Dawes Sportif Comp

[Ziggy]

I wish to upgrade my starter Hybrid to a tourer.
I have the opportunity to get a little used Dawes for £400. But I have been put off be comments on line about the gearing. Apparently the 11- 23 cassette is far from ideal on hills and as I'm in my seventies, I wonder whither to get it and if the gears are unsuitable, would it be possible to change the cassette? Is this difficult to do and what are the likely costs.

 

[HovR]

I wish to upgrade my starter Hybrid to a tourer.
I have the opportunity to get a little used Dawes for £400. But I have been put off be comments on line about the gearing. Apparently the 11- 23 cassette is far from ideal on hills and as I'm in my seventies, I wonder whither to get it and if the gears are unsuitable, would it be possible to change the cassette? Is this difficult to do and what are the likely costs.

Changing the cassette is easy, although you'll need some specialist tools. You can easily get a new cassette under £30, and your local bike shop should be able to fit it for a small fee if you don't want to buy tools.

 

[Ziggy]

Changing the cassette is easy, although you'll need some specialist tools. You can easily get a new cassette under £30, and your local bike shop should be able to fit it for a small fee if you don't want to buy tools.

I think I jumped the gun in my excitement. It is a 60 cm frame and I am 5' 11", so I thought I was lokiing for a 56 - 57 cm fame.

 

[lulubel]

I think I jumped the gun in my excitement. It is a 60 cm frame and I am 5' 11", so I thought I was lokiing for a 56 - 57 cm fame.

The advice about changing the cassette still stands, though. If you find a bike you like, don't be put off if it has an unsuitable cassette. You can generally use a cassette with 27 (sometimes 28) teeth on the big cog with a standard road mech, and if you want to go for smaller gears than that, changing the rear mech as well will allow you to fit an even bigger cassette, although it will obviously cost more money, so you need to decide whether the bike's worth it before you buy.