Super Galaxy Renovation Project

[Demus]

I'll do a proper post with my plans and pics soon but need some quick advice.

I have a 531 frame that is going to be sprayed, which was originally black and from a Super Galaxy. My mate also has a Galaxy frame and he's going to take them to Bob Jackson as I live in Sheffield and they seem reputable and cheaper than Mercian. My friend is planning on doing it tomorrow though so I need to think fast.

First, colour...obviously this is personal preference but I was thinking of either British racing green or black. I'm going to be adding modern components and will have Dawes saddle and handlebar tape on it and I'm going to go for a fairly vintage look...presumably a standard finish as opposed to metallic would be best for achieving it (and cheaper). ANy thought on the colour?

Also, with the frame being stripped and sprayed, I might as well make sure it has all the fittings it needed for life as a fairly heavy tourer. I think I'll add pannier fixing points to avoid having to use P-clips. Is there anythi worth having added/brazed on?


Also, I think I'll spread it before it goes to be sprayed (As it'll put less stress on the frame and maybe Bob Jackson can double check the allignment). I've seen Sheldons method and I'm going to do that I think, but are there any other precautions worth taking like filament tape or will the frame be able to handle it? I'm planning to take it from what I assume will be 120mm OLN to 135 to fit an XT hub in. I know to do it slow and steady but anything else to bear in mind?

Oh and there was a big bolt on the side of one of the front forks....any idea what it's for?

[Secret Sam]

Dunno about the rest, but the bolt on the side of the forks is probably a braze on for a front light bracket, which indicates this one's from the 80s at the earliest

[Tonyf33]

Green looks nicer than black IMO. You mention having a vintage look but are fitting an XT hub at the rear and having new braze ons added? If you really want the braze ons then go for it but I quite like p-clips on my older bikes. If you're going to use wide tyres and do really heavy touring then maybe think about adding fork pegs for cantilever brakes so you can have a wider mudguard. Maybe think about cable guides either on the top tube if it doesn't have them and also you could have them on the head tube if you don't want cable rub against the paintwork.
Going from 120 to 135 seems a long stretch I thought Super Galaxy's would have been 126mm at the rear which wouldn't be as bad.
The bolt on the fork is a lamp bracket I believe.
gd luck.

[hubgearfreak]

ANy thought on the colour?
a fairly heavy tourer. . . . anythi worth having added/brazed on?
Also, I think I'll spread it before it goes to be sprayed . . I know to do it slow and steady but anything else to bear in mind?
Oh and there was a big bolt on the side of one of the front forks

1.the colour should be your favourite colour. you'll not realise even part of the cost back if you ever come to sell it, so make it yours. the more outlandish the colour, the less likely it'll be stolen
2.pump pegs, spare spoke holders, front rack mounting points, dynamo bracket are some of the things you may consider
3. take your time, be methoidical, you'll be fine
4. lamp bracket

good luck, and get tha' camera out

[Demus]

You mention having a vintage look but are fitting an XT hub at the rear and having new braze ons added? If you really want the braze ons then go for it but I quite like p-clips on my older bikes. If you're going to use wide tyres and do really heavy touring then maybe think about adding fork pegs for cantilever brakes so you can have a wider mudguard. Maybe think about cable guides either on the top tube if it doesn't have them and also you could have them on the head tube if you don't want cable rub against the paintwork.
Going from 120 to 135 seems a long stretch I thought Super Galaxy's would have been 126mm at the rear which wouldn't be as bad.

It's going to be a compromise....I'm hoping it will be put through some arduous tours so plenty of gears and a heavy duty hub are preferable to save hassle (I want the hub to last as long as possible and I imagine vintage hubs won't allow modern cassettes.

I assumed it'd be more sturdy to have braze ons for the panniers and they're not an especially conspicuous addition, although I might reconsider as thinking about it they probably don't bear much weight...or at least nothin P-clips shouldn't be able to handle.

It had the metal clips for cable guides but they're a bit knacked so will need to get new ones I think...but I'll bear in mind cable guides, not sure what'd be the best option atm.

I'll check the measurement again.



I plan to do a full write up and get plenty of pics when it's done and in progress Cheers for the info so far. I might opt for P-clips actually as just seen the price list for having them added :s

I might opt to not have "Dawes" or "galaxy" transfers on to try and reduce the likelihood of theft (that said my bike lock is quite heavy duty so hopefully that will help). My surname is Jackson so I might just have the "Jackson" transfer on, but not sure if I want to yet. Hmmm.

[benjaminn]

Before you DIY the rear spacing, I'd consider taking the frame to Butterworth's on Abbeydale Road - they rear spaced my frame for £10, if I remember correctly. I reckon a tenner to have it done on a jig was worth it!

[reohn2]

Before doing anything I'd satisfy myself that the overall cost of spray,spread,braze is worth it first.
The frame sounds as if its an early 80's or maybe even earlier,due to lack of rack braze ons and the ultra narrow back end,is there any internal rust? are all the threads OK(particularly BB)?,as has been said,120mm to 135mm is a big ask for a cold set.
I would imagine total renovation cost would be ITR of £170 including decals, which is quite a sum for what is quite an old frame,obviously if you think its worth it then it is,but bear in mind that for £350 or thereabouts you could have a new frame with a guarentee!

[531colin]

Get the carrier braze ons. Current thought is M6 is better than M5....if it needs M6 braze ons, P clips are worse than second best.

