Grumpy Olgit
Retro Newbie
Link to Google picture gallery for this item:
https://picasaweb.google.com/109493...DawesMedallion?authkey=Gv1sRgCJvb2bqHvJTlpAE#
This bike has been around E-Bay a couple of times and has come to rest at Olgit Towers as a potential candidate for a bit of restoration work and use (both me and the bike). Some Forum members might recognise it. It actually rides quite well, and weighs in at 12.4 kilos – a couple of bags of sugar over my carbon and alloy road bike and a damn sight more comfortable.
There is currently very little information about the ‘Medallion’ model online at the moment and I am looking for some help from the rest of you to try and identify its year of manufacture, and any changes I might need to make to get it back to the factory gate state.
I have seen a magazine advert from 1963 listing two variants of the ‘Medallion’, each having a slightly different spec for the frame – one being nickel-plated, the other chrome-plated. You will see from the pictures (link above) that the plating, of whatever variety, didn’t seem to agree with the paint finish. The ‘Medallion’ doesn’t appear in the 1964 or 1977 catalogue scans on the Bulgier collection, but some of the components look a bit later.
I have taken paint chips and come to the conclusion that the current finish is probably the original. It’s somewhere on the mustard side of ‘Traffic yellow’ RAL 1023, I think. The bands on the seat tube and down tube are a metallic dark green.
Some measurements:
Seat post diameter – 26.4 mm
Seat tube length (crank centre to tube end) – 57.5 cm
Top tube (head tube centre to down tube centre) – 58 cm
Down tube – (head tube centre to crank centre) – 63.5 cm
Crank length – 170 mm
Serial Number
There is a serial number stamped in the non-drive side rear dropout “GS9199”. This is quite similar to another known ‘Medallion’ on this Forum. There are no identifying marks elsewhere on the bottom bracket or stays.
Running Gear
Unknown manufacturer cottered double chainset . 5-speed block, Sachs rear mech and downtube shifters, Triplex front mech with a damaged cable stop. A band-on cable stop on the down tube does the job.
Weinmann 27 x 1 ¼ rims on Milremo hubs. The rear hub is a flip-flop.
Weinmann Vainqueur 999 centre-pull brakes (Red Label) with no manufacturer’s date on the rear of the arms. The bridge fitting (attaching the bridge cable to the brake pull cable) is less usual being a cast alloy block with a Weinmann logo and a steel closure on the back. I haven’t any others like that.
Stem marked ‘AVA’ in a diamond-shaped lozenge.
Frame
Fillet-brazed all round. Chrome (well, they were once) faux-lugs on the head tube.
Yellow paint with green bands on down and seat tube. Badge with latin motto on seat tube. Metallic foil trims to the green bands
‘DAWES’ name in all upper case white italic with black edging on down tube band.
‘Medallion’ name in white script on top tube.
Headbadge
Pressed ‘Torch’ badge with green infill, riveted.
Now, I know that a whole load of people will be saying things like ‘Why bother – just bung it in a skip’? (I do a good line in abandoned kittens and lost puppies too - I don’t generally re-spray them though). This will be my fifth rebuild. It keeps me happy and out from under my wife’s feet. Humour me.
Any helpful comments, suggestions or information (other than above), welcome. I want to date this bike as a starting point.
https://picasaweb.google.com/109493...DawesMedallion?authkey=Gv1sRgCJvb2bqHvJTlpAE#
This bike has been around E-Bay a couple of times and has come to rest at Olgit Towers as a potential candidate for a bit of restoration work and use (both me and the bike). Some Forum members might recognise it. It actually rides quite well, and weighs in at 12.4 kilos – a couple of bags of sugar over my carbon and alloy road bike and a damn sight more comfortable.
There is currently very little information about the ‘Medallion’ model online at the moment and I am looking for some help from the rest of you to try and identify its year of manufacture, and any changes I might need to make to get it back to the factory gate state.
I have seen a magazine advert from 1963 listing two variants of the ‘Medallion’, each having a slightly different spec for the frame – one being nickel-plated, the other chrome-plated. You will see from the pictures (link above) that the plating, of whatever variety, didn’t seem to agree with the paint finish. The ‘Medallion’ doesn’t appear in the 1964 or 1977 catalogue scans on the Bulgier collection, but some of the components look a bit later.
I have taken paint chips and come to the conclusion that the current finish is probably the original. It’s somewhere on the mustard side of ‘Traffic yellow’ RAL 1023, I think. The bands on the seat tube and down tube are a metallic dark green.
Some measurements:
Seat post diameter – 26.4 mm
Seat tube length (crank centre to tube end) – 57.5 cm
Top tube (head tube centre to down tube centre) – 58 cm
Down tube – (head tube centre to crank centre) – 63.5 cm
Crank length – 170 mm
Serial Number
There is a serial number stamped in the non-drive side rear dropout “GS9199”. This is quite similar to another known ‘Medallion’ on this Forum. There are no identifying marks elsewhere on the bottom bracket or stays.
Running Gear
Unknown manufacturer cottered double chainset . 5-speed block, Sachs rear mech and downtube shifters, Triplex front mech with a damaged cable stop. A band-on cable stop on the down tube does the job.
Weinmann 27 x 1 ¼ rims on Milremo hubs. The rear hub is a flip-flop.
Weinmann Vainqueur 999 centre-pull brakes (Red Label) with no manufacturer’s date on the rear of the arms. The bridge fitting (attaching the bridge cable to the brake pull cable) is less usual being a cast alloy block with a Weinmann logo and a steel closure on the back. I haven’t any others like that.
Stem marked ‘AVA’ in a diamond-shaped lozenge.
Frame
Fillet-brazed all round. Chrome (well, they were once) faux-lugs on the head tube.
Yellow paint with green bands on down and seat tube. Badge with latin motto on seat tube. Metallic foil trims to the green bands
‘DAWES’ name in all upper case white italic with black edging on down tube band.
‘Medallion’ name in white script on top tube.
Headbadge
Pressed ‘Torch’ badge with green infill, riveted.
Now, I know that a whole load of people will be saying things like ‘Why bother – just bung it in a skip’? (I do a good line in abandoned kittens and lost puppies too - I don’t generally re-spray them though). This will be my fifth rebuild. It keeps me happy and out from under my wife’s feet. Humour me.
Any helpful comments, suggestions or information (other than above), welcome. I want to date this bike as a starting point.
