What to do? Modify or sell?

[RichardB]

Help me out, folks. Long story short, I started back cycling with an ebike last year, used it to commute 4 days a week, got fitter, decided to get back to a 'proper' bike and go by leg power from next spring. Slightly for sentimental reasons, I bought a Dawes Galaxy Cromo (triple, wide range gears, drop bars) and it's great. However, I am not feeling the love. At the same time as I got the Dawes, I dragged my old Raleigh MTB out of the shed and gave it a full clean and refurb. That has got roughly the same gear range as the Dawes, but with flat bars and a more upright position. The two are side by side in my garage, and every time I go out I take the old bike. I find it more comfy, I suppose, and in a vague way it's easier to ride. I'm not getting along with the drop bars on the Dawes like I thought I would, and I don't like the combined shifters and brakes at all. So, I need to make a decision: do I spend some money on the Dawes and fit flat bars (plus levers, shifters, grips etc) or do I sell it, cut my losses and get something more like the MTB? If the Dawes had cost me £2-300 or so, I would just put it on eBay and take the hit, but it was over £800 and therefore a serious investment. I need to make it right for me, or move it on and start again. The bike hasn't done 200 miles yet and is mint, and I feel it would be a bad idea to start modifying something so new. If it was a car, I would say 'sell it and buy something more suitable'. But if I decided to give it a few months and see if I got used to it, it will be more 'used' and therefore not worth as much. And of course if I do sell it, it's a bad time of year. I would probably wait until the spring to do that.

I know that nobody can make the decision for me, but any observations would be welcome to help me decide what to do. It's really nagging at me, because the Dawes is a lovely bike and I don't want to waste it. But if I am leaving it in the shed and riding a bike worth 5p in preference, I need to do something about it. If I do sell, does anyone have any recommendations, aside from eBay?

Thanks for listening.

 

[raleighnut]

I'd convert the Dawes to a flat-bar, use Deore (or above) spec MTB shifters and mechs (the front you have should be OK though) or maybe think about trekking/butterfly bars on it.
My favourite set up is flat bars with trigger shifters although I've also got 2 bikes with 'Bullhorn' handlebars but with bar-end levers in the ends and a couple of old drop-bar bikes (but they still have downtube shifters)
I fitted drop-bar 'Brifters' to one of mine once but couldn't get on with them at all, the action of pushing the brake lever sideways to change gear was just weird and as for riding 'on the hoods', words fail me.

 

[Elswick Cotterpin]

I think you'd probably take a loss wherever you sell it, and there are an awful lot of Galaxies for sale, especially this time of year when Dawes start cutting prices. You may be lucky and find someone who appreciates a good bike and is willing to pay a sensible price.

Where did you buy it? Part-ex an option? Take it back and trade up for someting you'd prefer, maybe a hybrid would suit you more? a bit mountain bike a bit road?

I'm not sure what it would cost to convert it to flats, it's do-able, but depends if you want the hassle/can you do it yourself/how much etc.

I can sympathise with your problem, I'd always wanted a Galaxy, bought one, rode it perhaps half a dozen times, but I never really took to it. It was probably more bike than I needed for the kind of pootling around that I do. It sat in the shed for five years gathering dust until I finally decided to sell it... at a loss.

Good luck with it, whatever you decide.

 

[GrumpyGregry]

my 2p.

Keep it in the garage in mint nick. Sell it. On here first goes, then fleabay. In the spring. You won't lose that much.

Converting it is good money after bad imo. One mod you could try, which adds value, is to put cross top (cyclocross) levers on the bars. Then you can ride on the tops (the flat bit) and still brake a la mtb.

(or put more miles in on it, but it sounds like your heart isn't in that)

MTB's feel quite different to touring bikes. And I found it took me over a year and about 5000km, to get used to drops after riding mtb's exclusively for years'n'years.

 

[User32269]

2 suggestions from my experience's.

If you decide to go down conversion route, have a look for a suitable donor bike. I have found lots of battered old MTB's but with decent components on them. Then sell removed Dawes bits separately on eBay. Also, if you have enough old bits in shed, clean and rebuild MTB and sell it cheap.

Have you considered offering a swap deal? The Dawes is a desirable bike and you could well find someone willing to swap for comparable MTB.

I live in Liverpool, but I have advertised bikes on London sites, Gumtree etc. offering courier service, as I have found I can get better prices.

 

[raleighnut]

2 suggestions from my experience's.

If you decide to go down conversion route, have a look for a suitable donor bike. I have found lots of battered old MTB's but with decent components on them. Then sell removed Dawes bits separately on eBay. Also, if you have enough old bits in shed, clean and rebuild MTB and sell it cheap.

Have you considered offering a swap deal? The Dawes is a desirable bike and you could well find someone willing to swap for comparable MTB.

