Very generous present ( not woodwork )

[Lons]

Received this last week from my neighbour so I tried it out around the estate roads a few times as I didn't want to accept if I wasn't going to use it. Before the comments flood in, yeah I know, keep death off the roads!
I haven't ridden a bike for years so didn't expect much but thoroughly enjoyed it so even though I'll stay away from busy roads I need a helmet. First visit to a shop in 3 months yesterday with a visit to Go Outdoors and as a skinflint was pleased to pay only £15 plus the fiver for a discount card, wanted a black one ( is that racist in the current climate? :wink: ) but settled for this, missus wanted me to choose the fluorescent yellow version. :roll:

The cycle is 40 years old but looks as if almost straight out of the showroom and it cost more than £400 in the late 70s, the equivalent of well over £2000 in today's money. He wouldn't accept a penny so I'll make him and his missus some special pens as a thank you.

 

[Woodchips2]

That's one generous neighbour and the bike looks brand new plus you've got a very snazzy hat to go with it, well done! Not sure if it's got a bell but you need one to warn the people on phones you are coming (hammer)

Regards Keith

 

[MikeG.]

Dawes......that's a quality make. They make the toughest touring bikes. Things have moved on a bit since that bike was launched, though, so I hope you move on to indexed gears and a harder saddle before too long. A soft saddle is not a good thing.

 

[Lons]

Dawes......that's a quality make. They make the toughest touring bikes. Things have moved on a bit since that bike was launched, though, so I hope you move on to indexed gears and a harder saddle before too long. A soft saddle is not a good thing.

It was specced and built for him Mike and the saddle as far as I know is a hard type, certainly not soft to the touch. I know very little about gears except these are Shimano 27 speed and seem easy enough to operate.

I definitely will get a bell and a mirror as my neck isn't quite as supple as it used to be, the main downside of the bike as far as I can see is that it's pretty heavy by today's standards. Built like a brick sh*t house though.

EDIT: he told me 27 gears but I've just looked and 6 cogs at the back / 3 at the pedals seems like 18 to me. :?

 

[doctor Bob]

I had a Dawes as a kid, cycled all over England with a mate on a few holidays (aged 15/16), East anglia one holiday, up to the lakes and back on another and accross to Wales, 60 miles a day for 2 weeks at a time, staying in youth hosiles would have been 40 years ago. Seems young now for that sort of responsibility.

 

[Lons]

I rode over long distances as well as a teenager Bob but certainly wouldn't have been keen on my kids doing it. Couldn't afford a Dawes, mine was a s/h Raleigh but nothing wrong with it. Plenty of punctures in those days I remember and you soon got pretty quick at fixing them.

 

[thetyreman]

nice bike that lons, the weathers going to be good this weekend, good excuse to get the lycra out

 

[Rorschach]

Very nice, looks better than my modern cheapo bike.

If it is 6x3 then it is 18 gears, though in reality on an 18 set there are only about 9 useable gears and even then only about 6 in the range as several will be nearly equivalent to another ratio. If you have not got too many hills around you then it will be fine.

 

[woodbloke66]

Dawes......that's a quality make. They make the toughest touring bikes. Things have moved on a bit since that bike was launched, though, so I hope you move on to indexed gears and a harder saddle before too long. A soft saddle is not a good thing.

Plenty of other good touring cycles around now though; my son's partner is Canadian and apparently her touring cycle had crossed the continent from the Atlantic to the Pacific...not sure of the make though. When she came to England a while ago, her father brought it over when he visited.
As to saddles, there's only one make IMO worth getting hold of. Begins with a B, ends in an S and has two OO's in the middle :lol: Both SWIMBO and I have got them on our velocidpedes - Rob

 

[MikeG.]

........As to saddles, there's only one make IMO worth getting hold of. Begins with a B, ends in an S and has two OO's in the middle :lol: Both SWIMBO and I have got them on our velocidpedes - Rob

Cycling to Spain last year we had three consecutive days on horrendous tarmac in France, which really gave us a tough time. I've never had to take painkillers for my backside before. I've ridden tens of thousands of miles with these saddles on my various bikes, and I've never had an issue. Anyway, as we popped the painkillers we both swore we were going to try a Brooks when we next did any touring. It will happen........albeit, it's a bit confusing as there are more varieties of Brooks than there are of Heinz.

 

[Lons]

nice bike that lons, the weathers going to be good this weekend, good excuse to get the lycra out

Very definitely no Lycra :shock:

 

[Lons]

Very nice, looks better than my modern cheapo bike.

If it is 6x3 then it is 18 gears, though in reality on an 18 set there are only about 9 useable gears and even then only about 6 in the range as several will be nearly equivalent to another ratio. If you have not got too many hills around you then it will be fine.

Have a long steep hill south of the village but it's a very busy A road and I've no intention of risking life and limb so will use the abundance of smaller roads around the area for exercise. I've kept the gears in the centre set so far and managed with ease.

 

[Andy Kev.]

........As to saddles, there's only one make IMO worth getting hold of. Begins with a B, ends in an S and has two OO's in the middle :lol: Both SWIMBO and I have got them on our velocidpedes - Rob

Cycling to Spain last year we had three consecutive days on horrendous tarmac in France, which really gave us a tough time. I've never had to take painkillers for my backside before. I've ridden tens of thousands of miles with these saddles on my various bikes, and I've never had an issue. Anyway, as we popped the painkillers we both swore we were going to try a Brooks when we next did any touring. It will happen........albeit, it's a bit confusing as there are more varieties of Brooks than there are of Heinz.

