In praise of the Dawes Discovery 301

[dellzeqq]

By my reckoning it's about ten years old. It's stood in the garden for the last year, and not been ridden for longer than that. But...I've loaned my Brompton to a World Famous Racing Cyclist in order that the two of us can Matermind the Betting Coup of the Century at the World Brompton Championship, so the poor neglected Discovery was going to have to be cossetted back in to life.

Having poured a few ml of lubricant on the chain I ran through the basics

Tyres (Conti top touring with Spesh tubes) 40psi or thereabouts. No cracks.

Brakes - some rust on the nuts holding the brake blocks, but working perfectly

Headset - just fine

BB - little trail of rust from the lock nut, but smooth as silk

Deore LX rear derailleur - just fine

front derailleur of uncertain origin - dandy

saddle - as new

and so on and so forth. The frame is dirty, and the D-lock has siezed up a wee bit, but otherwise, it;s great. The Kid wants a new bike for Christmas (she likes the Ridgeback Flight 01) but the Babe's 301, which will be the right size, will be just fine.

All of which goes to prove that modern bikes are wonderful.

 

[beancounter]

High praise indeed.

Should I cancel my C50 order?

bc

 

[dellzeqq]

High praise indeed.

Should I cancel my C50 order?

bc

only if you can find a C40

 

[Yellow Fang]

But...I've loaned my Brompton to a World Famous Racing Cyclist in order that the two of us can Matermind the Betting Coup of the Century at the World Brompton Championship

So that's what happened last year when Roberto Heras came 2nd to the little, bald chap who was carrying a baby in a baby harness on his back when he went up to collect his prize (which happened to be a brand new Brompton with titanium bits).

 

[swee'pea99]

I bought a Dawes off ebay that I'm guessing at about 20 years old, bearing much evidence of neglect and hard use (tatty paintwork, surface rust, one or two minor dents, absolutely thick with grime, etc etc) - everything runs smooth as silk. Quality.

 

[Cathryn]

I had a 201 until it got nicked and thought it was absolutely brilliant. They're top bikes!