I'd advise against selling the removed parts, if you come to sell the bike in the future you can return it to standard. A 2nd hand Dawes in good condition is worth the same regardless of age.

 

[User32269]

I'd advise against selling the removed parts, if you come to sell the bike in the future you can return it to standard. A 2nd hand Dawes in good condition is worth the same regardless of age.

Yeah good point. I was just looking at it from the view that the Dawes, once modified, would be a "keeper" and flogging stuff offsets the cost. I'm just a tightwad who usually has crap bikes!

 

[simon.r]

Try to work out what you don't like about the Dawes. Is it just the bars, or is there something beyond that?

I had a 'good' bike a few years ago that I just didn't get on with. There was no logical reason that I could come up with, it just didn't feel right whatever tinkering I did. Like you, I passed it by for another bike whenever I went out. In the end I sold it at a loss of several hundred pounds, but it had to go.

 

[raleighnut]

Yeah good point. I was just looking at it from the view that the Dawes, once modified, would be a "keeper" and flogging stuff offsets the cost. I'm just a tightwad who usually has crap bikes!

You should be able to fit Stem, Handlebars. Shifters/brakes, Mech and Cables for about £150. If you the still don't like the bike swap em over to the Raleigh MTB.

 

[craigwend]

Some very good suggestions about above.

My gut is don't convert it - keep, sell or swap as above.

I have a galaxy & when I moved from my old road bike (Raleigh record ace) - it felt sluggish & slow etc*, however it's a 'touring bike' at heart & designed for loads & long distance etc, perhaps that's why it 'feels wrong' (*However it now feels like an old pair of slippers when I ride it - beyond comfort - though slower & less fun than my road bike)

Conversely I don't 'like' flat bars & seriously considered changing the one's on my MTB to drops - then recognised 'cost & faffing' etc. Also when I did a 50% off road coast to coast a few years back it came into it's what it's designed for & made perfect sense.

Perhaps a swap to a hybrid or flat barred road bike would best suit?

 

[adamhearn]

Assuming no damage, a used bike of 2 months with no mileage is only worth marginally more than a used bike with 1000 miles. You're more likely to get less for it across a new year model boundary and that's already what you're facing. On that basis I'd ride it and see if you can narrow in on what you really don't like.

Given you have no emotional tie to the bike it's simply not worth spending a large chunk of change swapping the controls over to flat bar.

Converting it is good money after bad imo. One mod you could try, which adds value, is to put cross top (cyclocross) levers on the bars. Then you can ride on the tops (the flat bit) and still brake a la mtb.

This is where I am too

 

[RichardB]

Some really worthwhile contributions here, and I thank you all. I'm getting in a bit of a pickle over this and thinking about it when I ought to be trying to get some sleep, so other people's views are very helpful. Trying to take some of the points above:

I think the drop bars on the Dawes are the main issue. I rode drop bar bikes from the age of 14 to about 35, but since then 99% of my riding has been on an MTB. I don't find the drops very comfy and I prefer a more upright riding position these days. Other than the position (and those levers) the bike is superb. The frame is superbly comfy. I guess the question is simply - is it better to fit flat bars/bar ends and thumb shifters to the Dawes (most of which I could offset by selling the Sora STIs), and end up with a knit-your-own hybrid, or cut my losses, sell the Dawes and start again - this time knowing much more about what I want. (I think the Dawes was a bit of an impulse buy, to be honest. Most of my riding is poor-quality back roads, and the Dawes, even though it seems quite rugged and a touring bike, seems a bit too 'roady' for that.)

The spec for the ideal bike would be: steel rigid frame, flat bars/bar ends, triple chainset with good low range of gears, thumb shifters, disc brakes, 26" wheels. All doable, except for the brakes, but I think it would be better to move the bike on to someone who wanted a dedicated tourer, and use the Raleigh until I can sort out a bike that is closer to my needs. A swap would be ideal, of course, but would need a dose of luck. I think I will get rid of the Dawes by whatever means and start again, but probably in the Spring. I will definitely pop back to my LBS to see if they would do a buy-back or part-exchange, and perhaps put a post on here to see if anyone is interested in a sale or swap - otherwise, put it back in the garage and wait until the warmer weather returns.

I've been chewing this over for weeks, and the opinions here have really helped me focus on the important things, so thanks to everyone.

 

[Saluki]

Wasn't someone after a Galaxy a week or so ago? I seem to remember a thread about it.

 

[RichardB]

Wasn't someone after a Galaxy a week or so ago? I seem to remember a thread about it.

Might have missed that, will have a look. Thanks.

 

[derrick]

What about down tube shifters http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/NOS-VINTA...026118?hash=item2809cb8ac6:g:3SIAAOSwWnFV8eic
Chop the bars to make them more like cow horns use original levers as brakes only, Should cost you 30 odd quid, Just a thought.
https://www.lfgss.com/conversations/170013/