531 Dawes 1970's?

[meic]

Firstly, sorry I can not do pictures easily.

I have just picked up an abandoned Dawes with 531 stickers on it but no name.
I was told it was a Peugeot, wouldnt have bothered for a Dawes.

It has Weinman Centrepulls and would have been 27". It has very fancy lugs on the head tube.
No gearhanger on the sloping horizontal dropouts but fitted with Huret derailleurs front and rear with band on DT levers. No rack braze ons.
Snub cable stops allowing short cables under the BB instead of a guide again for front and rear cables.
Light mount on front forks. Drop bars 105 aero levers (possibly later addition).
Dawes branded SR double crankset.
I will be able to give a date for it when I take off the brakes.

It is the fancy lugs that make me curious about it, they even have cut out bits in them.
Anyone got an idea what model it is?

[tim-b]

Hi

Try this source for cycle catalogues...http://bulgier.net/pics/bike/Catalogs/

Be prepared for a trip back in time

Regards
tim-b

[Brucey]

it sounds like it might be a (as made up to the late 1970's) Galaxy. 531 main tubes, thick/stiff stays and forks. If so, the frame fork and headset together should weigh about 8-1/2lbs IIRC; so it is no lightweight. They make good touring bikes. If the brakes are original they will have a date mark on them which will identify the age of the bike. They also did a super galaxy which was lighter built (butted 531 frame tubes and 531 forks) with a TA crankset and lightweight suntour gears.

BTW with the exception of the better frames that came out of Peugeot's lightweight shop I'd take the Dawes, given the choice. Good quality Peugeots from the 1970s usually have French threads and are a bit of nightmare these days.

cheers

[PT1029]

If the rear gear is original, won't be a galaxy. with SR chainset, probably a medium quality 10 speed racer (by medium quality, I mean for the day, by modern standards would be more basic).
My 1979 galaxy had quite fancy lugs, not up to Nervex fancy, but fancy enough all the same.
Galaxys used to have chrome forks (paint on the top 6" of the fork blades). Mid/late 70's (like mine) had painted rear triangles, a few years previous the rear triangles were 1/2 chrome.
Front fork light boss, Weinmann center pull brakes, outer cable runs round the BB, sloping rear drop outs, no rack seat stay braze ons, were all common stuff back then.
105 aero levers definately a later addition.

[meic]

September 1979, so typically my period for cycles and motorcycles.

No chrome, thank God, a nice almost metallic red.
Not one of the racing models as they had sidepulls in those catalogues and this even has a bridge on the frame for the rear centrepull cable adjuster.

A new set of cables and pedals and its a go-er.
A new crankset and it will go up hills too!

Looks like it may be a Galaxy as some have the same lugs as it. It says 531 frame tubes (not butted as on my Raleigh) and has a faded Union Jack near the bottom bracket.

[gerrymcm]

Here are some snaps on behalf of meic.
Gerry

[gerrymcm]

second go with more snaps
Gerry

[al_yrpal]

Here is a set of photos of my early 1970's Dawes Galaxy that I bought for £46 on Ebay after I had tidied it up and fitted a triple. The rear brake cable is underneath the top tube whereas yours runs through it so I think yours is later. The lug work looks the same. It had the original Suntour derailleur. I put new stickers on it - bit of willy waving


Restored Dawes Galaxy by Alyrpal, on Flickr


...and more detailed photos.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/alyrpal/se ... 701820521/

Al

[meic]

The rear brake cable is underneath the top tube whereas yours runs through it so I think yours is later

That is just my poor camera, the bikes have the same cable run for the rear brake.

Yours does have a gear hanger though.

[gerrymcm]

Hi Meic
Some snaps of an SG that I purchased in 82.
It's has cable clips for the rear brake on the top of the top tube.
The lugs aren't as fancy as yours.

This has 531 butted main tubes only and the stays and forks "sound" hefty.

[Brucey]

In my naivity I supposed that Dawes dropped the traditional head badge and the slightly fancier head lugs at the same time as they went to a single-colour metallic finish. Meic's frame is very unusual in that it has the single colour metallic finish and the old-style head badge.

All the Galaxies I've seen with that head badge have had panels and/or bands in complementary colours, although there were a few all-black super galaxies I think.

Al's bike is (if it is a mid or early 1970's frame) I would assume fitted with new rear dropouts and a different fork; neither look quite like those I've seen on frames of that period.

cheers

[al_yrpal]

I dont know my Dawes was early 70s, when I got it it had been 'restored' by some outfit in Brum. There was no headbadge and it had some odd stickers on it. It had been re enameled and was pretty bashed about. The chainset was a Galaxy type though. It may have been earlier or later but thats what I was told by the guy who had had it for at least 10 years. You can see it as recieved earlier in my photostream. It had 27" wheels. I wouldnt be surprised if the forks were foreign, one of the things that annoyed me about it because I felt it was too lively and unstable.

Al

[Brucey]

it is difficult to tell from a few photos but it looks as if the fork perhaps has a little more offset to it than the usual one for that frame. If so, less trail, livelier steering.

On such frames I get rather exercised about the headset bearings; the slightest trace of binding and the bike will not steer at all well.

cheers

[al_yrpal]

Lively it was, I fell off it fully loaded on a very sharp hairpin bend (ascending) and ended up over the edge with the bike on top of me. I sold it on shortly afterwards.

Al

[Brucey]

hmmm, I can see how that might put you off it.....

hope you survived the experience OK...

cheers