Doing up a Galaxy

[rh100]

Don't know about frame numbers RH100 but yours is 1988 or later.
Mine is '87 or '88 and they added the second bottle holder after mine. Also mine has the older style Reynolds 531 decals.

Thanks for the info porkypete.

We've decided not to paint it just yet. Going to get it rolling and see how it goes.

First things on the list are a wheel set (cheapies to start with), new cables all round and new brake blocks. Strip and service everything else and see whats most urgent after that.

The BB needs attention as there is latteral movement between the cranks. Have attached a pic of the BB if anyone can give pointers for servicing/replacement of BB and tools etc (I have a crank puller but no BB tools).

As for the wheels, not so much specific model numbers required but just a rough recommendation for the wheel and tyre width combo to aim for. Would be used for short commutes and fairly slow leisure rides, maybe with a view to a few short tours in the summer. My hybrid has 700x35 tyres, would that size be ideal?

 

[rh100]

Bump.....

Can anyone advise what tools needed to extract the bottom bracket in the photo above? I haven't took the cranks off yet but the BB has an external lockring type thing on the left hand side, do all these lockrings use the same tool?

I think what i need is the lockring tool and also the bottom bracket tool that looks like a cassette tool, does this sound right?

 

[PpPete]

I just use a big mole wrench (on it's widest setting) for the lockring, and then a headset spanner (i've a combined 32/34/36/40 iirc) for the flats on the other side.
If you are replacing it don't invest in special tools for that old style. If you can't get it off, a quick trip to LBS will soon sort it. Put in a Shimano UN54 or similar sealed unit BB - and the splined tool for that is worth buying IMO.


Oh yes - and on the wheels, get handbuilts, you won't regret it.
Spa offer Rigida Chrina on Tiagra hubs for £129. Looks like a bargain to me, and they get good write ups.

My Galaxy runs on OpenPro rims/105hubs that I built myself...but that's best part of £200 now

 

[rh100]

Thanks Pete. I've looked up the UN54 and seems a reasonable price, am I right that the measurements are the width of the barrel and also the width of the square tapers? Is the diameter of a BB always the same?

Will put those wheels on my shopping list, look reasonable.

On the weekend I pumped up the back tyre (the wheel has a missing spoke and a very skinny tyre) and put my front wheel (35 tyre) from the hybrid on the front and reset the brakes, just so I could give it a ride It looked a real mess with the odd wheels and tyres, but wanted to go up the street on it just in case there was something disastrously wrong with it. But apart from the brakes being sh!te, which I expected, it felt great, a completely different feel to the hybrid, where I simply feel perched on the top of the hybrid the Dawes felt solid underneath me and somehow more well balanced, would love to have taken it further but as a minimum I must do the BB, brake overhaul and at least repair the spoke on the rear, use an old spare front wheel that I have in the shed and put a couple of cheap tyres on for now. OK the wheels will still be mismatched but at least I could get it moving. I think I'm a convert to drop handlebars already

 

[PpPete]

Thanks Pete. I've looked up the UN54 and seems a reasonable price, am I right that the measurements are the width of the barrel and also the width of the square tapers? Is the diameter of a BB always the same?

S'right. The shell will be 68 mm on a Galaxy and "english threaded" (which means the R/H side will be a left hand thread) (you'll see the threading written as 1.37 x 24)
The other common size you see is 73mm which is "italian threaded" - and that won't fit your bike, because it's a metric thread (35mm IIRC) and both sides are conventional R/H thread - which can lead to problems of BB's unthreading themselves.

There are dozens of other odd standards - Sheldon has a table somewhere - but the above are the popular ones. The second measure (between 103 mm and 127mm) is the length of the spindle (square taper or splined). What chainset you put on will determine that length.

 

[PpPete]

BTW - did you ever determine what the OLN was (measure between inside face of rear drop outs) ?

Mine was 126mm and had the old Maillard hubs - but modern 130mm will go in without too much of a push.

Later ones went to 135 mm (Deore LX wheel hubs).

In theory this makes a difference to your chainline and therefore spindle length on BB.

 

[rh100]

Will be keeping the triple cranks, so I guess this makes the spindle length longer.

I think the OLN is 130mm, still need to measure it to check, although it has a Deore hub. I tried to swap the wheels between the dawes and the hybrid which I know is 135mm, the wheel off the Dawes is too loose in the hybrid and vice versa.

 

[PpPete]

Assuming everything else is compatible with Shimano current Road Triple chainline of 45mm, you'd be looking at BB 68 x 118. But worth checking the lengths of the spindle in the old BB too.

 

[rh100]

Thanks porkypete - will have a go at this soon.

 

[PpPete]

Here's mine.
And yes I know I've spent more on it than it's worth

 

[rh100]

Here's mine.
And yes I know I've spent more on it than it's worth

That looks really nice.

I don't blame you for spending on it, the frames seem to be well regarded and you must get great pleasure from it.

What size tyres do you use on it?

 

[PpPete]

At the moment it's running on Schwalbe Stelvio 700x25 rigids. I think they are definitely more at the performance end of the scale than you'd normally see on a tourer - But Spa were selling them off @ £8/ea a while ago so I bought several sets. Even with gel pads under the tape and gel gloves I get numb hands on all-day rides so I'll probably get some 28s for the JoGLE.

 

[rh100]

Managed to get the BB off today, using nothing more than a big pair of pipe grips

Took it all out, and found that it has caged bairings, it was covered in a yellow pastey substance, I'm guessing it's whatever grease was put on before and gone bad.

The surface's all looked reasonably ok, you could see the surface of the spindle where the bearings rub had gone shiny, but did not look pitted. So cleaned it all up, greased it and reassembled. I do think it could do with a new BB but this will do for now I think. However, as tight as I did it up, I could not get rid of the last bit of play when moving the cranks, probably only a few mm though.

Also replaced the brake cables and pads, much better now but braking still feels a bit soft compared to the hybrid and I feel less sure of being able to stop quickly when at speed. So may need to look at options for alternative's to cantilever.

Thanks for all advice so far everyone.