New to touring is this bike suitable?

[Charlie_P]

I aim to ride the coast to coast (Whitehaven to Sunderland) in June and although my fifty year old Raleigh Superbe is a 'beacon' of reliability I don't think it'll cope very well with the hills given it's only got 3 speeds. I also am looking to embark on more adventurous routes in the more distant future such as crossing the Pyrenees.

My search so far has found a Dawes Galaxy 531st I predict it will cost around £150-200. I think it's from late 80's early 90's. However it's only a 12 speed, would that suffice or would it be possible to put a new front deraillure and all that jazz to make it 18 speed. or would i be better off going for something different?

total budget is around £350

I would be grateful for anyhelp,

Charlie

 

[chriswoody]

In all honesty I wouldn't bother. It will be hard and potentially expensive to upgrade a bike of that age. If you have up to £350 to spend then bide your time. For that money you can buy a far newer bike which will have all the gearing you need. There are always galaxys for sale and by watching and waiting you can get a feel for what's a good price.

eBay can be a trap for the unwary I've seen some really rough old rubish going for crazy money on there. That's not to say you couldn't find a bargain but be careful. I would try the classifieds here as well as the ctc forum.

Good luck and don't rush in! I spent 4 months looking for my super galaxy and 16 years later I'm still riding it. It's been all over Europe and is a fantastic bike, though the only original part still left that I've not worn out is the frame! If you find a good one you will love it.

 

[Moodyman]

Agree with ChrisWoody.

£350 secondhand should get you something better and more recent.

Old bikes are geat, but getting compatible parts can be a pain.

I'd aim for a late 90s/ early 2000s bike where parts are more readily availabe.

 

[Charlie_P]

Cheers for your help, I'll keep looking!

 

[Alembicbassman]

You should get a late 1990s tourer in very nice condition for £350.

 

[GrumpyGregry]

A contrary view If you could get it for £150 and it's in good nick I'd say buy it. When that bike was new it defined mass produced tourers. If it could cross the Pyrenees in the late 80's why couldn't it do so now? It isn't how many gears you've got that matters, but rather what the range of ratios actually is.

 

[chriswoody]

True enough, I once cycled up porlock hill on a 5 speed gas pipe special, but given the choice between that and my 27 speed super galaxy I know which one I'd prefer!

 

[Charlie_P]

I think I have found a good bike to start on. It's a Dawes horizon about 8 years old, hopefully the price won't rocket.

Is there anywhere on the forum where I can read up on gear ratios?

 

[Oldlegs]

Sheldon Brown's your best bet for reading about gear ratios and just about anything else on a bike.

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/

Oh and welcome to the forum