due to lack of demand...

Post by Bonefishblues »

Take Morgan, kept faith with their roots whilst incorporating tech as necessary, so it's very much possible, as Brucey suggests.
Carlton green
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Re: Dawes to stop making the Galaxy due to lack of demand...

Post by Carlton green »

Is it lack of demand or lack of market dominance? I don’t own a Dawes Galaxy but if decades ago I had had the funds for such a new bike then I’d have bought one, it was the ‘gold standard’ and there wasn’t (to my eyes) that much competition. Come to think of it I did have a second hand Galaxy for a while and it did ride nicely, that was a good three decades plus back in time and I eventually sold the frame (kept the parts) because the frame was far too big for me - really wanted a Galaxy and for it to fit but wishing changed nothing.

Whatever, times have moved on and the ways people purchase have changed too - certainly a move away from the local bike shop. If you have the money then there are now many good alternatives to the Galaxy available to you and some that have no (cost adding) middle man.
Don’t fret, it’s OK to: ride a simple old bike; ride slowly, walk, rest and admire the view; ride off-road; ride in your raincoat; ride by yourself; ride in the dark; and ride one hundred yards or one hundred miles. Your bike and your choices to suit you.
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Sweep
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Re: Dawes to stop making the Galaxy due to lack of demand...

Post by Sweep »

Sad indeed but a sign of the times/march of history I suppose.
Alternatives are available.
Maybe/hopefully the chinese will discover a taste for cycle touring once they have worked through the novelty of finding themselves king of the global materialism game.
Sweep
rogerzilla
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Re: Dawes to stop making the Galaxy due to lack of demand...

Post by rogerzilla »

The Surly LHT is the standard touring bike now, judging from the number around.
whoof
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Re: Dawes to stop making the Galaxy due to lack of demand...

Post by whoof »

Most people who wanted a Dawes Galaxy had one and kept them for years. The few people who wanted one and didn't have one bought a second hand one from someone (or sometimes a family member of someone) who had stopped cycling/touring due to age/health. This made it a very small market for new Dawes Galaxies.
Jamesh
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Re: Dawes to stop making the Galaxy due to lack of demand...

Post by Jamesh »

The Dawes galaxy isn't the bike it once was - spa tourers and surly lht have replaced it.

Not is it a gravel bike that can tour on...

Missed opportunity in either direction.

Cheers James
reohn2
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Re: Dawes to stop making the Galaxy due to lack of demand...

Post by reohn2 »

TBH IMO Dawes as a company went down in quality some years ago and were living on a name.
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Cowsham
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Re: Dawes to stop making the Galaxy due to lack of demand...

Post by Cowsham »

Why does this seem to happen more rapidly these days -- as soon as the name is established it's milked dry then sold off.
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pwa
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Re: Dawes to stop making the Galaxy due to lack of demand...

Post by pwa »

For people in the market for something like a traditional touring bike there have been better alternatives from the likes of Thorn, Spa, etc for a couple of decades or more, so the customers have largely done a bit of research and gone elsewhere. It is as simple as that, really. The last time I was tempted by a Galaxy was in the late 1980s, when they still counted for something. That was a long time ago.
mumbojumbo
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Re: Dawes to stop making the Galaxy due to lack of demand...

Post by mumbojumbo »

Dawes were a decent firm but were caught between giants like Trek,Giant and other corporations,and the more boutique providers such as Thorn and Spa.I do not think many people tour innthe accepted sense,with panniers racks and plus-fours.Toiuring bikes are pretty bland and unfashionable,and lookmout of place innthe lycra world.The older tourers are migrating to battery bikes leavuing a few hardy souls sticking it out.
PH
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Re: Dawes to stop making the Galaxy due to lack of demand...

Post by PH »

pwa wrote:For people in the market for something like a traditional touring bike there have been better alternatives from the likes of Thorn, Spa, etc for a couple of decades or more, so the customers have largely done a bit of research and gone elsewhere.

I largely agree, though I think it likely there were always better options and rather than being the best, the Galaxy was the best most people were likely to be able to afford. The major differences now are peoples increased disposable income, earned or borrowed, and availability. Plus of course the more disposable society we live in - If the customer isn't interested in a bike for life, they're not going to pay a premium for it, doesn't matter how much anyone dislikes that, it is the reality.
I disagree that Dawes somehow got it wrong, I think they've understood the market, they've let the Galaxy fade away and concentrated on fairly low end but profitable products. While some may be sad on a cycling forum, I doubt that's reflected in a shareholders meeting.
Is there a bike manufacturer who makes both bikes at the just above BSO level and also the much higher end? Is anyone going to spend £2,000 on a brand associated with selling £200 bikes? If a manufacturer is hoping to build brand loyalty for when people trade up, there's a limit to how low the entry level can be.
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tykeboy2003
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Re: Dawes to stop making the Galaxy due to lack of demand...

Post by tykeboy2003 »

pwa wrote:For people in the market for something like a traditional touring bike there have been better alternatives from the likes of Thorn, Spa, etc for a couple of decades or more, so the customers have largely done a bit of research and gone elsewhere. It is as simple as that, really. The last time I was tempted by a Galaxy was in the late 1980s, when they still counted for something. That was a long time ago.


You're probably right there, I bought a new tourer in 2012 and opted for the Edinburgh cycles Revolution Country Explorer after much research on the interweb. In the end it came down to a choice between the Revolution, Galaxy and Ridgeback. The Revolution looked like better value for money. They too are no longer made.
simonhill
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Re: Dawes to stop making the Galaxy due to lack of demand...

Post by simonhill »

Sweep wrote:Sad indeed but a sign of the times/march of history I suppose.
Alternatives are available.
Maybe/hopefully the chinese will discover a taste for cycle touring once they have worked through the novelty of finding themselves king of the global materialism game.


A couple of years ago, I met a French (well New Caledonia residents) couple somewhere in SE Asia. They were riding very nice Chinese touring bikes - I called them Surly-alikes at the time. Bought in Kunming from someone who specialised in this rather niche market. I could see them trickling down to the richer Asian countries, but then again if they have the cash, then bikes like Surly have more caché.
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