Upgrade or Buy New

[stewb]

I have a Dawes Galaxy touring bike, circa 1982. Reynolds 531 frame, an all round good bike in its day. I used to be up to speed with developments in cycling, but have really been out of the loop for well over a decade. More recently I have had a fairly cheap hybrid for getting around town, which is OK, but not much fun to ride out of town. However, I really like having gear changers on the bars.

I know the Dawes needs a good service, and probably a new bottom bracket as it feels very 'notchy'. I would also definitely want to have new gear changers on the bars.

As I mentioned I have no idea about current equivalents to the Galaxy in terms of quality. My question is should I have the Galaxy serviced and upgraded, or should I go for a new machine?

The bike would be mainly for evening and weekend day rides, not serious touring.

Hope you all can give me some good advice.

 

[domtyler]

Sounds to me like you should buy new, a Galaxy is designed for heavy duty touring whereas your requirements dictate that you should be riding something lightweight, fast and fun.

 

[Chris James]

Upgrading will be cheaper.

Your frame will need to be respaced, increasing the gap between the rear dropouts, to accept new wheels.

You will need new wheels if you go for STI shifters as 9 and 10 speed systems are all wider then your 1982 frame will be. I doubt your rear derailleur would work either as it probbaly won't have enough travel.

Your frame probably needs respraying and a new bottom bracket.

All this costs plenty of money.

Then consider that a new Dawes Audax Sport from Spa Cycles costs £504 and woudl be similar to but nippier than your Galaxy. Or you may wish to go for something like a Specialized Allez which would be much lighter and more fun to ride, and better value really.

What do you actually want form your bike, other than STI shifters? Mudguard clearance? Room for a rack? What width tyres? How firma ride? How sporty? From the ansers to these sort of questions you can narrow it down to what new bike would be most suitable.

It is a shame that the upgrade path is better as I like to think that bikes built to last, like your Dawes, should be kept going. Perhaps keep it as a commuter / hack bike / pub bike. People are always suggesting people convert 1980s frames to fixed projects too.

I had a similar decision to make a couple of years ago (I have a 1987 steel tourer similar in spec to the Galaxy of the time) and ended up buying a Dawes Audax - similar to current Supreme model but with a triple chainset. My old frame was always a bit large for me, so I suppose that made the decision easier! The new audax bike was a revelation. Things have moved on a lot in 20 odd years.

 

[domtyler]

Upgrading will be cheaper.

I fail to see how you have managed to quantify either option as the poster has not given a budget or level of spec required.

Also, money is far from being the over riding factor. It is about being on a bike that it is fit for purpose and enjoyable and rewarding to ride.