Dawes Horizon Tour

[RyanOP]

Hi everyone,

Recently picked up a Dawes Horizon Tour with a Reynolds 520 frame.

I'm looking to restore/upgrade it as best I can as this is the first road/touring bike I've ever owned.

As of writing this, I've managed to get new tires and tubes, running Schwalbe Land Cruisers on a 700x 38c wheel.

I've also managed to make a list of all the parts I need to get, which is pretty much the full bike minus the tires and frame.

Here's a breakdown
- Shimano Sora Brake Levers + Shifters
- Shimano Sora Front Derailleur
- Shimano Acera Rear Derailleur
- SR Suntour CR310 Crankset
- Tektro Oryx Cantilever Brakes
- I need a new bottom bracket and crankset to replace the SR Suntour but I don't have the tool to get to it and find out what I need so if anyone has any idea what I could need that'd be fab

Any help along this journey would be much appreciated as this is my first time doing such a project but I really want to get this bike to a point where I can take it out for longer rides.

Feel free to ask questions and I'll do my best to answer!

Thanks!

 

[Cycleops]

Hello Ryan and welcome to the forum.

If you could post a pic of the actual bike that would help a lot.
The BB is likely going to be square taper so all you need to do is check the spindle length and replace accordingly. You’ll need a crank extractor to remove the crankset but if it’s shot you can just just drift it off with a hammer and length of wood or metal.. Likewise for the BB. I think these bikes originally came with a Shimano crankset so the Suntour might be a replacement so you could revert to a Shimano.
Im not too familiar with the model but I’d check that 38c tyres will fit inside the frame

 

[Vantage]

Hi everyone,

Recently picked up a Dawes Horizon Tour with a Reynolds 520 frame.

I'm looking to restore/upgrade it as best I can as this is the first road/touring bike I've ever owned.

As of writing this, I've managed to get new tires and tubes, running Schwalbe Land Cruisers on a 700x 38c wheel.

I've also managed to make a list of all the parts I need to get, which is pretty much the full bike minus the tires and frame.

Here's a breakdown
- Shimano Sora Brake Levers + Shifters
- Shimano Sora Front Derailleur
- Shimano Acera Rear Derailleur
- SR Suntour CR310 Crankset
- Tektro Oryx Cantilever Brakes
- I need a new bottom bracket and crankset to replace the SR Suntour but I don't have the tool to get to it and find out what I need so if anyone has any idea what I could need that'd be fab

Any help along this journey would be much appreciated as this is my first time doing such a project but I really want to get this bike to a point where I can take it out for longer rides.

Feel free to ask questions and I'll do my best to answer!

Thanks!

What's your budget like?
I ask because Sora shifter/brake levers are gonna cost a small fortune. In the region of £160 or more. A cheaper alternative which I took, is to go for downtube shifters and separate brake levers. Part of the reason I went this route is because of the abysmal braking I was getting from Tektro Oryx cantilevers and believe me, I tried everything to get those bloody things to work. You'll need good brakes to stop a loaded tourer and so I'd recommend full size V brakes and V brake specific levers to use them. Downtube shifters take some getting used to but I wouldn't go back to brifters(sti/brake units). Alternatively, bar end or thumb shifters would also work although bar end shifters are I think quite pricy.
Front dérailleurs last forever but unfortunately, rear ones don't. With that in mind, I'd seriously consider going for a Deore or higher rear derailleur. I've had Acera in the past and they wear out quickly. A little money now will save you alot of money later.
The Shimano UN55 square taper bottom bracket is regarded by many as the bees knees in the touring world.
Spa Cycles own brand chainsets are well made and I've yet to see a bad review of them. Spa allow you to spec the ring sizes on ordering on some of them.

 

[RyanOP]

Thanks for the warm welcome Cycleops and Vantage
I’ll post some pictures shortly, I have managed to fit the 38c tires and I’m currently riding it to work as a makeshift fixie because I can’t change the gears without it skipping and jumping all over the place so it only seems to work best on one chainring at the front and back. Occasionally jumps but I’m putting that down to the chainrings being old and worn out, I can visibly see 2 teeth worn down to bumps opposed to teeth

Budget wise, I’m not really fussed I just don’t want to be splashing cash on the top end stuff so mid range is ok.
I’m quite fond of the Sora shifters so might just replace them. I’m looking to get all the parts I need together and then just do the full lot in a day or two.
The bike itself serves it purpose for now of getting me to and from work (less than 10 mins away and via concrete tracks so I’m never on the road for more than 30 seconds)

The tools are another thing I need to get, thinking of getting one of those packs where you get more or less everything you need.

Thanks for the advice on models for rear derailleur and bottom bracket I’ll have a look!

 

[RyanOP]

With the tires off us when I first got it. Tires on is where it’s at now minus the front derailleur as the cable sheath was rusted and frayed so I couldn’t use the front derailleur, I still have it though

 

[RyanOP]

Cont...

 

[Vantage]

I'd always wondered why my old Dawes Vantage had such a big downtube.
The Horizon was upgraded by Dawes and its replacement budget tourer was named Vantage.

 

[Cycleops]

Maybe they thought it would give it a big adVantage?

 

[RyanOP]

Love that paint job Vantage! I’m seriously considering repainting mine as it’s full of chips and scratches and scuffs

 

[RyanOP]

Definitely want leather wraps too

 

[Vantage]

Definitely want leather wraps too

The wrap on that bike was Deda leather look fake stuff. It did the job perfectly well but after rewrapping a few times it started tearing.
My current rig has Spa leather tape which I can recommend. It's about £27 after you've paid postage but still cheaper than the Brooks stuff which is over £40.
I'm somewhat accident prone so £27 for tape whilst pricy, will hopefully last a long time.

 

[RyanOP]

The wrap on that bike was Deda leather look fake stuff. It did the job perfectly well but after rewrapping a few times it started tearing.
My current rig has Spa leather tape which I can recommend. It's about £27 after you've paid postage but still cheaper than the Brooks stuff which is over £40.
I'm somewhat accident prone so £27 for tape whilst pricy, will hopefully last a long time.

I like the look of Spa’s stuff, glad you recommended them, otherwise I would’ve been forming out for Brooks which as much as they are nice I don’t need that much of a high end saddle

 

[RyanOP]

I like the look of Spa’s stuff, glad you recommended them, otherwise I would’ve been forming out for Brooks which as much as they are nice I don’t need that much of a high end saddle

Forking*

 

[Gunk]

That’s very similar to the sort of bike I restore. My advice would be to strip it back to bare frame. You can then carefully check each component on the bench and either clean/restore or replace, you’ll be surprised how well some of this stuff will come up with some wire wool and WD40. I would then replace all the cables, BB and headset, I would also strip out the wheel spindles and replace the bearings.

You then have the comfort when it’s all reassembled that it’s as good as a brand new bike. There is no greater pleasure than riding a bike that you have built yourself.

 

[Vantage]

I like the look of Spa’s stuff, glad you recommended them, otherwise I would’ve been forming out for Brooks which as much as they are nice I don’t need that much of a high end saddle

Ah, that's one thing I can't recommend. Their saddles.
It's a personal thing as we all know but my experience of Spa's leather saddles is that they absolutely will not ever break in. I think there's been a few reports of them getting softer with age but on the whole most users find them rock hard and that never changes. Shame really.
They have a sort of water proof membrane glued to the underside of the saddles which stops the leather stretching.