hi all,
I took my ageing dawes horizon to bits last year, thinking to myself i would get it sprayed and build it back up with some shiney new components . how hard can it be i thought, ill learn as i go , i thought. yeah right. So i am going to start with some new wheels , i would like to make the bike a bit lighter than it was i am going to lose the carrier and put on some lighter bits to make it a fast tourer. Starting with wheels.....Advice pleeeease
kim
Ther are two things with wheels that have changed over the last couple of decades which will need to be considered in your plans.
The UK tyre sizes 27 x 1 1/4" and 1 x 1 3/8" have largely become obsolescent so you need to check that. (27" wheels have been superseded by 700C which is a bit smaller in diameter so you might have problems with brake reach if you had 27" before.) As the number of sprockets has increased, so has the width of rear hubs. The standard OLN (the distance between the inner faces of the rear drop outs) for 5 speed was 120mmm. 'Road' frames re now 130 mm and mountain bikes 135mm. If you have a steel frame it can be widened out and depending on your budget that can be done at the same time as resiting any brake bosses if your frame has them. You need to think carefully because there does come a point where it's not necessarily cost effective. Modern front hubs are pretty much standard so that's one thing less to bother about.
thanks for your reply. i think my bike was an 80s model so i could well have the problems you describe, i think i may have to think again. i could probably find some 2nd hand wheels the right size, but thats kind of defeating the object. thanks for your advice.
kim
80's isn't that old so it probably has 700 rims. It could be that if you washed all the parts in white spirit or and did a few adjustments, lubrication etc it may be fine. You often find that modern components are dumbed down, cruder and clunkier than those found on older bikes. And ask yourself if it really needs a respray. You will take away a lot of the character and patina. Any odd rust spots can be treated. I say put it all back together and hit the road.
My earlier reply was based on your plan to replace old with new. There is nothing intrisically wrong with 27 x 1 1/4" and tyres are still available if you hunt around a bit. So are freewheel blocks, although these are mainly basic quality. Trying to keep a bike on the road with older components can be hard work - components sometimes difficult to source and poor quality when you find them. There are not many bike shops catering for that trade.
The thing with keeping an older frame and fitting new components, is that it can be a black hole for £££. Building a bike entirely with new components is expensive compared with just buying a whole new bike with similar grade components. You get a lot more bike for your money now than you did only a few years ago.
For somebody with a treasured handbuilt frame, it might be worth it at just about any cost. There's absolutely nothing wrong with a Dawes Horizon frame, even an old one if it's sound, but it's never going to be an heirloom.
700c wheels are only 4mm smaller. If your brakes can reach an extra 4mm, then you're OK. I wouldn't stick with 27" wheels if you can avoid it, its getting harder and harder to get a choice of tyres.
Good point of the rear spacing. My '80s Dawes is spaced at 126mm for a conventional 6 speed, or narrow 7 speed.
If it's a steel frame you can easily reset it, I did one for a winter iron a couple of weeks ago. All it needs is a length of threaded steel bar, two nuts and some suitably stiff, strong washers. You just open it up a little, leave it 10 mins, then loosen it off and measure the width. To get a gaspipe steel 126mm rear end out to 135mm I had to take it to about 160 something then let it spring back. It stayed perfectly in track.
If your getting the frame resprayed anyway you could get the rear drop outs cold set at the same time.
Conti Ultra Gator skins are available in 27 x 1 1/4 and a re a good fast touring tyre - in fact that's why I first started using them.
If you can get 700c wheels to fit, get some hand built ones. Many local bike shops will ofer the service ad you can chat to the wheel builder to get what you want. They might not be the lightest but Rigida Sputniks are a good strong rim for touring.
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So i am going to start with some new wheels , i would like to make the bike a bit lighter than it was i am going to lose the carrier and put on some lighter bits to make it a fast tourer. Starting with wheels.....Advice pleeeease
