cromoly?

[GrumpyGregry]

This.
Last year my chain stuck in my rear mech, and dragged the whole rear mech into the spokes. It bent the rear triangle.
A frame builder applied some heat and straightened it, and it was as good as new.
An alu or carbon frame would have been a write-off.

Maybe, maybe not. I'd wager 99 times out of a hundred the steel sacrificial mech hangar would fail on an ali frame before the rear triangle got involved. It's also somewhat mythological that ali frames can't be cold-set.

 

[young Ed]

^^^ What @Adrian said. The R500 wheels are respected wheels for sporting use but for touring you want something more robust, especially as you've expressed an intent to camp so will be carrying a bit of weight.

Factory wheels may be just fine but, if you want self reliance in the field, Shimano XT or Ultegra hubs laced with an orthodox 36 hole 3 cross pattern to robust rims is the way to go.

when i have saved and spent and got my self a galaxy i will probably buy a cheap hub and a cheap rim and loads and loads of spokes and nipples and just practice lacing myself until i can build a decent strong wheel my self i will then splash out on good spokes and nipples and a good hub and rim and lace my self a pair of nice new awesome wheels!

i will be going light weigh self supported without spending thousands of pounds on kit and gear
sub 10kg for the gear definitely plus of course the bikes weight plus the riders weight (i weigh 65kg or just over 10 stone) could r500 wheels cope with this for that sort of mileage for about 4 weeks max? i would be happy to give them really good bearings before a leave and replace with really good bearings when i come back if needed and i would of course keep tire pressures at an optimum with good tyres
Cheers Ed

 

[SS Retro]

Galaxy's were always Reynolds tubing in fact all Dawes used to be, seems that you have to spend over a grand these days to get Reynolds tubes on a Dawes tourer but they are worth it light and comfortable. They don't make what was the universal standard, 531 any more they only do special runs for anniversary's the modern equivalent is the 520's range.

There's also Columbus tunes from Italy that are equal or better to Reynolds and there's Tange from Japan no experience of that.

Anything else in steel terms is just gas pipe!

 

[GrumpyGregry]

Anything else in steel terms is just gas pipe!

indeed.

 

[GrumpyGregry]

Factory wheels may be just fine but, if you want self reliance in the field, Shimano XT or Ultegra hubs laced with an orthodox 36 hole 3 cross pattern to robust rims is the way to go.

SLX is just as bombproof at half the money though innit?

 

[wintergreen]

when i have saved and spent and got my self a galaxy i will probably buy a cheap hub and a cheap rim and loads and loads of spokes and nipples and just practice lacing myself until i can build a decent strong wheel my self i will then splash out on good spokes and nipples and a good hub and rim and lace my self a pair of nice new awesome wheels!

i will be going light weigh self supported without spending thousands of pounds on kit and gear
sub 10kg for the gear definitely plus of course the bikes weight plus the riders weight (i weigh 65kg or just over 10 stone) could r500 wheels cope with this for that sort of mileage for about 4 weeks max? i would be happy to give them really good bearings before a leave and replace with really good bearings when i come back if needed and i would of course keep tire pressures at an optimum with good tyres
Cheers Ed

An out of the box Galaxy will be good enough, more than good enough for what you need. Dont even think about buying differnt drive trains and wheels and all the other bits and bobs, You wont have to change anything (well maybe the saddle). If after doing a few tours you think you might benefit from doing some upgrades then fair enough but its not something you should be worrying about before even riding one.
I have owned 3 Galaxies over the years, an 80's, 90's and now a 2013 and each one of them has been a perfectly adequate (bit of an understatement) touring bike.
I dont know what the Galaxy Al is like. I dont see much difference between that and the Dawes Vantage but as far as I am concerned a Galxay should be steel.

 

[young Ed]

An out of the box Galaxy will be good enough, more than good enough for what you need. Dont even think about buying differnt drive trains and wheels and all the other bits and bobs, You wont have to change anything (well maybe the saddle). If after doing a few tours you think you might benefit from doing some upgrades then fair enough but its not something you should be worrying about before even riding one.
I have owned 3 Galaxies over the years, an 80's, 90's and now a 2013 and each one of them has been a perfectly adequate (bit of an understatement) touring bike.
I dont know what the Galaxy Al is like. I dont see much difference between that and the Dawes Vantage but as far as I am concerned a Galxay should be steel.

you are perfect my man!
should i get a S/H old one 80's or 90's or a modern one either S/H or maybe even new?
Cheers Ed

 

[wintergreen]

you are perfect my man!
should i get a S/H old one 80's or 90's or a modern one either S/H or maybe even new?
Cheers Ed

I would recomend buying the newest your budget will allow. My first choice would be new obviously but if I couldnt afford new then I would be looking at buying the most modern one I could afford - less ware and tear on the parts being my main choice for that but there will always be exceptions. Lots of people buy touring bikes with every intention of touring the world but in reality never get much further than the local shops.
I loved my 80's and 90's Galaxies but have to say I preffer the new one. At first I wasnt sure about the sloping top tube but it grew on me. I also think it gives a more confident ride off road but that could just be in my mind. The wheels on the new Galaxy are alexrims ace19. I know they arent the best rims in the world, I know I can get lighter and stronger rims but why do I want to rush out and spend a few hundred pounds buying better wheels when the ones I have are plenty good enough, they along with any other parts will be replaced when needed not before. Its very easy to get caught in the trap of having to have the lightest/strongest/shineyest new part but try and avoid that, buy the best you can afford and dont even think about replacing parts until it is needed, Just enjoy your bike.

