1990s Dawes Audax

[Rhythm Thief]

There's a thread about buying this and riding it home from Stratford in the "Travelogues" bit of the forum, but here's the rebuild thread. Don't expect any rapid progress on this one, it's way back in the queue and I've really only stripped it down so I can see what I've got and fit it in the shed! First photo is taken from eBay and shows the bike "as bought".

 

[Rhythm Thief]

This thing is in a right state and the cat is not impressed! The stem is definitely stuck and (unsurprisingly) the chain is well past its best. I'm amazed this worked as well as it did on the ride home, to be honest.

 

[Rhythm Thief]

Stripdown begins. It's come apart surprisingly easily, which is nice. Even the downtube cable adjusters came off without too much trouble, and (amazingly) the rear dropout stop screws, which I was expecting to have to drill out, were both free. The downside is the rust on the nearside chainstay; I really don't want the expense of a respray. But this bike has obviously seen some action some time in the dim and distant.

 

[Rhythm Thief]

Spoke too soon! And then to make matters worse I broke a drill bit in there.

 

[Rhythm Thief]

This is the only bit I'm really concerned about... Does this look like a scrap frame to anyone else, or should I sand it down and rattle can it? I'm not sure the frame is worth a proper respray, and it certainly isn't worth replacing tubes!

 

[wafter]

This is the only bit I'm really concerned about... Does this look like a scrap frame to anyone else, or should I sand it down and rattle can it? I'm not sure the frame is worth a proper respray, and it certainly isn't worth replacing tubes!

Looks pretty grotty, doesn't it? Probably a fairly highly-stressed area too.

I'm not experienced enough to have an opinion but I'd certainly tread carefully... worth using a chelating rust treatment rather than abrasion to keep as much meat there as possible?

I found this interesting video on council Evaporust recently, which I'm itching to try..

 

[All uphill]

If it was mine I'd sand it back to bare metal, prime it and rattle can spray it; but it's your safety not mine!

 

[Rhythm Thief]

Oh, f**k it... I was just thinking how tapping out the threads is one of the most satisfying parts of the job.😂 Fortunately, I managed to extract the broken end by tapping it round with a hammer and screwdriver to unscrew it.

 

[Jameshow]

This is the only bit I'm really concerned about... Does this look like a scrap frame to anyone else, or should I sand it down and rattle can it? I'm not sure the frame is worth a proper respray, and it certainly isn't worth replacing tubes!

One for @DCLane me thinks!! 🤣

 

[DCLane]

One for @DCLane me thinks!! 🤣

I've just got rid of one of those 531c framesets yesterday. And I don't need another, thanks. This is my next project frame:

It's a 1991 Raleigh Special Products Divicion 653 frameset that I'm in search of a pair of 10 speed Dura-Ace downtube shifters for.

 

[Rhythm Thief]

I've just got rid of one of those 531c framesets yesterday. And I don't need another, thanks. This is my next project frame:

View attachment 741969

It's a 1991 Raleigh Special Products Divicion 653 frameset that I'm in search of a pair of 10 speed Dura-Ace downtube shifters for.

That looks lovely!

 

[Jameshow]

I've just got rid of one of those 531c framesets yesterday. And I don't need another, thanks. This is my next project frame:

View attachment 741969

It's a 1991 Raleigh Special Products Divicion 653 frameset that I'm in search of a pair of 10 speed Dura-Ace downtube shifters for.

I have one in silver can we swap? Love the colour!
Only good thing about silver is people think it's titanium from the other side of the road!!