Help restoring old Dawes

james-tc

Retro Newbie
as above I have a 1979 Dawes Echelon that I would like to update.
I have owned the bike from new, it was bought for me by my Mum as a replacement for a Galaxy that was stolen in Reading, bless her.
Apart then from the fact I really like the bike it does have a sentimental attachment too.
Back in the the day it was more of a sports bike than a tourer but I would
now like to turn it into a retro tourer and ideally with lower gearing.
I intend to upgrade the brakes from Weinmann side pulls to something centre pull, any suggestions on this would be welcome.
I also want to fit more modern wheels 700c size, I'm aware of the possible brake reach issue.
My main problems areas are the rear dropouts measured at 120mm and
the chainset.
I have been offered a nice set of hubs (126mm) that I will get built into wheels but I have no idea when it comes to a chainset, can anyone recommend a nice Campagnolo one that would be compatible with a 5 / 6
speed rear cluster and give touring ratios i.e 30-40-50 chainrings.
Thanks for any help,
James
 
Hi James,

why the move to 700c wheels? 27" rims are still available which makes the brake issue go away, also tyres are available.

Regarding cranks, google hilary stone, he has lots of nice period parts for sale
 
I had considered keeping the 27" wheels and if tyres are available and specifically Dutch perfects then I probably will.
As far as the chainset goes, is there anything that will go straight onto
the bottom bracket ? I'm a bit confused about chain widths etc.
 
any pics? is it a cottered bottom bracket / crank or square taper?

If square taper then it's worth fitting a new sealed unit one for fit and forget reliability.

Regarding cranks, anything that doesn't foul the chainstays and if it does then a wider axle or bb will resolve
 
sorry no pics at the moment :?
The chainset currently fitted is the factory one "SR apex" 40-52
with a square taper, I guess to fit a Campagnolo one I would need to
fit a Campag. BB ?
Part of me thinks it would be nicer to just fit a longer rear derailleur and a
14/34 tooth sprocket just to keep it as standard as possible.
 
Simply speaking a square taper chainset is fairly universal at that age. There are two tapers, yours should be JIS as its a Jap chainset. Campag stuff is different but minimal. Engineering purists will shout but it will work. Having said that modern Campag BB's are cheap.
Or use a nice old Jap chainset eg a Suntour Pro.
Many of us would just spring the frame to fit the 126 wheel or, from experience, you can lose a few mm from each side of the wheel to bring it closer then spring the frame a touch. Ask a shop thats been around long enough to know steel frames if you are worried.
Sticking with 27" wheels wll save money on brakes etc but give less choice with tyres. It will look better on 27's as there will be less space around the tyres.
 
I have just fitted a 700c rim from my wifes Horizon and the brakes
were not an issue. Can I confirm the tyre size is correct though for a 700c
wheel ? The size on the tyre is 28x1 5/8
Ideally I would like a chainset with 42 / 30 rings that would fit my BB
any ideas on this ? Would the Suntour Pro one mentioned above be
available with this or similar gearing ?
Thanks so much for all the advice by the way !
James
 
The tyre should have a size on it with ETRTO 622 or 630. This is the rim size. If it's 622 it's a 700c, if a 630 it's 27".
 
Ah ok I will check that.

I just tightened a few spokes, trued the wheels, checked the gears, pumped up the tyres and went for a ride....
Wow !
I'd forgotten how much I like this bike, I last rode it in 1987 :shock:
Time now though to strip it and repaint etc.
Paint Colour ?
Now here's a thing when we bought this new I was torn between this
Dawes and a beautiful dark metallic pink Carlton, does anyone know
what the colour of the Carlton is called ?

Checked: 622
Thanks again.
 
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