Dawes Galaxy restoration ???

[Middle aged Mick]

Hi there.
Being now middle aged and slightly, ok more than slightly overweight (touching 15 stone) I have decided the time has come to do somthing about it.
As a regular cyclist in my late teens and 20s, and having had a cruciate ligament repair (ski injury) in recent years the best way forward seems to be to rekindle my interest in cycling.
I am currently trying to shed some pounds in preparation and my thoughts have turned to what bike to try.
Having read some great advice on here I have dusted off my fathers old Dawes Galaxy (about 1982 vintage) and it seems a good idea to renovate, perhaps modernise and generally spruce up this old bike. It has been stored in a reasonably dry garage for many of the years and appears reasonably sound.
The frame and paintwork look very good, albeit dusty but the chrome has suffered and has extensive surface corrosion. the rims look ok along with the cranks bars etc but the cabling looks rusted.
My now elderly father wont be able to ride it anymore but would be glad to see it back in use and enjoy a small part in its restoration and the time we would spend together doing it.
So, to get to the point, is it worth restoring, would it be useable for touring when complete and how would it compare to a modern equivalent.
I would also be very gratefull for any advice as to what if anything to upgrade or replace, in fact any advice would be much very much appreciated before i spend money needlessly.

 

[lip03]

all depends on what you want from the bike i have friends that have restored old road bikes and gone way over the top i.e using carbon fibre seatposts, bars, wheels even!
also used new groupsets (duraillers, levers, bottom bracket, cranks) like sora or even ultegra. an old steel frame wont be as light as a modern bike but if loosing weight is the goal then a little hard work wont go a miss i suppose! i can all be done relatively cheap if you look hard enough ebay is usually my first point of call just be wary of anything too cheap! if i had the bike and wanted to keep cost down wich i always do! i would probably go for new tyres and tubes if the wheels are ok new chain and all new cables as you said they are rusty try youtube for instructions you can find how to do pretty much anything!

anything else is purely up to you really most chrome will clean up with a bit of effort (wd40 and wirewool or scrunched up tinfoil will get the worst off) so dont give up on it just yet!

hope that helps

 

[biggs682]

mick why not go for simple bits to get bike mobile and see how you get on , if you feel that you like what you have then just do bits that need doing as you go along , as you might end up spending loads doing her up and then not liking it

 

[Middle aged Mick]

Thanks for the guidance both of you, I think I will check the frame thoroughly and then go for the minimum of replacement of kit I can get away with. My aim is to get something that is safe and serviceable without spending too much as my budget is tight.
I would like to try some small cycle tours ( 2-3 days) in the future and can see some investment in panniers/ bags being necessary so if I can save where sensible on the bike that would be good. If anyone has advice on panniers etc feel free to chip in.
For the bike I am thinking enew tubes and tyres, possibly the new tubes with puncture sealant in( are they any good?) Also new cables etc. The bearings all seem to run smoothly but would it be wise to strip any grease anyway?

 

[biggs682]

mick totally agree re above plans , have a look at my post in this http://www.cyclechat.net/threads/nice-find-and-local.107159/ as racks in pics are surplus to my uses now , feel free to start a conversation if any good to you , sure we can work something out

 

[snorri]

I would imagine in a bike of that age the bottom bracket bearing would not be of the sealed type. Worth considering if you should service the existing bearing or replace with a sealed unit.

 

[Ed no-more-lemons]

Pre Reynolds 501 tubing, quality manufacturer that's gotta be worthwhile? Load's on Google, I'm thinking the Galaxy may have been mid market. Fishing here but how durable are these sealed unit bottombracked cartridge things? Traditional cups seem to go on forever on a budget and with a little TLC.

 

[sidevalve]

There are those who will tell you that an old Galaxy can be found for £20 but short of one that's had the frame cut in half with a hacksaw I aint naver seen it. I love old Dawes bikes [yeah, I know, you can get treatment]. Having restored my Dawes [which weighs in at a tad over10kg, not bad even now] I think they form an easy and rewarding project. As you say change tyres and tubes AND brake blocks, if on a tight budget cables can often be saved [if not damaged] simply by stripping out the inners cleaning and lubricating. One piece of advice however, strip, clean and regrease EVERY bearing, it will be time well spent. BB may be sealed but they last well and may be ok, if not they are simple to change [of course if it's the old ball type just clean and grease as above]. All the bits are available on E Bay at reasonable prices and [as I've said before] I restored mine for under £30 [ok I blew the budget on a Brooks saddle, but that's just me].
Good luck !