Early 80s Dawes Lightning rolling resto

Hi all.

Thought I'd start a thread about my most recent acquisition. It's a Dawes Lightning from the early 80s. Due to the date stamps on the hubs, brakes and rear mech, I'm confident it's from 1981. Apparently, all of Dawes' records were destroyed in a fire around the late 80s, so the frame number is of no use here. I'd like to be proven wrong over this, but I've been a Dawes fan for some time and have never read any info that suggests otherwise

I bought it from a bloke that advertises old and cheap bikes on Facebook. The colour and the lugs caught my eye, so i went for a look and a quick test ride. It looked a bit sorry for itself but rode well enough, so I made an offer and took it away. This is how it looked when I got it home


IMAG2044 by Toby Taylor, on Flickr

A bit of a state, but a perfectly usable bicycle nonetheless. Will post an update soon.

Regards

Marge

Re:

Some more pics:

Rusty chain, and crusty old Huret derailleurs
IMAG2045 by Toby Taylor, on Flickr

Nice lugs, and perished to buggery front Michelin. Scary in the wet!
IMAG2046 by Toby Taylor, on Flickr

A bit scratched and battered, but really nicely made. Similar seatstay caps to my '92 Edge. No frame tube decal though, and despite being called a Lightning, it's not particularly light.

IMAG2047 by Toby Taylor, on Flickr

Shifters seem in good condition....

IMAG2048 by Toby Taylor, on Flickr

Weinmann 730 brakes. One of the few components that aren't made from steel. Should polish up ok

IMAG2049 by Toby Taylor, on Flickr

More to follow....

Regards

Marge

Nice to see the low end models getting a look in. I'm liking the two tone colour scheme will it clean up nicely and what are your plans for it, will you be changing a few parts ?

Re:

Hi KB. I really like the two tone paint too. There aren't many of my bikes that my wife will comment on looks wise, but the Lightning is definitely one of them. Unfortunately, the bright green bottom half of it has not worn the years well. The top half is much better. Given its lowly status, if I can match the colours and find the decals, I'll probably respray it. If it was something exotic, then losing the original paintwork would be a shame. It's starting to look a bit nicer now, and the rusty forks and chainstays are beginning to grate somewhat

I'm planning to return it to some kind of standard spec, or as close as possible without a period Dawes catalogue to refer to. It has an SR stem, which I think is original, so would probably have had drop bars to match. I also think it should have an SR chainset. I've got some Weinmann brake levers that came off a similarly aged Raleigh. The saddle just has to go; it is neither comfy or good looking. I missed out on a Brooks on ebay recently. I bid £25, and it went for £26. Gutted!

Regards

Marge

Re:

Update time....

Been busy with the Autosol. Replaced the knackered old tyres with some Schwalbes from SJS Cycles. The rims cleaned up fairly well, although there's still some surface rust. Also broke out the car polish, to do the best I could with the frame

Before...
IMAG2049 by Toby Taylor, on Flickr

After...
IMAG2093 by Toby Taylor, on Flickr

Before...
IMAG2045_1 by Toby Taylor, on Flickr

After...
IMAG2092 by Toby Taylor, on Flickr

More to follow

Regards

Marge

That's a blast from my past, my 1st road bike was one of those but without the front mech

I think you're right with 1981, I got mine around the time I went up to secondary school, being born in '72 that tallies up with your thoughts

Re:

Hi Andy. Always good to see a blast from the past bike i think. The first bike i bought with my own money was a Raleigh Kelloggs Pro Tour when I was 15, so it's nice to see one on the odd occasion.

Is there any chance you can remember what sort of saddle it came with? I narrowly missed out on another Brooks again earlier....

Regards

Marge

Re:

Bit more of an update.

More before and after;

IMAG2077 by Toby Taylor, on Flickr

IMAG2098 by Toby Taylor, on Flickr

Rear hub polished up well. It has a later date stamp than the front, so must've been a replacement.

IMAG2095 by Toby Taylor, on Flickr

The Schwalbes really suit it, I think. Significantly cheaper than Michelin World Tours too.
IMAG2082 by Toby Taylor, on Flickr

IMAG2081 by Toby Taylor, on Flickr

No more updates for a while, I'm off on my hols tomorrow!

Regards

Marge

Looking good after a bit of tlc

I don't recall which saddle the bike came with unfortunately

Re:

Me too.. one of these was my first road bike. Great to see, brings back some memories! Rode mine hard for 5 or 6 years, eventually my Dad helped me buy a better and larger bike after following me to a race and watching me spinning my little heart out on the knackered and too small Lightening.
My crusty memory remembers my Dawes Lightening in two shades of blue rather than green. I feel reasonably sure it was blue. Could it be there was a choice of colours, or maybe two different specs? The year is about right but i suppose it could've been a different year.