 

[GrumpyGregry]

Yeah but, once the rim and spokes are factored in, the difference is not that great.

fair play that is true esp if getting 'em built rather than d-i-y.

 

[wintergreen]

Has anyone mentioned the Surly Long Haul Trucker yet?

I had a Long Haul Trucker for a few months. It as a perfectly good bike. I just didnt like it. Theres nothing wrong with the LHT but for some reason unknown to me I just couldnt bring myself to enjoy riding the bike. It felt very bland and uninspiring. I know they are great bikes and people shout their praises from every corner of the internet but the LHT wasnt for me.

 

[young Ed]

I would recomend buying the newest your budget will allow. My first choice would be new obviously but if I couldnt afford new then I would be looking at buying the most modern one I could afford - less ware and tear on the parts being my main choice for that but there will always be exceptions. Lots of people buy touring bikes with every intention of touring the world but in reality never get much further than the local shops.
I loved my 80's and 90's Galaxies but have to say I preffer the new one. At first I wasnt sure about the sloping top tube but it grew on me. I also think it gives a more confident ride off road but that could just be in my mind. The wheels on the new Galaxy are alexrims ace19. I know they arent the best rims in the world, I know I can get lighter and stronger rims but why do I want to rush out and spend a few hundred pounds buying better wheels when the ones I have are plenty good enough, they along with any other parts will be replaced when needed not before. Its very easy to get caught in the trap of having to have the lightest/strongest/shineyest new part but try and avoid that, buy the best you can afford and dont even think about replacing parts until it is needed, Just enjoy your bike.

will save the pennies then! i was looking more at the new/more modern ones
what galaxy you got by the way?
and yes i admit shiny stuff is my weak point, i am a cycing magpie if you want!

Has anyone mentioned the Surly Long Haul Trucker yet?

could get the galaxy AL for half the price or at least 400 quid cheaper
Cheers Ed

 

[wintergreen]

I had something a bit like that with the Dave Yates Audax frame I bought from Charlotte of YACF. I just didn't like it, it always felt dull and heavy. After I replaced it, I rebuilt it as a fixed wheel bike and now love it. Odd.

I couldnt in all honesty fault the LHT. It was a fine bicycle but it didnt make me smile. It felt too much like a tool for doing a job rather than something you should enjoy riding.

 

[wintergreen]

will save the pennies then! i was looking more at the new/more modern ones
what galaxy you got by the way?
and yes i admit shiny stuff is my weak point, i am a cycing magpie if you want!

I bought the Galaxy Plus. The reason being it came with bar end shifters rather than STI. I prefer the bar end shifters on a touring bike and by buying the higher models a lot of the price would be on STI's and other higher spec parts that arent really needed. OK the frames on the higher models are a little lighter but when you add 20kg+ of luggage and my 85kg the weight savings of the frame dont make that much difference.
By buying the bike from Spa I saved enough money on the list price to buy a complete set of ortlieb panniers and handlebar bag and still have change to buy some cake on the rides I have enjoyed so far this month.

 

[young Ed]

I bought the Galaxy Plus. The reason being it came with bar end shifters rather than STI. I prefer the bar end shifters on a touring bike and by buying the higher models a lot of the price would be on STI's and other higher spec parts that arent really needed. OK the frames on the higher models are a little lighter but when you add 20kg+ of luggage and my 85kg the weight savings of the frame dont make that much difference.
By buying the bike from Spa I saved enough money on the list price to buy a complete set of ortlieb panniers and handlebar bag and still have change to buy some cake on the rides I have enjoyed so far this month.

i can get the vantage for £450 from spa at the moment or the dawes galaxy cross AL or the galaxy cross for £500
Cheers Ed

 

[wintergreen]

i can get the vantage for £450 from spa at the moment or the dawes galaxy cross AL or the galaxy cross for £500
Cheers Ed

I wouldnt consider the Galaxy cross purely because of the flat bar setup. I dont enjoy doing any sort of distance with flat bars as I find them uncomfortable and changing to drops just adds more expense. The Vantage and the Galaxy Al look very similar. I have seen the odd Vantage pop up on Gumtree now and then and they seem to sell very cheap second hand. I havent seen a Galaxy Al for sale second hand so have no idea what sort of price you should expect to pay for one. Galaxys usually fetch a half decent resale price if they have been well looked after but an ally Galaxy, who knows?
Keep saving and keep looking, if you are patient enough you will get the bike you want at the right price.