Dawes Super Galaxy - 1994

[Splatter Paint]

This is my first (because there will almost certainly be a second) retro road bike - a 1994 Dawes Super Galaxy.

I decided I wanted a tourer rather than a racer as I have a modern road bike which is superb and I think I'd always compare the performance of the two and the retro would lose! So, since I don't own a touring bike and there simply wouldn't be a comparison to carbon I was after a Galaxy. Most tourers are either A; worn out or B: really tidy and really expensive. After much browsing I spotted a low-mileage example, one owner from new. The bike was miles from me, but near my Dad, so he kindly said he'd view it after some discussion on fair prices. I then saw the internet advert for the bike had been pulled, and I text my Dad - he'd seen it was a minter and cut a deal there and then for cash - and £100 less than I thought it was worth!

So, the owner was in his 60s and had bought it to tour on but never really got around to it, so it had everything as original. Understandably the tyres are split, the brake pads are rock hard and the cables a bit corroded. However my Dad informs me that it rides beautifully and has ridden it every day since he bought it!

I have a staged resto planned - when I get it, which should be next weekend.

Part 1: New tyres, tubes, cables, pads. I've bought Panaracer Pasela amber-walls

Then I'll ride it a bit and see how I like it. If I do, then on to part 2.

Part 2: Remove black Deore LX components and fit shiny, polished alloy parts. I already have in the spares box, Deore XT M735 front and rear mech, DX cantis, polished Sugino chainset.

SP

 

[Splatter Paint]

Re:

More purple, mmm. My Dad sent me these....

 

[The History Man]

Re:

Checking in. I like tourers. Currently restoring mine.

 

[roadking]

Re:

Nice.

I like tourers too. I'm currently restoring mine - back from painters soon and into the build.

Jon.

 

[Splatter Paint]

Re:

I've finally got the Galaxy

A trip to my parent's house over the weekend allowed me to collect and ride my new steed for the first time. First up I noticed the tyres were shot and the brake pads were also toast (as expected) along with all the cables. A quick change of pads as a bare minimum and then I saddle up and rode it ~18 miles to a steam fair where we were having a family day out.

First ride impressions:

- heavy
- woeful handling
- dreadful brakes, even with the new pads
- uncomfortable
- lots of drag
- cranks too short

but lunch was good though, crab sandwich and a glass of local perry

 

[Splatter Paint]

Re:

Needless to say, I was a bit peeved :? So, first on went the new Pasela tyres - what a difference! The bike was totally transformed, much, much faster rolling, better handling, less drag and definitely easier to hold speed. I then went a rode for an hour and a half and felt much better about the whole thing, especially after swapping soggy toe clips for SPDs which allowed me to hold a better rhythm.

I don't like the LX groupset, especially the 170mm cranks, which seem to have wide Q-factor. The aforementioned rubbish brakes have been replaced with earlier polished LX ones which have been set to 'SLR' and complimented with new cables. Next up is new XT mechs, Sugino chainset and new gear cables. New bar tape is on order too and I may change the cassette and chain as the existing ones are brown and gungy.

SP

 

[Splatter Paint]

Re:

Better looking cantis and new straddle cables:

 

[Adam_S]

Load it up with 20 kilos of camping crap then you won't notice the sluggish handling.

Nice find. Any plans for an expedition somewhere?

 

[daccordimark]

Re: Re:

I've finally got the Galaxy

First ride impressions:

- heavy
- woeful handling
- dreadful brakes, even with the new pads
- uncomfortable
- lots of drag
- cranks too short

but lunch was good though, crab sandwich and a glass of local perry

I know how you feel, my daily commute is on a heavy (14.5kg) tourer except for the odd day on my 8kg carbon race bike. The choice of bikes for weekends is a no-brainer unless I fancy some bridleway action.

- heavy - yep, it's quite a shock after a modern road bike!

- woeful handling - I describe it as "different" handling, the tourer feels rock solid and stable under all riding conditions whereas the lighter bike can feel a bit sketchy sometimes at speed especially when the tarmac gets rough. And the carbon bike gets blown around more on windy days!

- dreadful brakes, even with the new pads - those low-profile cantis need careful setup to work at their best. I noticed a massive decrease in braking performance when I changed from wide-profile to low-profile on my old tourer.

- uncomfortable - this was a major issue for me too when I first bought my latest tourer in October last year. It was all down to the fact that the more upright position was putting way more pressure on my bum than I was used to. The first thing I did before even riding the bike was to put on my favourite old Turbomatic 2 saddle that I've had for 20 years as it's always been my most comfortable saddle over the years no matter what bike it's been on. I couldn't ride for more than a couple of hours without getting severe discomfort. To help improve things I gradually changed the 'bar height, brake lever position etc. until it was as close to a "normal" position as I could get. In the end the only way to get all day comfort was to put the original cheap and cheerful Genesis saddle back on!

- lots of drag - yep those Top Touring tyres are very squirmy and draggy.

The more you ride it and accept that it is a very different beast to a racing bike the more you'll appreciate it's good points. You've made a good start, keep tweaking it.

Oh, and I know what you mean about Q-factor. I couldn't get on with the Shimano MTB/trekking chainset on mine for that very reason, it gave me knee pain after a few hours. Luckily I had an old Campag road triple that I could fit a 26t inner ring to, so that went on and bingo no more knee pain. Both were 170mm cranks though as that's what I've always ridden.

Mark.

 

[Splatter Paint]

Re:

Done and pictured below with its stable mate a 1993 Kona Explosif One for dirt, one for road - neither will get ridden in the wet!

Jobs done:
Rear mech: Deore LX off, Deore XT on
Front mech: Deore LX off, Deore XT on
Chainset; Deore LX off, Sugino on (175mm arms).
Cables: all new gear and brake
Cassette & Chain: HG50 off, HG-41 cassette and HG-93 on
Calipers: Deore LX off, Deore DX on
Brake levers and bars: set to a more comfortable position
Bar tape: renewed in a rather splendid cream colour
Saddle: Selle Italia Turbo off, Avocet Racing on.
Seat QR: swapped out for a plain old bolt - the original QR was so big it dug in my leg!

Most of the issues are pretty much sorted now. The handling with the new tyres and a better set up riding position means it corners much, much better and you can swoop through the bends at a pleasing speed. The brakes with new calipers, pads and cables are great, it is possible to lock the back wheel up with two fingers - squealing the tyre coming up to a junction was a bit of a shock! I even did a stoppie on it, just to see if I could.... Comfort is improved with thicker bar tape and a saddle with a flatter profile suits my derriere better, though the bars are pretty narrow so it doesn't feel totally natural yet. However, for the longest ride I've done which was an hour and a half it felt good. The longer, narrower cranks gave such a better feel when pedaling and the modern cassette (HG-41 11-2 coupled with an XT 9 speed chain means super-slick shifts.

In short, I love it It is a lardy old bus, 2kg more than the Kona, but it has a real charm. I love the looks, the purple paint coupled with lots of polished alloy, amber wall tyres and cream bar tape sets it up beautifully. I did an 85 miles sportive yesterday (top 10 finish too ) which I intended to ride the Galaxy on, however the wet weather put me off getting dirty :facepalm: so my modern bike took the brunt. The next dry day I have some time I intend to get 60+ miles on it across the Chilterns. I have encouraged a mate to buy a tourer and even found him an Orbit for £80, so we're planning a trip over a long weekend at some point.

Expect to see me on a retro ride soon.

SP