From: johnprochss@hotmail.com To: dcwilson3@yahoo.com Subject: RE: [CR] Dawes Date: Sat, 6 Feb 2010 00:22:58 -0600
Hi Don,
Dawes started up in late 1926 in the UK and have grown up and expanded their cycling business during the bike boon through the late 70's and then kind of went backward for a bit, but they are still in business. My first high end bike was a Dawes Galaxy. When I say high end, I mean higher end than the first ten speed that I bought with my own money, which was a cotton white Schwinn Varsity. The Dawes was very nice and I bought it at Centerville Cyclery and Lawn Mower Shop on Centerville Road Garland, Texas. I grew up in the Lake Highlands High School neighborhgood in Dallas, Texas and rode my Dawes all over the city and many long distance cruises to Lake Texoma bordering Texas with Oklahoma in 1973. My Dad backed his car over my Dawes one evening, so I was crushed and so hurt inside. My Dad found another bike frame for me at a local Dallas Police Department auction. It was a black Dawes and was the model above Galaxy. It had been straightened by my dads machine shop friend. My dad refused to tell me the story the police informed him of, with the black Dawes. I was so in love with my black Dawes and then when I was inseparable and was such a great friend of mine (The Dawes), my Dad had to spoil it and broke the news to me. "Son, a young boy was killed while riding it and he was run over by a car and killed instantly". Why did he tell me that??? My head and jaw hit the floor with dismay. I tried riding it back and forth to my girlfriends at night with a generated light system, but my love affair was quickly over, because riding it gave me the creeps having been riding the bike that someone was killed on. He should have never told me that. That is my Dawes story. I quickly upgraded to a Mondia Super Special that I bought used from World Cycle on Central Expressway in north Dallas. You folks from Dallas may know the cycle shop that was started down on lower Hillcrest outside of University park and the new shop that was open on north Central was manged by David (Dave) Luxom who ran the shop and he was the nicest gentleman and was always willing to help us with all out cycling needs. A third World Cycle opened up in the late 70's in Austin, Texas on 24th street a bit east from Freewheeling Cycle, which is still there in existence today.
Dawes??? A great machine. Great frame. I saw one 2 days ago chained to a pole handrail at Texas State University in San Marcos, Texas outside one of the dining halls. It looked like a 60cm and rather tall, but I could see it is a Galaxy. I did a bit of research of who's Dawes it was. I have discovered that one of the younger fellows who is the janitor at the college rides it 15 miles every day to work, day and night and then back home at 2am in the morning. Many comments from student who's parents give them the world including the keys to a brand new sports car for high school graduation have said he is crazy to ride that bike like that. I just thought, "No, he is not crazy, he's just devoted to a long life of quality exercise and he loves his machine. I remember the good old days!
Thanks for all of you and your wonderful stories of yesteryear, while continuining to stay on topic of vintage cycling with your vintage cyclists built before 1984.
Best Regards Always, John Proch La Grange, Texas
> Date: Fri, 5 Feb 2010 05:58:03 -0800
> From: dcwilson3@yahoo.com
> To: Classicrendezvous@bikelist.org
> Subject: Re: [CR] Dawes
>
> Dawes still makes bicycles, but has never responded to me about any questions regarding old Dawes bikes that I have. Their link is:
> http://www.dawescycles.com/
>
> I have picked up three at garage sales over the years:
>
> 1) an early 80s pale green Galaxy touring frame with full Reynolds 531ST (a mid range bike in its time with the cushiest ride for touring I have ever felt and I have thoroughly enjoyed it; Cinelli stem, Japanese components);
>
> 2)a humble touring model from the late 70s/early 80s with a name I forget with the odd factory combo of Reynolds 501 main triangle with a Reynolds 531 fork (Solida cranks, Japanese components); and
>
> 3) a late 70s/early80s Dawes Imperial racing bike with a very narrow clearance between seat post and rear wheel; entirely Reynolds 531 tubing (I have never seen or heard of another Imperial, Shimano 600/105 group).
>
> Dawes dates at least to the early 1950s and has for most of its existence apparently focused on rather practical, middle of the road quality bicycles. My bikes all evidence good build quality and none of the sloppy welding found on a lot of English bikes. At they same time they are not pretending to be works of art. Some of the very early Dawes had some pretty fancy lug work, but they have never been, that I know of, anyway, ranked among the first rank of hand made bicycles in England.
>
> But if you like touring bike geometry and dimensions, and like sumptuous ride, instead of quick and stiff, and you run into an old Galaxy with 531ST it is a wonderful bike to ride for a utility bike. I found myself taking it for spins rather than my fancier bikes, because I just loved how cushy it rode. It had a bad rep as a mushy bike in its time, but that was at a time when most were still obsessed with riding racing bikes on the street. Today, with the rediscovery of "ride quality" in bikes and with the rediscovery of the practicality of bike comfort, I do believe many would view the Galaxy through a more favorable lens. Alas, someone forgot and drove mine into the garage, while it was still mounted on the car top carrier and it has never been the same since. Drat!
>
> Finally, Dawes has always stayed to the center of the market and has survived doing so. Sometimes the middle holds.
>
> Don Wilson
> Bandon,OR/Los Olivos,CA USA
>
>
>
> --- On Thu, 2/4/10, David Kulcinski <dkulcinski@yahoo.com> wrote:
>
> > From: David Kulcinski <dkulcinski@yahoo.com>
> > Subject: [CR] Dawes
> > To: Classicrendezvous@bikelist.org
> > Date: Thursday, February 4, 2010, 12:50 PM
> > Is Dawes ON TOPIC? Can anyone
> > tell me anything about them?
> >
> > Thank you,
> >
> >
> > David Kulcinski
> > Orange, CA
> >
> >
> >
> > _______________________________________________
> >
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
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