bygone era
Über Member
for those of you who use these bikes what is your honest opinion of them are they better than drop bars and are they reliable and whats the braking like in the wet ive seen a 2012 one with deore gear on thanks
users of dawes karakorum bikes
- Thread starter bygone era
- Start date
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There are two questions here:
Drops vs flat barred (or Butterfly barred) bikes for touring.
Personally (and it is personal) I'm in the flat barred camp (I have MTB type grips on the end of my bars rather than full butterfly bars)
However the majority of serious touring bikes are Drops.
There are pros and cons with both options, ultimately its whats best for you, drops typically have the faster riding position, flat bars give you a better viewing position. but there are a number of other pros and cons.
The Dawes Karakum vs other mass produced touring bikes.
The Karakum is at the lower end of the spec.
In my personal opinion for probably a little less money you could buy a 2nd hand bike twice as good
The Dawes Super Galaxy is the benchmark touring bike.
New, they start at over a grand.
You can get a decent 2nd one for around £3-400
Even if you had to spend another £100 on new parts you would still have a better bike.
The biggest issue is to ensure you get professionally measured for a bike frame.
Once you have your sizing, THEN start to look what is best for you.
Buying a bargain bike that is one size to big/small is a false economy, it can take you 1,000 miles to find this out the hard way.
Drops vs flat barred (or Butterfly barred) bikes for touring.
Personally (and it is personal) I'm in the flat barred camp (I have MTB type grips on the end of my bars rather than full butterfly bars)
However the majority of serious touring bikes are Drops.
There are pros and cons with both options, ultimately its whats best for you, drops typically have the faster riding position, flat bars give you a better viewing position. but there are a number of other pros and cons.
The Dawes Karakum vs other mass produced touring bikes.
The Karakum is at the lower end of the spec.
In my personal opinion for probably a little less money you could buy a 2nd hand bike twice as good
The Dawes Super Galaxy is the benchmark touring bike.
New, they start at over a grand.
You can get a decent 2nd one for around £3-400
Even if you had to spend another £100 on new parts you would still have a better bike.
The biggest issue is to ensure you get professionally measured for a bike frame.
Once you have your sizing, THEN start to look what is best for you.
Buying a bargain bike that is one size to big/small is a false economy, it can take you 1,000 miles to find this out the hard way.
The height of the (normal grip position) bars relative to the saddle is independent of the bar shape. Drop bars give you a lower option which is useful on descents. In a headwind, narrow hand position is just as useful as low to reduce frontal air resistance. Again drop bars permit a narrower handhold.
Butterfly/trekking bars take MTB style controls which simplify the transmission arrangements for tourists who want MTB style low gears. My 9 speed road levers have real difficulty operating MTB sized rings with any slickness. You can also fit brake levers that are matched to V brakes, cable disks or hydraulics.
You can fit butterfly bars to any frame. What advantage does the Karakum have over any traditional hybrid bike?
If braking is a priority, consider cable disk brakes. My commuter bike has Shimano versions and they are reliable, effective in all conditions and easy to service.
Butterfly/trekking bars take MTB style controls which simplify the transmission arrangements for tourists who want MTB style low gears. My 9 speed road levers have real difficulty operating MTB sized rings with any slickness. You can also fit brake levers that are matched to V brakes, cable disks or hydraulics.
You can fit butterfly bars to any frame. What advantage does the Karakum have over any traditional hybrid bike?
If braking is a priority, consider cable disk brakes. My commuter bike has Shimano versions and they are reliable, effective in all conditions and easy to service.
Lostagain
Active Member
Only 2 years since the last posting on this thread. I have a Karakum, and whilst I've yet to do any serious touring (COVID pandemic is partly responsible) I've found it a very comfortable ride and a reliable bike. The butterfly bars can be adjusted to a wide range of positions, and to me are far more comfortable than straights or drops (appreciate though what Michael W2 says). The only issue is the front rack. I have Ortlieb panniers and there isn't a suitable gap on the top rail of the rack to allow the click fixing. I contacted Dawes for advice on a suitable pannier and they were less than helpful. The Ortlieb distributor on the other hand went out of his way to try and solve the issue, although sadly in the end he wasn't able to help. The solution seems to be to use a cutting tool to cut out a suitable gap.
- Location
- London
get a Tubus rack?
Lostagain
Active Member
Good idea, thanks
John D.C. Masters
Regular
I'm a big fan of my 2019 Karakum, but then again I've upgraded it quite a bit. I bought in new, in Cork, for my first long ride, the Wild Atlantic Way in the summer of 2019. Four panniers, a pack on the back as well with tent, bag, etc...I loved the bike form the outset except for the drive train. It's really not made for long steep hills while carrying a 35 kilo load. In Bantry I was able to switch out the rear 11-32 cassette for a 12-46 mountain bike cassette which made life much easier. Eventually I evened out the sprocket ratio here in Greece where I live with a new front set, but in 2019 I was happy enough. In the meantime I have added 40mm tyres and a Surly front rack which is also a huge improvement on the stock rack from Dawes, which is kind of lame. I was al set for more long rides and then the pandemic, lockdown, etc...Next summer (2025) I will be heading out on another long ride--Nordkapp, Norway to Paros, Greece (where I live). 7300km. I will be riding the Karakum.
John D.C. Masters
Regular
Jameshow
Veteran
https://www.bikeradar.com/reviews/bikes/road-bikes/dawes-karakum-review
Good honest touring bike imho.
Good honest touring bike imho.
