Dawes Cambridge Mixte - errand bike

[Hebe]

I keep looking at my errand bike and thinking about how much it could be improved with grippier pedals and tyres and how all the plastic clashes with the steel frame ( which I love). And how much I dislike the fake rattan basket on the front, though I am not sure what I would replace it with ( or how I would do so). I changed the saddle a while back but there’s so much more I’d like to change. It was not an expensive bike though, and I’m not sure if that makes it a good choice to work on, or whether I’d be trying to make a silk purse from a sow’s ear (it will always be an errand bike after all). I keep thinking that the bike could be just a bit nicer and a bit less plasticky, and a bit less slidey in the drizzle and that I could be building my skills in the process, then I wonder if I am deluding myself on all counts.

Anyway, it is a Dawes Cambridge Mixte - it had a great service last year and has not been ridden much since then but brakes gears etc all work fine. My fettling is extremely basic but enthusiastic- I change tubes and have changed saddles and pedals in the past. I really enjoy working on bikes, even when it takes forever and needs several goes because of my poor spatial awareness. Does this sound sensible, as a learning exercise? Thank you for reading.

 

[DCBassman]

I love mixtes. Doing up a Revell, very slowly.
Pedals: something like this, maybe?
What tyres are on at the moment?

 

[Chris S]

What exactly is 'plasticky' about it? It looks like a nice bike.

 

[DCBassman]

What exactly is 'plasticky' about it? It looks like a nice bike.

Agreed, although I'd change the pedals as above.

 

[MichaelW2]

MKS make nice pedals. The Sylvian Touring are grippy and flat.

 

[TheDoctor]

Personally, I'd keep the front basket. Or you could replace it with a metal one, or a rattan one, or get rid entirely and fit a front rack.
Definitely get a rear rack and some panniers - a decent pair will hold a weeks worth of shopping if you don't get too carried away with BOGOF / 25% off six bottles or what have you.
Pedals are such an individual choice, but there's a lot of metal ones.
It does look a nice bike. I'd happily go touring on that.

 

[CanucksTraveller]

That's a really nice town bike, I can't see much about it that I'd describe as plasticky. I love the saddle and the grips, very smart.
You can get black metal front baskets that look a little less "twee" although I personally think that rattan style one is lovely and really suits the bike.

New pedals, yes. I'd probably go for some basic metal pedals from Wellgo (probably in black, though they even do purple blue ones that match the colour of your bike):
https://www.wiggle.com/wellgo-lu-987u-flat-pedals
Not a bad upgrade for a tenner.

Maybe tyres might be the next upgrade, not sure what you have on there right now but I'm always unsure about white tyres!

 

[Hebe]

Wow, thank you all for replying. Lots to think about there. Let’s see if I can get multi quote to work. I am reassured that it is worth putting some time and money into tweaking the bike, thank you.

I love mixtes. Doing up a Revell, very slowly.
Pedals: something like this, maybe?
What tyres are on at the moment?

I shall look up your Revell thread and follow. Thank you.
Tyres are Innova 26 x 1 3/8 they came with the bike (photo below). My only reference for tyres is the ones on my Vita, which just seem to engage with the ground a bit more predictably when it’s wet. I’m thinking about Schwalbe Delta Cruisers. Thank you for the pedal suggestion too, they look much better than what is currently on there.

What exactly is 'plasticky' about it? It looks like a nice bike.

Thanks Chris, it is a nice bike, there’s just a few bits that make me wonder about changing it. So in terms of feeling plasticky I would say the pedals first, the chain guard second (so much black plastic) and possibly the shifter, although I know that’s probably nit-picking. It works fine.

MKS make nice pedals. The Sylvian Touring are grippy and flat.

They are pretty! And metal, thank you.

Personally, I'd keep the front basket. Or you could replace it with a metal one, or a rattan one, or get rid entirely and fit a front rack.
Definitely get a rear rack and some panniers - a decent pair will hold a weeks worth of shopping if you don't get too carried away with BOGOF / 25% off six bottles or what have you.
Pedals are such an individual choice, but there's a lot of metal ones.
It does look a nice bike. I'd happily go touring on that.

thank you. I’m torn really. Fake rattan survives the garage and the rain much better than a natural basket. But I like the idea of a rack, and also on the back. I have panniers. I prefer how a bike handles with panniers on the back than a basket on the front.

That's a really nice town bike, I can't see much about it that I'd describe as plasticky. I love the saddle and the grips, very smart.
You can get black metal front baskets that look a little less "twee" although I personally think that rattan style one is lovely and really suits the bike.

New pedals, yes. I'd probably go for some basic metal pedals from Wellgo (probably in black, though they even do purple blue ones that match the colour of your bike):
https://www.wiggle.com/wellgo-lu-987u-flat-pedals
Not a bad upgrade for a tenner.