The only problem with a Brooks is that being leather you have to break it in. Actually it feels like it is your rear end that gets broken in. I got around this problem by switching to a recumbent trike (HPV Scorpion). No more pains or strains of any kind and you've got to be a bit of a genius to fall off.

 

[eezageeza]

What does the sticker on the downtube say?

It'll be something like 'Reynolds 531'. Just curious as that will be a good indication of where the bike stands in the quality hierarchy.

I worked at the Raleigh factory in Nottingham in the late 70's /early 80's, and a lot of Dawes bikes were actually made there (Dawes were short of capacity, we had spare) so could well have seen that being made!

 

[Rorschach]

Very nice, looks better than my modern cheapo bike.

If it is 6x3 then it is 18 gears, though in reality on an 18 set there are only about 9 useable gears and even then only about 6 in the range as several will be nearly equivalent to another ratio. If you have not got too many hills around you then it will be fine.

Have a long steep hill south of the village but it's a very busy A road and I've no intention of risking life and limb so will use the abundance of smaller roads around the area for exercise. I've kept the gears in the centre set so far and managed with ease.

Every direction is up hill from my house, coming and going :lol:

 

[MikeG.]

........ I got around this problem by switching to a recumbent trike (HPV Scorpion). No more pains or strains of any kind and you've got to be a bit of a genius to fall off.

The record from Land's End to John O'Groats is two hours faster on a recumbent than on an orthodox bike. They can really shift.

 

[That would work]

I have 5 Selle Italia flite saddles, I've used them for about 20 years. It's more about shape rather than hard or soft. I used Brooks professional (the ones with the big copper rivets) saddles back in the eighties. Leather saddles are very comfortable once broken in... that means soaking them in neatsfoot oil and riding a few hundred miles. I prefer my flites now though due to their consistency, lightness and no need to protect from rain. The answer to comfort is proper positioning and good quality shorts/longs with a good pad. The point is to spread and even out pressure rather than to sit on a 'cushion'. Once all that is right the answer is to ride as much as possible and it will become genuinely comfortable. To answer the above post on tube material, yes 531 is a chrome manganese steel alloy, the numbers relate to the proportions used. It came in a few versions, 531c (competion) was lighter and 531st (special touring) and the standard 531. Steel alloy such as 531 still win out on ride comfort compared with lighter aluminium frames, I have both and prefer the feel of 531 for longer rides over aluminium. If you want to improve your riding and safety I would recommend clipless (spd) pedals and shoes... see if you can try them out first.

 

[Lons]

What does the sticker on the downtube say?

It'll be something like 'Reynolds 531'. Just curious as that will be a good indication of where the bike stands in the quality hierarchy.

I worked at the Raleigh factory in Nottingham in the late 70's /early 80's, and a lot of Dawes bikes were actually made there (Dawes were short of capacity, we had spare) so could well have seen that being made!

This

It was bought from a company in Gosforth, Newcastle who closed a couple of years ago after more than 120 years in business. it was owned by ex-Olympic cyclist Joe Waugh, who raced in the Olympic Games in 1976 and 1980 and won a Commonwealth Games gold medal in 1982 and was the place to buy in those days.

 

[SammyQ]

My old Raleigh Classic tourer has had a Brooks (B17?) saddle on it for 40 years. Does need the odd soak in neatsfoot, especially after hot weather. 531 double-butted tubes, forks and (I think) back stays. 72° parallel frame. Lovely comfy ride, but a heavy tortoise compared to my son's 'castoff' Scott carbon fibre hybrid that I also have. When covid is over Bob, I'll nip down and race you to Blythe? Loser buys the first pint!

Sam.

 

[Lons]

I have 5 Selle Italia flite saddles, I've used them for about 20 years. It's more about shape rather than hard or soft. I used Brooks professional (the ones with the big copper rivets) saddles back in the eighties. Leather saddles are very comfortable once broken in... that means soaking them in neatsfoot oil and riding a few hundred miles. I prefer my flites now though due to their consistency, lightness and no need to protect from rain. The answer to comfort is proper positioning and good quality shorts/longs with a good pad. The point is to spread and even out pressure rather than to sit on a 'cushion'. Once all that is right the answer is to ride as much as possible and it will become genuinely comfortable. To answer the above post on tube material, yes 531 is a chrome manganese steel alloy, the numbers relate to the proportions used. It came in a few versions, 531c (competion) was lighter and 531st (special touring) and the standard 531. Steel alloy such as 531 still win out on ride comfort compared with lighter aluminium frames, I have both and prefer the feel of 531 for longer rides over aluminium. If you want to improve your riding and safety I would recommend clipless (spd) pedals and shoes... see if you can try them out first.

It has pedals for cleats as pic, Shimano I think, he gave the the box and the original pedals. The cleated side is heavier so normal side which I use is on top.

I should point out here that I won't be riding hundreds of miles, it will just be for enjoyment and exercise locally. I took it out tonight and covered probably 6 or 7 miles only 'cos I found some hills I had no idea existed and I've lived here 35 years. :shock: