Dawes Super Galaxy from the early 80's

[Basin and Range]

I introduced myself here: https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/from-nevada-by-cycle.285261/
I found this Dawes in Reno, Nevada. I don't live in Reno but drove there and bought it. I think the bike spent most of its life in Southern California, perhaps the San Diego area.

As far as I can tell, it's from the early 1980's, perhaps late 1981 or early 1982. The head badge is the style evidently adopted in 1982 but it has Sun Tour Cyclone (Mark 1) GT derailleurs, and the 1982 catalog lists the Mark 2.

I believe my Dawes was more similar to this one, except for the badges.

When I acquired it, it didn't have the original drop bars, but had some chopped townie bars. I replaced them with a North Road style bar I had on another bike, but have subsequently ordered a Nitto B352 bar. I don't care for touring on drop bars too much and since this frame is a bit of a stretch for me, I like something more swept-back. I did get the original Weinmann brake levers. I did not get the original front rack.

I've tossed the red Cheng Shin tires. I have a set of Schwalbe Marathon Green Guard I could have taken off another bike, but I ordered some Conti Ultra Sport III's. These are 27 inch tires, so there isn't as many choices out there. The Schwalbe are good, but I'm hoping the Ultra Sport III's roll a bit easier. Gatorskins and Hardshells are also options but if the Ultra Sports don't work out, I'll get more Schwalbes that I know are pretty good.

So I don't have them on yet because I don't have a spoke tensionmeter, I didn't have the 24-spline Maillard freewheel tool, and I didn't have the right tool to pull the bottom bracket, so it's all at my LBS to balance out the spoke tension, true the wheels, check the bearing surfaces and lube the hubs, freewheel, bottom bracket and headset. For all I know, they haven't been serviced in 40 years.

I'll write some more about my plans to outfit it, but I've got to go walk the dog first.

 

[Basin and Range]

So once I've got the tires and bars sorted, I have to figure out what brake levers I'll use. It came with some kind of MTB levers. They may be fine, but I'm also considering mounting Tektro FL750 levers or maybe the original Weinmann's without the hoods. The stem, by the way, is not original but it's either a Nitto Pearl or a look-a-like. Once I have this all figured out, I have some Portuguese cork grips I'll glue on there and shellac. The cables on there now are good but a mixture. I'll replace them with new ones with black housing.

The saddle appears to be the original Brooks B17. It's a bit weathered but usable. Even so, I've got a new carved Flyer I think I will mount. The springs should help a bit with the more upright position owing to the albatross bars.

I've removed the original ESGE chromeplastic mudguards. I've ordered some Berthoud stainless steel mudguards to replace them.

I intend to tour on this Super Galaxy, nothing extraordinary, but I have a number of three or four-day trips of a couple hundred miles planned and then I'll see where I go from there. I don't have anything to prove. I just enjoy seeing places at a more leisurely pace than a car or motor bike affords. Because I don't care to afford hotels every night, I tour with camping gear. I'll need luggage to pack those things.

I've previously toured with a handlebar bag, frame pack, and trunk with integrated panniers that had a combined 31L of capacity and which I loaded with a bit less than 30 pounds. That included all the food for three days and 2.5L of water. I only had to resupply water. Even so, I'm hoping to change the things I bring along to suit where I'll be. I expect to have more bulk in clothing but not a lot more weight (less food).

Looking at some of the Dawes catalogs and other photos from various eras, this early 80's Dawes might be more "period correct" with some tacky, colorful, nylon bags like the 1984 Dawes "Classic" pictured here with four factory-option panniers:

This kind of fad was evidently adopted from the French. According to Raymond Migeon, writing in the Cycle Touring Commission's Gazette to British cyclists, "Why do you use those frightful leather saddlebags which are balanced so ungracefully behind the saddle, and which, because of the weight of the contents and their high position, raise the centre of gravity too much, thus appreciably increasing the danger of accident on fast downhill runs?" "Why -- and this is what hurts me most of all in your manner of equipping your bicycles -- why have you not looked into the reasons that led us to banish for ever those queer stuck-on packets and bundles when we adopted front and rear carriers and bags for the transport of our cycle luggage? In their gaily coloured bags, firmly attached to the carriers by a couple "Sandows" (rubber elastic cords), our luggage is part of the machine and doesn't sway about; it is fixed near the wheel hubs (whether front or rear) and so the centre of gravity is considerably lowered. We can thus ride at all speeds without any handicap due to the weight carried."

In Dawes catalogs from the 1930's, there is indeed evidence that cyclo-tourists in Britain favored fixing a big leather or canvas hold-all behind the saddle. This is the Dawes Efficiency Tourist from the 1938 catalog:

If I'm not able to find a suitable holdall that could be fitted with the necessary straps, I was thinking of mounting a Carradice Low-Saddle Longflap saddlebag. This should be sufficient for all my spare clothes for three or four days.

Besides the saddle roll, I've got Brooks Bricklane roll-up panniers that I can put on the rear rack. I like the lines of the original Dawes wire rack, but I haven't seen how well it holds a load of 15 or 20 pounds. I may replace it with a sturdier Tubus rack if I find it necessary.

I have some PVC Ortlieb panniers, but I don't want to put those on this bike, preferring instead more traditional waxed canvas. While the Ortlieb roll-tops are more secure in closure than the Bricklane's flaps, I don't really have to concern myself with precipitation -- I'm living in a megadrought.

Between the Carradice saddlebag and the Brook's panniers, I should have 45L of capacity. I would only be missing a convenient place for my camera and film and for water. For those things, I may attach a Billingham bag on the top of the rear rack behind the saddlebag and a frame-bag hung from the top-tube to hold a water bottle. Note this Super Galaxy does not have braze-ons for bottle cages or even the brake cable.

A question I have is: Will the Super Galaxy handle best with all the additional weight of luggage over the rear? I would certainly endeavor to get as much of the weight ahead of the rear axle as possible, but my intention is not to attach anything on the fork whatsoever. That's not to say the front won't have additional weight on it from things like the saddlebag, only that I'm not planning on attaching front low-riders or even a rando bag.

My reasoning is that the Super Galaxy has a higher trail figure owing to its relaxed 72 degree head-tube angle, most significantly it's 50 millimeters of fork offset (rake), and finally the somewhat large diameter 32-630 tires. While it's certainly not as slack as a "mountain" bike, the trail of over 60mm results in 18mm of wheel flop. The Miyata 1000 of the similar era was the same, but it grew to 65mm of offset by the late eighties and its trail shrank to as little as 42mm depending on the tires fitted. It was evidently following the fad the French randonneurs had initiated, perhaps simply to address toe-overlap with big tires and fenders, heel-strike that resulted from short chainstays and their efforts to lower the rear panniers, or perhaps for favorable handling with their preferred front panniers.

Besides pronounced wheel-flop that's especially annoying when parking or handling a loaded bike at low speeds, loaded fronts interfere with a view of the tire's path, they result in reduced ground-clearance, and they require meticulous balancing of the load from side to side. Mind you I've not actually tried loading the front on this Super Galaxy. I've only formed conjecture. As a result, I've declined to take on any additional expense, complexity, and weight of front racks, front panniers or even a handlebar bag for now.

 

[biggs682]

Welcome @Basin and Range

Galaxy's of any variation are great bikes and yours certainly looks a nice one .

And 27" wheels just keep rolling in a way 700's can't or won't

Enjoy it

 

[Basin and Range]

 

[GeekDadZoid]

That is looking fab in that config, I really like the cork bar grips and the Brooks bags and stainless mudguards just ooze class.

Enjoy riding.