Dawes Heritage bikes, esp Cambridge Mixte

[Hebe]

http://www.dawescycles.com/p-577-cambridge-mixte.aspx

I like this one. I'm getting my current shopper/errand hybrid ready to sell and fancy this as a replacement. It would be for short (sub 5mile) mainly flat trips. My Vita does the faster longer leisure rides, and my mtb does offroad and trailer-towing, so this would be purely for pootling, of which I do seem to do a fair bit. I couldn't test ride this one (cream tyres wet carpark) but did try a Duchess with similar gearing which was fine in the limited riding.

Is there any reason that this bike wouldn't be fit for the fairly limited purpose above? I'm not familiar with either Dawes as a brand or with steel framed bikes. Thank you.

 

[growingvegetables]

Fwiw - I tried a Dawes 10 years ago. Fell in love and got it. Went on to try the tandem version. Same story.

Imho, the only problem with a Dawes is that you kinda lose interest in comparing other makes ... but that's maybe me showing my age, and remembering their reputation when I was a kid.

 

[mcshroom]

Another vote for Dawes having just completed a 900 mile tour on their 'budget' touring bike. The heritage range are heavy things, but should be reliable and well built

 

[Hebe]

Thank you both, good to hear some positive experiences. The mixte actually feels lighter than my Marin (and is far prettier to my eyes). I really liked the ride on the Duchess, the ride was far lighter and smoother than its appearance suggested. I do prefer the frame of the mixte though.

Congratulations on the 900mile tour, mcshroom!

 

[AnythingButVanilla]

I've no experience with Dawes bikes that is so pretty that you *have* to buy it! I saw a mixte in Evans the other week, might have been by Charge, and it was a gorgeous coppery colour and glittery but it's a fixed/ss so no use to me.

 

[PpPete]

Dawes bikes outnumber everything else in our family stable, but they are all old ones from when Dawes still had a serious reputation.
Not to say they don't make some good bikes now... but the Heritage models smack of trying to jump on an imagined "Pashley" bandwagon.

 

[Hebe]

Thanks! I think there is a geared Charge mixte too (Hob3?) and also a Kona Roundabout, which is gorgeous, but they're both substantially pricier than the Dawes (and not in the shop just down the road).

 

[Hebe]

Dawes bikes outnumber everything else in our family stable, but they are all old ones from when Dawes still had a serious reputation.
Not to say they don't make some good bikes now... but the Heritage models smack of trying to jump on an imagined "Pashley" bandwagon.

Thanks for replying. That did bother me a bit. I was thinking about a Pashley originally, but I prefer the mixte frame of the Dawes and the gearing (and price) are both better for me.

 

[Hebe]

I bought it. By the time I'd sold my Marin and got the money together, the bike was on sale. I love it. Just absolutely love it. I'm going to sort out a new saddle, and it needs a couple of little tweaks to the setup, but for pootling into town etc it's just perfect.

eta wonky rear mudguard now fixed.