Dawes

[dellzeqq]

any thoughts? Have you bought a new Dawes bike in the recent past?

 

[Fab Foodie]

Damn... my IE crashed and lost my very long and detailed post... so here's the abridged version...

I have a lot of affection for Dawes Cycles and have ridden many in the past, mrs FF has a "Londoner" from a cycle shop in Covent Garden circa 1985 and it's still giving good service on original running gear. The Galaxy was THE touring/distance bike for many years, the Audax good too. My mate had several 531 Dawes including a drop-bar road Tandem, an absolute hoot.
But it seemed that Dawes lost it's way at some point, faced with increasing competition from the Far-east it tried to be a mass-market volume manufacturer and failed and to make matters worst it forgot the Galaxy/touring/distance fraternity who eventually sought wheels elsewhere, Thorn, Hewitt et al.
Now I think it's at a bit of a cross-roads.
Dawes should leave the off-road market alone.
Foget the Giro range they're out of date and overpriced even in the discount sites, especially when you can get a Decathlon 10 speed Mirage roadie with triple for £300, and damn fine it is too.
The Discovery hybrids are fine bikes but face very tough competition from the big boys.
The Galaxy has evolved into an expensive dog's dinner, the Audax a similar fate. Which leaves the Horizon as an interesting entry tourer and all-round commuter bike and the Karakum which is a very nice comfort distance/expedition bike that when unloaded is surprisingly spritely.
The website's a joke, the photo's poor, take a look at the racks on the Galaxy and the stems, just all looks wrong and that shows a lack of care and attention to detail that affects their expensive bikes.
I fear for Dawes, they need to figure where their customers are and specialise in that arena. They should have targetted the 'city-bike' and 'commuter' market quicker and get better brains in to sort their Galaxy/Karakum long distance bike offerings.

When I think of the Dawes brand I think of workmanlike, reliable, dependable, well made, comfortable, no-frills, effective, does what it says on the tin, get's you there, no fuss no bother... Utility.

I desperately want them to survive.

 

[another_dave_b]

The Discovery hybrids are fine bikes but face very tough competition from the big boys.

I fear for Dawes,

I desperately want them to survive.

You know Dawes are part of Tandem, right?

 

[gavintc]

Dawes says to me; old men on old touring bikes. I have always respected the Galaxy range of bikes as quality touring, the remainder is lost in a complex and ever-changing market and Dawes seem to have lost the initiative. They have hung on to their traditional roots to maintain that market, but have failed to innovate and to attract the new cyclist. I think they will go under in the next few years.

 

[Fab Foodie]

You know Dawes are part of Tandem, right?

Thanks, I didn't, I spoke from my perception of Dawes and their products. That they're lumped-in with some other once great names of British Cycling, Falcon, Claud Butler doesn't make me feel any better about them as a product to be honest... They're probably more likely to survive than I thought.

 

[Dave5N]

Just a name now. Brand value only. Same as Raleigh.

 

[another_dave_b]

Thanks, I didn't, I spoke from my perception of Dawes and their products. That they're lumped-in with some other once great names of British Cycling, Falcon, Claud Butler doesn't make me feel any better about them as a product to be honest... They're probably more likely to survive than I thought.

I felt much the same way. I bought one (budget end of the range) with a mental picture of Dawes as a small British manufacturer. I was bit disappointed to realise I'd bought a re-badged import.

 

[another_dave_b]

Just a name now. Brand value only. Same as Raleigh.

Contracting out manufacturing is common in other industries. My laptop is 'made in China, designed in California'. So perhaps you shouldn't be so harsh. In Raleigh's case, I've got some sympathy, as they'd just invested in new tooling for steel framed bikes, when the market turned to aluminium.

Raleigh's recent history is a horror show of a story.

 

[Fab Foodie]

I felt much the same way. I bought one (budget end of the range) with a mental picture of Dawes as a small British manufacturer. I was bit disappointed to realise I'd bought a re-badged import.

I'm not so concerned about where they're made, I long gave-up thinking that the welding was done in the UK, after all, there are plenty of good products coming from the far-east and there is nowt wrong with the build quality of recent Dawes products that I've seen. But I'm not sure what the Dawes Brand Values are and if it knows it's market and where it's going.

 

[another_dave_b]

But I'm not sure what the Dawes Brand Values are and if it knows it's market and where it's going.

At the moment the USA manufacturers seem to be the ones at the leading edge of the (mass) market. Everyone else is following.

EDIT
That might be a bit of broad brush

 

[gavintc]

and Canadian - Cervelo

 

[Fab Foodie]

A problem for Dawes is that they're a bit 'middle-aged'. I don't see them as a younger persons bike.

 

[chris667]

I love mine, but it was built in 1991, when they were still made in Birmingham.
Wouldn't buy a new one though. The prices of their higher-end tourers put them into the realms of custom built machines.
Of course, a secondhand Dawes Galaxy is tbe the bargain of the century.

 

[LondonCommuter]

Not really the thread I want to read, having spent close to £2000 in the last year, but are new Dawes Galaxies that bad?

I loved the one I bought in June until it was written off in a crash (car pulled out in front of me when I was going down hill on main road at 30mph, I think I'm about to take the driver to court, hopefully halving my net outlay!). I have now bought a Super Galaxy in sale and am very happy with it too.

I've not ridden other similar value bikes to compare with but they seem reasonable value (though clearly not cheap) for a steel frame bike with the components they come with compared to others. They certainly ride well.

I realise you can get hand built bikes for not much more, but the ones I looked into weren't particularly convenient for London and looked as if they'd end up more expensive.

 

[Rhythm Thief]

I love mine, but it was built in 1991, when they were still made in Birmingham.

Ditto. I think mine's from the early '80s. I spent about twice its value on parts and a respray by George Longstaff, and it's as good a bike as I'll ever need.