[Tonyf33]

Get the carrier braze ons. Current thought is M6 is better than M5....if it needs M6 braze ons, P clips are worse than second best.

Why such a downer on p-clips, I've found they keep a rack solidly in place even with 25kg no problem, the nimrod rubberised coated ones dont make any marks to the paintwork whatsoever. Cost £3 for a pack of 2....simplez

[thirdcrank]

It's quite a while since I've been in Jackson's (although I do pass fairly frequently) so the personnel may have changed since my last visit. Part of what you are paying for when you go somewhere like that is the advice at the planning stage as well as the technical skills. Rather than the frame arriving with somebody else who has instructions from you based on our hurried suggestions on here, you really would be better talking to them face-to-face. An obvious point as r2 has mentioned is, "Is it worth it?" To some extent, that's a personal thing, in that it's worth whatever you want to pay, but a five speed Dawes frame is not an heirloom in the same way that say a Hetchins, Rotrax or even a JRJ (ie an earlier Jackson frame) might be.

A frame like this - so long as it is in sound condition and free from rust (internal as well as external) may have another lifetime of riding in it, but so much is likely to be old clearances etc. This is no problem for some old gimmer ( ) with a garage full of bits and pieces but without them you are either into more modernising or constantly on the look out for ancient stuff. Paying a bike shop to install it if you don't know what you are about just adds more. This post is likely to provoke all sorts of responses on the lines of "I've turned an 1890 Ordinary into a carbon framed road bike complete with Campag 11 speed Super Record " (and if I'm exaggerating, it's only slightly.) My point is that such people have most of the equipment already and know how to fit it, so keeping the costs to a minimum.

If getting to Leeds presents a problem, there must be framebuilders / renovators in your neck of the woods who would give you a proper opinion.

[tooley92]

I would take them to Ellis Briggs in Shipley as they use Bob Jacksons paint shop but are cheaper than Jacksons and also if you are planning on having any braze ons doing Ellis Briggs are cheaper. I can vouch for the quality of Ellis Briggs work as I have had 2 frames renovated by them in the last couple of years.

[thirdcrank]

... My surname is Jackson so I might just have the "Jackson" transfer on, but not sure if I want to yet. Hmmm.

I forgot to mention: Last time I had a Jackson frame resprayed which by then was plain black without any transfers, they said that they still had all the frame number records going right back to the Hyde Park Road days. (They've been in Harehills Lane and Dewsbury Road in between, so that's pretty good record-keeping.) I'd be surprised if they put their own transfers on something else.

[531colin]

Get the carrier braze ons. Current thought is M6 is better than M5....if it needs M6 braze ons, P clips are worse than second best.

Why such a downer on p-clips, I've found they keep a rack solidly in place even with 25kg no problem, the nimrod rubberised coated ones dont make any marks to the paintwork whatsoever. Cost £3 for a pack of 2....simplez

And you can tour with a Raleigh chopper and a rucksac, if you want............

[531colin]

Table for one and LARGE helping of humble pie, please.
Apology 1 I shouldn't have responded to this thread at all while I was pre- occupied with something else. A knee-jerk reaction to a trivial part of the whole plan helps nobody.
Apology 2 Childish jibes about Raliegh choppers are never helpful. Sorry.

In case anybody is still interested (why would you be?) here is my considered opinion:-
Frame has a front fork lamp boss which means its pretty old. I guess it will be 120 back end with long horizontal dropouts. I think the best use for this frame is to sell it to somebody who wants to build a fixie- even if it has 126 back end, hubs are available up to 130.
Buy yourself a modern touring frame (or bike!). You will gain:- designed for modern components..spares available ..all the braze ons .. Ahedset .. sloping top tube .. oversize frame tubes .. welded construction

[Andyrew]

Demus,
This is my first post on here. I've been loitering a while( and enjoying the forum a good deal) but was particularly interested in your post as have been undertaking a similar project myself. I've had two Galaxies up till recently, the first I bought when I was 14, back in 1984 it was Midnight Blue, had 27inch wheels and centre pull brakes. I loved that bike and quite literally grew into it I rode it so much. Unfortunately some lowlife stole it in Holland, after an extensive ( and expensive) refit, in 1991. Insurance covered it, but for some reason (largely my ignorance) I ordered the next size up and although it's served me well since it's never had the feel that the original did. Particularly when riding long distances (back ache) and cornering at speed. So recently as an experiment I bought a cheapish Galaxy off Ebay of a smaller size to see if it felt better. It does.
So now I've got to decide what to do with it. It's got some damage to the frame (it was sold as spares and repairs, so no complaints) but seems sound, no obvious
internal rust, tracks perfectly and is beautifully springy. Thought about a respray, but have decided to spend the money on a quality set of wheels instead.
This brings me to the point. At last. I thought of resetting the frame, it's 126 at the moment I think but happily springs open to accept 130mm OLN hubs
from the other bike. Like you I was thinking of getting wheels built with XT hubs, but like the idea of being able to swap wheels around, keeping the old set for bashing about the pothole ridden streets of Ipswich so had a conflab with Hewitt Cycles and have settled on Shimano 105 hubs instead ( which have a 130mm OLN) , the fellow I spoke to reckoned they were well strong enough, the downside being they aren't as well sealed. I don't go off road much so isn't an issue for me.
By the way as other people have said the fork fitting is for a lamp bracket. This dates the bike pre 1984. I've got the old brochures complete with my schoolboy savings calculations and bike prices.
Good luck with the project, hope this is of some relevance!
Andy.