GosforthBike
Retro Guru
I picked this bike up about 12 months ago (well the frame, nothing else is left!) and then immediately had my first child and never had the time to build it. Well after a few false starts today was the day that it finally became road ready.
Sourcing the parts and getting exactly what I wanted has been something of a labour of love, with many hours and many pounds spent on eBay. There's still a few things I would change, but isn't there always!
A quick rundown of the spec:
Dawes Galaxy 531st Frame.
Mercian branded Tange Headset rescued from an Old King of Mercia frame
Cinelli XA Stem
Cinelli Giro D'Italia bars
NOS Shimano 600 levers
NOS Dura Ace Bar End Shifters
Shimano XT M730 Chainset - polished up nicely
Shimano XTR Front Derailleur
Shimano XT Rear Derailleur
Shimano XT Cassette
Wheels hand built by a local bike mechanic using NOS Rigida Rims and Shimano XT Hubs
New XT V-Brakes with Problem Solvers Travel Agent to allow the use of standard levers
Velo Orange Grand Cru Seat Post
Brooks Violet Bar Tape
Brooks Violet Colt Saddle
and finally some 28mm Schwalbe Marathons.
Unfortunately one of the cantilever studs was damaged on the original forks so I sourced a cheap set of forks until I can get it repaired. They still look good but not quite the original 531 forks with the fancy crown. If anyone can recommend a good place to get this repaired in the Newcastle area that would be really helpful.
I did have an older set of older v-brakes, but one arm was missing a tension spring and it was proving hard to track one down. If I find one I'll swap them out.
I also swapped the original 7 speed Uniglide freehub on the rear hub for a 9 speed Hyperglide free hub so that I could squeeze in a couple of extra gears and use a new cassette.
I have some Velo Orange stainless steel mud-guards and front and rear racks to add when I next get an hour.
Sourcing the parts and getting exactly what I wanted has been something of a labour of love, with many hours and many pounds spent on eBay. There's still a few things I would change, but isn't there always!
A quick rundown of the spec:
Dawes Galaxy 531st Frame.
Mercian branded Tange Headset rescued from an Old King of Mercia frame
Cinelli XA Stem
Cinelli Giro D'Italia bars
NOS Shimano 600 levers
NOS Dura Ace Bar End Shifters
Shimano XT M730 Chainset - polished up nicely
Shimano XTR Front Derailleur
Shimano XT Rear Derailleur
Shimano XT Cassette
Wheels hand built by a local bike mechanic using NOS Rigida Rims and Shimano XT Hubs
New XT V-Brakes with Problem Solvers Travel Agent to allow the use of standard levers
Velo Orange Grand Cru Seat Post
Brooks Violet Bar Tape
Brooks Violet Colt Saddle
and finally some 28mm Schwalbe Marathons.
Unfortunately one of the cantilever studs was damaged on the original forks so I sourced a cheap set of forks until I can get it repaired. They still look good but not quite the original 531 forks with the fancy crown. If anyone can recommend a good place to get this repaired in the Newcastle area that would be really helpful.
I did have an older set of older v-brakes, but one arm was missing a tension spring and it was proving hard to track one down. If I find one I'll swap them out.
I also swapped the original 7 speed Uniglide freehub on the rear hub for a 9 speed Hyperglide free hub so that I could squeeze in a couple of extra gears and use a new cassette.
I have some Velo Orange stainless steel mud-guards and front and rear racks to add when I next get an hour.
