1981 Dawes Galaxy - rusted frame! Guidance needed

[retroroadlover24]

Hello this is my first post on retro bike so do bare with if I seem a bit foreign!

I acquired a 1981 Dawes Galaxy bike (see attached photos) last week and have found a decent amount of rust especially around the BB shell area. The previous owner had it resprayed 10 years ago and I am fairly sure the decals are not original. I really like the glossy brown paint job and am gutted it's probably going to have to go.
It is a 531 frame so would be a shame to strip it for parts, however it only cost me £50 so not the end of the world if it was the only option....

I already have enough bikes of which I adore so keeping it is not really an option. My main concern is not losing any money while preferably seeing someone enjoy the bike!
The way I see it, this can go 3 ways:

• Strip the bike for parts and sell the frame.
  Strip the paint off the frame and re-spray/restore (possibly with addition of drop sti shifters?)
  Clean it up as it is and sell it on.

I am at a loss as to what to do here! Any advice or suggestions are welcome, as well as questions about the bike. Cheers!

 

[torqueless]

Re:

I would get a wire brush and scrub the corroded BB area back to shiny metal. Once you've done that, probe any pits in the tubing with a steel point of some kind- If the point goes through the tubing anywhere that spells trouble. The BB shell itself should be OK as it is a pretty thick casting.

Obviously if you are passing the bike/frame on, you can add value to it by being able to tell/show a potential buyer that the tubing and all threads are sound to the best of your knowledge, and that the handlebar stem, seat post, BB cups, rear dropout adjusters, etc. are all able to move freely.

That is much more valuable than sorting out any cosmetic issues, which can in any case be resolved without having to strip off whole areas of sound paintwork.

 

[pigman]

Re:

it maybe just the photo angle, but have the forks had a front end shunt? They look a bit bent back

 

[jm]

Re:

I thought that,frame looks ok though.

 

[retroroadlover24]

Hmm will have a closer look at the forks tomorrow, wheel came out fine so hopefully just the angle of the picture
Gonna take everything off the frame and have a closer look at the rust after some scrubbing and take it from there. Hopefully everything turns out nice and easy
Thanks for the comments so far!

 

[hamster]

I doubt it's terminal. The Galaxy has pretty sturdy tubing as befits a tourer. A good blast and powdercoat should make it look smart again. Wet painting would require a lot of preparation to remove the rust scarring, personally I wouldn't bother on a tourer - they are made to be used!

The frame looks from around 1990, the mechs somewhat later and more of a ragbag.

 

[Nob]

Re:

Do a basic renovation job then pass it on, as you say you have enough bikes so you answered your own question basically

 

[WilliamC]

Re:

I have a Galaxy very similar to that and the forks look just the same. I think it is just the way they were made - the rear side of the blades is paralell to the steerer so the taper is all at the front so to speak, hence they look as if they are bent back.

https://flic.kr/p/awZR3o

William.

 

[retroroadlover24]

Managed to get round to stripping everything off and tackling some of the rust. It goes deeper than any rust I have seen on projects before.

In the picture attached there are dark areas (slightly pitted also?) where although the rust has gone it is not a shiny steel. Do I still need to remove more from this surface? I see there are other areas that are still rusty orange but I slowly getting rid of it all.
Also normally I remove rust and prep the area for a little clear coat and polish it up. Will that be sufficient for selling it on or will I need to do something else?

thanks in advance!

 

[torqueless]

Re:

It goes deeper than any rust I have seen on projects before.

If it goes deep on the tubes, have a probe at the bottom of the pits with a sewing needle or suchlike and make sure you cannot push it through the tube anywhere. Around the chainstay bridge joints and the cable braze ons on the chainstays, too. Since you got the bracket out, you could double-check by getting a small bright light inside the tubes in a darkened room and make sure no pinpricks of light are evident anywhere on the tubes. Before you do that you might want to clean up the insides of the tubes as well, as far as that is possible.

If alternatively the deep rust is on the BB shell, it would have to go very deep indeed before I worried about it- think of those cutaway BB shells on high end steel race bikes!

Will that be sufficient for selling it on

Depends on the buyer. Personally if I was buying a secondhand frame I would have no problems with areas of bare metal and the ease of assessment that goes with it, but that means keeping the frame in an environment which inhibits further (re)oxidisation..