New tyres Raleigh Pursuit Dawes Galaxy: Update

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AuroraSaab

Veteran
Decided I need to do something with this bike. It's been in various cellars and sheds for 30 years, when I bought it new but hardly rode it. I have other bikes now but I'd like to recommission it.

It needs new tyres but I'm not sure of the modern size. The wheel diameter seems to be 63cm and the spec is below. Not sure of the frame size, but will be a smaller one, 19" or 21".

I don't want to spend a fortune on wheels and tyres but any advice on the correct size modern tyre, and suggestions of budget brands, would be welcome.

571890
 

vickster

Legendary Member
Looks like 27 x 1 1/4 needed? ...SJS have a range (sure you can shop around for cheaper, Spa have a good range)
https://www.sjscycles.co.uk/tyres-27-630/

eg Spa have the Gatorskin for £24
https://www.spacycles.co.uk/m14b0s121p4470/CONTINENTAL-Gator-Hardshell

or a Panaracer for £22.50 which has the amber side wall
https://www.spacycles.co.uk/m14b0s121p4427/PANARACER-Pasela-PT-Wired
 
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T4tomo

Guru
My vintage Peugeot was reshod on the panaracer pasarela's linked above. They have been a decent tyre and have the period "look".
 

Drago

Legendary Member
Eyeball the actual tyres on the bike first. The black Pursuits were Nottingham made with 18-23 tubing and were 700C.

The red bikes were Taiwanese cro mo frames, and while I don't know much about them they are later machines - its not impossible that Raleigh made a retrograde step and shod them with 27" wheels but it would be a daft and illogical thing to do, so it's worth checking that they are indeed 27" and not 700C.

That said, starting in the early 80's Raleigh based their entire business model on daft and illogical decisions, so they could well be 27", but don't take it for granted - eyeball them. Schwalbe still do 27 x 1/4 boots, don't recall the name but they roll very well on my Claud.
 
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AuroraSaab

Veteran
Thanks for the input everyone. Some good leads to chase up - I hadn't heard of SJS and Spa but they look promising.

I'd looked at the Sheldon Brown info but struggled to get my head round it.

It is indeed a red Pursuit, Drago. I rode it round Old Trafford (the area not the football ground) a few times in about 1989 and since then it has done more miles on removal vans than it ever did on the road. I think it cost about £100.

OH has an 80's Dawes Galaxy in the garage that we need tyres for too, so two projects on the go, or there will be if it ever stops raining.
 

SkipdiverJohn

Deplorable Brexiteer
Location
London
Eyeball the actual tyres on the bike first. The black Pursuits were Nottingham made with 18-23 tubing and were 700C.

The red bikes were Taiwanese cro mo frames, and while I don't know much about them they are later machines

I can't see any pre-2000 Raleigh frame being made anywhere other than Nottingham, especially if its lugged. Given the extensive facilities they had, it would not make sense to import them if they had enough in-house capacity. Or are you saying the frame tubing itself was generic Taiwanese sourced 4130 but were fabricated in Nottingham? That would make more sense.
As regards 27" vs 700c wheel sizes, tourers tended to stick with 27" sizes for longer, whereas more sporty/racing models were earlier converters to 700c.
 
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Drago

Legendary Member
The sticker on mine said it was designed in the USA and made in Taiwan of 502 main tubing - that was pretty unequivocal. I don't know the year for sure (and haven't owned the bike for a quarter century) but guess it was 1990ish.

I had previously owned a 1988 black Raleigh Nottingham 18-23 Pursuit, and that definitely had 700c wheels. I don't recall the wheels on the red one for aure but think Raleigh had gone back in time to 27", but wouldn't lay a bet on that as its been so long.

Essentially the only thing the 2 machine shad in common was the name.

Edit - you got me thinking, and Googling around it would seem the red Pursuit was a North American market model. I didn't know this, but can confirm the chap I bought it from was a US airman.
 

SkipdiverJohn

Deplorable Brexiteer
Location
London
Raleigh USA and Raleigh UK had very little in common apart from the name. IIRC there was some questionable marketing skullduggery where they labelled generic cro-moly frames with things like "Raleigh 555" tubing using Reynolds-style stickers. Their 531 bikes were the real deal, but the lesser stuff was made to look at first glance like it was Reynolds tubing when it wasn't. It wasn't downright fraudulent, as they didn't say Reynolds, but the stickers were very similar in design! :laugh:
 
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AuroraSaab

Veteran
Just thought I'd update on this.

In the end for the Raleigh pursuit I bought:

2x Vittoria Zaffiro IV Rigid Tyre 700c 25mm and 2 x Vittoria Standard Inner Tube, from Planet X. Total cost was £20, including p and p. The tyres were on offer and seem to have gone up in price now. They fit OK but haven't ridden the bike yet as there is a fair bit more fettling to do to it.

For the Dawes Galaxy, I bought the Schwalbe Marathon Greenguard tyres 27 x 1 1/4, from Spa Cycles at £20 each plus p and p.

Spa didn't have the appropriate inner tubes in stock so I bought 2 x Schwalbe SV16 presta tubes from Merlin Cycles, which were £4.50 each plus p and p.

Other half is very chuffed to be riding his much loved Galaxy again after 30 plus years, and although the brakes and dérailleurs need work, it will inspire him to get on and fix it up.

Good service from all 3 vendors, with quite prompt dispatch times.

Thanks for the advice everyone. I thought I'd give the full info in case anyone searching for Galaxy or Pursuit tyres comes across the thread.

(The Galaxy was bought in approx 1982 and the Pursuit in approx 1989, I think).
 
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