markjohnobrien wrote:The frame is massively overpriced -£650 -700 for the new disc trucker frame. [snip].
Retail is $575 in the States, £200 of taxes & distro fees ?
markjohnobrien wrote:The frame is massively overpriced -£650 -700 for the new disc trucker frame. [snip].
Bonzo Banana wrote:It's a shame but I think we saw this coming. Dawes just seemed to buy in the lowest price parts and loosely configure a touring bike. When I saw they were doing them with aluminium frames I thought they'd lost the plot when it comes to their core appeal. No doubt to the accountants they saw that aluminium frames were cheaper nowadays so that dictated the spec.
The only Dawes bike I've ever owned is a Dawes Kingpin folding bike. Very innovative for its time and beat the Raleigh Twenty to market. I did often put a Dawes Galaxies into my ebay watchlist but always went for more than I was prepared to pay.
The Dawes Galaxy could have easily continued as a touring bike top seller, it's all about the right spec at the right price. I just feel their spec was wrong on many occasions. You can allow for one or two bad component choices but it seemed like a lot of wrong choices and missing features. I look at what Thorn is offering and while prices are high I feel you have a product fit for purpose right out of the door.
Someone like Thorn should license the brand and model and do a true Dawes Galaxy of 2021. There is no reason for the iconic touring brand and model to disappear. You wonder what is left of the Dawes brand anyway. Their recent Kingpin folding bikes have been very generic chinese models sold at extremely high prices compared to other brands importing the same models.
scottg wrote:markjohnobrien wrote:The frame is massively overpriced -£650 -700 for the new disc trucker frame. [snip].
Retail is $575 in the States, £200 of taxes & distro fees ?
alexnharvey wrote:markjohnobrien wrote:rogerzilla wrote:The Surly LHT is the standard touring bike now, judging from the number around.
The frame is massively overpriced -£650 -700 for the new disc trucker frame. Good frame; ridiculous price increases across the whole of the Surly and Salsa ranges over the last few years (same company owns both).
Couldn't agree more. It's about time someone ate their lunch. I suppose you could argue that a few smaller companies are nibbling at the edges, Spa, etc.
bgnukem wrote:It's a shame, end of an era. I've had my Mean Street (with the Galaxy 531ST frameset) for 26 years now and have completed many enjoyable and comfortable miles on it. The Galaxy was almost the default bike for the various CTC groups and club runs I've taken part in over the years, but many of the old-style cycle tourists that used to buy them have died out or become too old to ride now.
I think also perhaps the amount of loaded touring that happens in the UK has decreased over the years, not helped by the crazy levels of traffic in the UK and lack of reasonably direct roads for touring that are still safe enough to ride on. E.g. touring on 'B' roads was reasonably possible say 25-30 years ago but most are rat runs now.
Also there's far more choice of bike manufacturers and bikes now and gravel and 'cross bikes may have stolen sales from touring bikes, which were always rather a small niche to begin with. Ironically I bought my Dawes from St John Street who later went on to stop selling them and develop their own complete range of touring bikes...
I think Dawes bikes also became rather heavy and clunky, and expensive, after they outsourced their frame manufacture overseas. The Surly LHT seems to be overbuilt for normal riding/lighter loads though and overpriced for what is after all fairly basic steel tubing.
SIL4 wrote:I bought my 2016 Gran Tour 725 on a whim with some proper touring in mind, before my plans changed, and so it never got used as intended and I had planned to sell it, but it's now temporarily acting as my road bike over winter and so will be keeping it: great finish, rides nicely and the quality is a good as anything else I've owned.
mercalia wrote:SIL4 wrote:I bought my 2016 Gran Tour 725 on a whim with some proper touring in mind, before my plans changed, and so it never got used as intended and I had planned to sell it, but it's now temporarily acting as my road bike over winter and so will be keeping it: great finish, rides nicely and the quality is a good as anything else I've owned.
Thats a nice bike I would keep it
SIL4 wrote:mercalia wrote:SIL4 wrote:I bought my 2016 Gran Tour 725 on a whim with some proper touring in mind, before my plans changed, and so it never got used as intended and I had planned to sell it, but it's now temporarily acting as my road bike over winter and so will be keeping it: great finish, rides nicely and the quality is a good as anything else I've owned.
Thats a nice bike I would keep it
Yes, it's a keeper, but I always regret selling this - a rare Synthesis XT 653, which they can't have sold more than a handful of: bought from Harry Hall at a bargain price because it was the only one they had and couldn't even sell it at 50% a discount. Full XT groupset, ceramic Mavic rims etc.
I sold it but ended up buying it back and fitted it with an ENO hub and then foolishly sold it again to make some room... hindsight is wonderful, but someone on this forum could well be enjoying it still..