A desperate plea...

Hello everybody.

I had an accident recently on one of my favourite old road bikes, here is the result of said accident...

The only thing that is actually wrong with the bike is the forks, as I'm sure you can see. The front wheel is still remarkably straight, and the frame is sweet (old bikes are so bloody tough!).
If ANYONE out there has a pair of forks for this old 70's dawes, I would be over the moon, and obviously willing to pay for them. Half brown/hallf chrome. I would love to ride this bike again and it upsets me greatly everytime I look in my shed and see it sitting there, cripled.

I would just like to return it to its former glory and ride it again. I've got plenty of old bikes, but this one is a bit special to me.

Thank you.

Here is the bike, woulcn't let me post a URL on my first post HA...

You should be able to get some full chrome forks for 27" wheels easily enough.

I have a few pairs haha, I run a bike shop in the midlands. just really trying to get some originals. Been looking non stop

Then you can expect a pm from me sometime soon asking for the secrets to running a successful shop....

Anyway if it's original forks you seek you're just going to have to search here and eBay and cross your fingers. Personally I'd use new chrome forks and have them sprayed to mimmick the originals.

is the main frame ok? usually the frame ends up a bit out of alignment after a severe prang like that, down/top tube crease a bit on the underside near the head tube and the photo suggests that could be the case where the rear brake cable starts to rise up towards the stem .......could just be the photo angle though!

The frame really is spot on, still! The thing that shocked me the most was the wheel, it's ever so slightly buckled, but with it being steel, easily straightened! I may just put some nice chrome forks on it, I have a few lined up so I'll put a photo up when it's fully recovered. I just can't wait to ride it again, you really can't beat an old Dawes! (They're so bad now I've stopped selling them)

As for running a successful bike shop, I put it down to the shop being there for 60 years, me taking over about 4 years ago, so the customer base was already there! Having much experience from working with the previous owner, looking after my customers like they're family is key!

Bloody hell, that's the same model as mine...

http://www.retrobike.co.uk/forum/viewto ... sc&start=0

Great shame to see it looking like that. Like Tel says, eBay is probably the best solution. That and a lot of patience of course. If you run a bike shop I'd just get some forks that fit, as others have said, to get it going again, and check eBay regularly for updates.

Good luck...

Yours is looking excellent Rich, nice story behind it aswell!

Got no history on mine other than it was found in the yard at the back of my shop, under the giant pile of dead bikes that have gathered over the years. I dragged it out, took off the mudguards, rack, dynamo and lights (of which all of those items I have kept) and rebuilt it.

I'll have it back on the road by christmas I hope!