Maybe tyres might be the next upgrade, not sure what you have on there right now but I'm always unsure about white tyres!

thank you, lots to think about there! I actually find the grips a bit big, but they do work nicely visually. I swapped the saddle for the Brooks soon after I got the bike, I love it. I like the idea of racks that @TheDoctor suggested. I never imagined that coloured pedals existed - they are brilliant! I think pedals are going to be my first change. I quite like the pale tyres on this bike but would look at others too.

 

[DCBassman]

I shall look up your Revell thread and follow. Thank you.

And to you. For what it's worth, I couldn't live with the chainguard either...
I would resist messing with the shifter unless it intolerably, erm, grinds your gears. Could be far more trouble that it would be worth, and if you lose the chainguard, that's excess plastic reduced by about 90% already!
However, if you absolutely must lose the shifter, and you're set on losing the chainguard, consider putting a triple clanger up front. Then ther are a myriad options for changing the shifter and brake levers into a pair of combo levers, which, to be fair, are still mainly plastic, but are altogther less messy that separate brakes and shifters.
BUT... it's just an errand bike, so you probably don't want to do all that!

 

[Hebe]

And to you. For what it's worth, I couldn't live with the chainguard either...
I would resist messing with the shifter unless it intolerably, erm, grinds your gears. Could be far more trouble that it would be worth, and if you lose the chainguard, that's excess plastic reduced by about 90% already!
However, if you absolutely must lose the shifter, and you're set on losing the chainguard, consider putting a triple clanger up front. Then ther are a myriad options for changing the shifter and brake levers into a pair of combo levers, which, to be fair, are still mainly plastic, but are altogther less messy that separate brakes and shifters.
BUT... it's just an errand bike, so you probably don't want to do all that!

I’m glad the chain guard isn’t just me! I can never quite equate the big slab of bendy plastic proclaiming Dawes quality with the steel loveliness of the frame It does look like it wouldn’t be expensive to get a new one, probably in alloy. It might be beyond my rookie skills to fit however. I have found two possible tyres on eBay - the Schwalbe Delta cruisers in cream, or Michelin New World in black/gum wall. When anyone asks what I’d like for Christmas the answer is now cash, so I can tweak my bike. So my first priorities are to choose tyres and pedals and I’ll see where I can go from there.

I think the shifter will stay, given your comments. What is a “triple clanger” though please, out of interest?

Thank you.

 

[DCBassman]

I’m glad the chain guard isn’t just me! I can never quite equate the big slab of bendy plastic proclaiming Dawes quality with the steel loveliness of the frame It does look like it wouldn’t be expensive to get a new one, probably in alloy. It might be beyond my rookie skills to fit however. I have found two possible tyres on eBay - the Schwalbe Delta cruisers in cream, or Michelin New World in black/gum wall. When anyone asks what I’d like for Christmas the answer is now cash, so I can tweak my bike. So my first priorities are to choose tyres and pedals and I’ll see where I can go from there.

I think the shifter will stay, given your comments. What is a “triple clanger” though please, out of interest?

Thank you.

Triple chainring and derailleur a la mountain bike. The only reason I've said that is that it's easy to get a set of 3x7 shifters and a Shimano mtb front derailleur. These will give you more gear options should you want them, and they are also designed to work with V-brakes like yours. And although not in spotless condition, I've a set you can have if you so decide. But it does take a bit of putting together. Not rocket science, but not changing-a-plug simple either.
My mixte, which I've got off my butt and finished to a ridable standard, has a double chainring up front, but it's much more difficult to get shifters for 2x7 thean 3x7.

 

[Hebe]

Thank you, that’s a very generous offer. There is only 18feet of elevation between my house and the shops though, so I should really be good with just the 7 gears. Though it would be fun to ride it a bit further. I think I should probably start with the simple fettling and work my way up. Though in my head I am like this at all the possibilities.

 

[DCBassman]

Other thing I meant to ask is what is the ISO tyre size? 26x1 3/8 might be a different 26 from a mountin bike. There are other figures on the tyre. A mountain bike tyre might be 38-559, for example, where 559 is the diameter of the rim in mm. The 'other' 26 is 590 or some such. I know this by trying to buy the wrong ones! Hard lessons...

 

[DCBassman]

This tells you way more than you'll ever need to know about rim sizes...
All hail Sheldon

 

[Hebe]

Other thing I meant to ask is what is the ISO tyre size? 26x1 3/8 might be a different 26 from a mountin bike. There are other figures on the tyre. A mountain bike tyre might be 38-559, for example, where 559 is the diameter of the rim in mm. The 'other' 26 is 590 or some such. I know this by trying to buy the wrong ones! Hard lessons...

It’s 37-590, marked on the tyre. Definitely not a mountain bike 26, I was put straight on that at the last service . The eBay store that I’m looking at has the metric sizes listed too as a cross-check. so much to learn