> I'm a 100% behind Jon Williams on this one !
>
> The frame is very definitely a Dawes...probably 1970s to
> early 80s. I can't remember the "Realm Rider" model too
> well, and would have plumped for
> the "Galaxy" model which was the company's top-of-the-range
> touring/club mac hine. Possibly the "realm Rider" and
> the "Galaxy" shared a common frame.
>
> The tubing is most likely to be plain gauge Reynolds 531..or
> at the best
> main tubes 531DB. The lugs are Hadens of Birmigham, the
> bracket ..well who
> knows as Dawes were using these on frames in the
> 50s...possibly Davis. As
> for the large rear drop-outs these were probably stamped out
> by Haden as we
> ll. The top-eyes..very long and deeply but not to tidily
> pressed into the s
> eat stay itself..these are very typically DAWES.
>
> The frame might have been a deep bronze metallic with
> chroming to half the forks and chain stays, or it might have
been a mid- green flam.
>
> The frames were respected for being very stable and
> long-lasting work-horses..and one of the models recommended
> by the CTC - the Cyclists' Touring Club. They could be seen
> in their hundreds in the cycle sheds of the Youth
> Hostels of the land..and leaning against the walls of Clarion
> and CTC tea-rooms.
>
> One for keeping..a modern classic of its type.
"...and one of the models recommendedby the CTC - the Cyclists' Touring Club..." Aha! That explains why, when my wife and I were cycle-touring in Europe, it seemed as though half the British cyclists we met were riding these bikes. My recollection is that there was also a Claud Butler touring bicycle that was similar in atyle and equipment. I wonder who actually made those?
One distinct recollection I have about these bikes is that they
came equipped with what was, to my way of thinking, wide range
gearing at the front. I.e. something that looked like a 50-34
chainring combination. One day, I tried to give one of these
bikes a really close inspection, when the owner - a young woman
- became convinced that I was actually inspecting her lower
anatomy. This lead to an "unpleasant incident" involving the
young woman, my wife and myself. Most importantly, it kept me
from getting a better understanding of the bike's drivetrain.
C'est la vie...
Fred Rednor - keeping my eyes straight ahead in
Arlington, Virginia (USA)