Dawes Horizon Tour

[RyanOP]

Tried out the gears this morning.
I can use the highest gear on my cassette and the two lowest gears but not the ones in between.
I have a feeling that’s where the damaged rings are on the cassette.
but that’s okay because I have my new one and for the time being I can use a lower gear for any hills or to make pedalling a bit easier in the wind.

 

[RyanOP]

Got some degreaser arriving tomorrow which I want to use just to clean up my drivetrain a bit more.

I know I need to order a new chain for my new cassette, is it necessary to wait until I have a new crank & chain rings until fitting cassette & chain? Or can I fit my new cassette and chain but keep the old front chainrings for now?

 

[Vantage]

I can use the highest gear on my cassette and the two lowest gears but not the ones in between.

That's a new one on me

Or can I fit my new cassette and chain but keep the old front chainrings for now?

Give it a whirl. The worst that'll happen is the chain could slip on the old rings but it's unlikely. That takes some serious wear.

 

[raleighnut]

That's a new one on me




Give it a whirl. The worst that'll happen is the chain could slip on the old rings but it's unlikely. That takes some serious wear.

nah it's common for the most used teeth on the back to refuse to play nicely with a new chain so if someone rode in the middle of the cassette a lot then they're the ones that'll slip.

Oh and you're right about the Chainrings at the front, they should be OK unless they're really badly worn oh and fitting a new chain on old chainrings won't damage the chain.

 

[Vantage]

nah it's common for the most used teeth on the back to refuse to play nicely with a new chain so if someone rode in the middle of the cassette a lot then they're the ones that'll slip.

Oh I've had slippage on the back plenty of times so that's not new to me.
My mind went into overdrive at Ryan's description and figured the chain was plain refusing to engage with the in between cogs. Images of bent teeth etc. Even though he said nothing of the sort.
I'm tired. That's my excuse and I'm sticking with it.

 

[DCBassman]

@RyanOP , I read earlier in the thread about you seeing worn teeth on the chainrings. there are some teeth, evenly spaced around the rings, that look different to the rest, this is part of the shifting system. If you find that they are all at 90 degrees to each other, then that's not wear, but normality!
Of course, they could all be worn as well...

 

[RyanOP]

@RyanOP , I read earlier in the thread about you seeing worn teeth on the chainrings. there are some teeth, evenly spaced around the rings, that look different to the rest, this is part of the shifting system. If you find that they are all at 90 degrees to each other, then that's not wear, but normality!
Of course, they could all be worn as well...

I think it's only two teeth on the largest front chainring from memory but I'll have a look again.

Now that I can remove and clean my old cassette I might get a clearer look at it and find out what the problem is, be interesting to know in case I ever have the same problem in future.

@Vantage @raleighnut I'll have to check the new chain method next month, stretched my monthly part budget already!

 

[Scotstounman]

@RyanOP, I’ve just been reading this thread with interest. I’ve just completed a rebuild of a circa 1994 Dawes Super Galaxy and came across a number of the issues your’e experiencing. The starting point for me was a frameset with handlebars and seat post. I had some nice wheels with Mavic rims on Campy hubs of similar vintage. The old-school threaded rear hub limited my freelwheel to max 7 gears,14-28T and the chain set I fitted is the Stronglight Impact 28-38-48 pictured earlier in the thread. I decided to opt for bar end shifters (Dia Compe) as I have always wanted to try these and I don’t need to worry about indexing of the derailleurs. In my case I moved away from the original canti brakes to Tektro mini Vee brakes which was a low cost change and has improved the braking. They fit on the existing brazed on posts.

The frame paint was in a poor state when it arrived so I got it blasted and painted in a paint shop in Edinburgh. The paint job was very good, but the colour is a bit of a departure from the original rather somber grey.

The Horizon you are refurbishing is a more modern machine than mine, but I think a number of the issues you are wrestling with are similar to those I’ve come across. I attach a picture of the finished article - now a very useable tourer.

 

[raleighnut]

@RyanOP, I’ve just been reading this thread with interest. I’ve just completed a rebuild of a circa 1994 Dawes Super Galaxy and came across a number of the issues your’e experiencing. The starting point for me was a frameset with handlebars and seat post. I had some nice wheels with Mavic rims on Campy hubs of similar vintage. The old-school threaded rear hub limited my freelwheel to max 7 gears,14-28T and the chain set I fitted is the Stronglight Impact 28-38-48 pictured earlier in the thread. I decided to opt for bar end shifters (Dia Compe) as I have always wanted to try these and I don’t need to worry about indexing of the derailleurs. In my case I moved away from the original canti brakes to Tektro mini Vee brakes which was a low cost change and has improved the braking. They fit on the existing brazed on posts.

The frame paint was in a poor state when it arrived so I got it blasted and painted in a paint shop in Edinburgh. The paint job was very good, but the colour is a bit of a departure from the original rather somber grey.

The Horizon you are refurbishing is a more modern machine than mine, but I think a number of the issues you are wrestling with are similar to those I’ve come across. I attach a picture of the finished article - now a very useable tourer.

Very Nice

 

[RyanOP]

@RyanOP, I’ve just been reading this thread with interest. I’ve just completed a rebuild of a circa 1994 Dawes Super Galaxy and came across a number of the issues your’e experiencing. The starting point for me was a frameset with handlebars and seat post. I had some nice wheels with Mavic rims on Campy hubs of similar vintage. The old-school threaded rear hub limited my freelwheel to max 7 gears,14-28T and the chain set I fitted is the Stronglight Impact 28-38-48 pictured earlier in the thread. I decided to opt for bar end shifters (Dia Compe) as I have always wanted to try these and I don’t need to worry about indexing of the derailleurs. In my case I moved away from the original canti brakes to Tektro mini Vee brakes which was a low cost change and has improved the braking. They fit on the existing brazed on posts.

The frame paint was in a poor state when it arrived so I got it blasted and painted in a paint shop in Edinburgh. The paint job was very good, but the colour is a bit of a departure from the original rather somber grey.

The Horizon you are refurbishing is a more modern machine than mine, but I think a number of the issues you are wrestling with are similar to those I’ve come across. I attach a picture of the finished article - now a very useable tourer.

Hi @Scotstounman and welcome to the thread! Thanks for your interest and sharing this info

She is a beauty! Do you have a pic of before so we can appreciate even further the work you've done?

I'm yet to fully look at my hubs and BB - I'm going off what I've seen online and what others have said in here that my hubs are Shimano freewheels and my BB is probably a square taper. Just did a quick backpedal check and I'm sure mine are freehubs.

Which mini v brakes did you get? Looks like they give good clearance for your guards and if they work well for stopping then that's what I need, was looking at Canti's yesterday and didn't know where to start and they do puzzle my amateur cycle maintenance brain a bit!

Also, do you mind if I ask how much your frame blast and paint job set you back? I've been having a look around my area (Hull) and it seems to be around £300 to £450 for the full job including design etc. - Mine looks like it has a plastic coating? When I pick at existing chips and patches where a 2-3cm area of paint has come off it's more like peeling hard plastic packaging than paint, and the colour underneath is black?
A friend said I would have to get it blasted as paint remover wouldn't work. He also suggested using a friend of his who has a paint stripper bath, I don't know how I feel about my frame being dipped in chemicals that strip paint though

 

[Scotstounman]

@RyanOP,
I attach a picture of the frame and forks before repainting. The original colour was grey, but it had been over painted with a dark metallic green, rather badly and needed a full repaint.
The repaint cost 90 pounds at Henderson’s metal cleaning, including grit blast, primer and two pack finish. It’s a proper paint job, not a powder coat and looks very good. This is the fourth frame I’ve had done there. The decals I added afterwards and then lacquered over these to protect them.

The brakes are Tektro 926AL Mini V-Brake, Black, 80mm Arm Length and were 11.99 from Chain reaction for each pair. I got a guide pipe (noodle) with adjuster for each also for 2.00 each from SJS. The levers are Tektro RL520s at 16.99 a pair from SJS.

I replaced the BB with the Shimano UN55 square taper - fit and forget from SJS for 11.99.

Hope that all helps.

 

[Scotstounman]

Sorry here’s the photo of the frame pre-repaint

 

[RyanOP]

@RyanOP,
I attach a picture of the frame and forks before repainting. The original colour was grey, but it had been over painted with a dark metallic green, rather badly and needed a full repaint.
The repaint cost 90 pounds at Henderson’s metal cleaning, including grit blast, primer and two pack finish. It’s a proper paint job, not a powder coat and looks very good. This is the fourth frame I’ve had done there. The decals I added afterwards and then lacquered over these to protect them.

The brakes are Tektro 926AL Mini V-Brake, Black, 80mm Arm Length and were 11.99 from Chain reaction for each pair. I got a guide pipe (noodle) with adjuster for each also for 2.00 each from SJS. The levers are Tektro RL520s at 16.99 a pair from SJS.

I replaced the BB with the Shimano UN55 square taper - fit and forget from SJS for 11.99.

Hope that all helps.

Very helpful indeed! What size wheel/tyres are you using? I noticed a review for the mini v's tha said clearance was good on 32mm but may be tight on 38's (which I'm using) also factoring in mudguards... Reckon they'd still fit mine?

Everything else sounds spot on, just need to figure out which size and thread BB I need now!

That sounds like a very reasonable price, and that I need to do some more looking around for places that'd do the job at a similar price.

Although it's going to be a while yet until I get my paint job done, I can't help myself but daydream of what colour scheme/pattern I might go for... Any suggestions?
I really like @Vantage 's Dawes Vantage from earlier in the thread in a dark red/burgundy colour. But then part of me wants to add some fat horizontal stripes on the seat tube...

 

[RyanOP]

Looks like I'll end up going to East Coast Powder Coatings in Hull, can't see their prices but based on reviews they are well priced.

 

[Scotstounman]

@RyanOP,
I’m using 700c x 28s, the tyres are Schwalbe Marathons. There isn’t a lot of room but I think I could fit 700c x 32s , but not 38s. The rims are Mavic 3CDs, there’s not a lot of room between the rims and the inner face of the forks for the brake pads, but enough. I dont think you’ll ha a problem with the rims describe earlier in the thread. I attach a close-up picture of the front brakes. You can see I have fitted mudguards - SKS Bluemel hybrid size, and I think I’ll fit 32s underneath them. The brake cable might preclude bigger mudguards.



The BB for the Galaxy is UN55 with 68mm shell width with English threads and a spindle length of 110mm, which suits the triple crankset.

The paint job on the Galaxy is a simple single colour, without metallics or other additives. These would have increased the job cost.

Powder coating is less expensive but may provide less corrosion protection as there’s no primer coat, if the powder coat is damaged. One option would be to get the main colour done in a paint shop then add any other colours (banding) yourself - not something I have any experience of I’m afraid.

I hope you manage to find a local paint shop in Hull. I lived there in 2018-19 but didn’t come across one locally.