Dawes Galaxy age?

[Cumisky]

Just wondering if anyone can point me in the right direction to date my new find.
Picked it up at a charity shop earlier today in pretty good condition for £70 which I'm assuming is an OK price but completely stumped as to how to date it.
From a Google image search I am guessing 1980 based on a very similar colour scheme and badging/decals.
I will take some photos of mine tomorrow and post them here, but just wondered if there are any hints I can get from the bike in the meantime?

Thanks in anticipation.

 

[fluroforks]

Re:

A frame number might be useful as well as the pictures you've promised, although I have heard tales of factory fires destroying the Dawes archives and making it harder to date Dawes' built before the fire. There are many people who know more than me, however.

 

[BobToo]

The frame number won't do any good, the best bet is to look for date codes on components. The head badge changed in, I think, 1981, so that's one possible clue. £70 is a very good price if it's in reasonable condition, you see some very ropey ones for more.

 

[Cumisky]

Re:

Thanks guys.
I'm about to take her out now to see how she rides, will grab some shots when I get back.

 

[Cumisky]

Re:

So, as promised, i took a few quick shots after taking her for a test ride this morning.
I had been looking for a restoration project, but quite like her originality and patina, so will just settle for a good clean and then use her daily.
Where do I find the frame number btw?

A few more pics to come as it seems 8 is the maximum per post.

 

[Cumisky]

Re:

A few more shots.

All in all I think I did ok for £70

 

[one-eyed_jim]

Nice find.

It looks like an early eighties bike to me. As BobToo says, there was a change of head badge at the start of the eighties from the round red-white-and-blue badge with a green wreath, to the black oval badge of your bike. Those Shimano Adamas pedals were only made for a couple of years in the early eighties, though they probably aren't original to the bike. Perhaps an upgrade at the time of purchase though.

This catalogue is labelled 1982, but I think is probably a touch older:

http://bulgier.net/pics/bike/Catalogs/Dawes-82/

This is from 1984, and is a little bit modern for your bike:

http://www.veterancycleclublibrary.org. ... %20Library).pdf

I would think 1982 or '83.

Weinmann brakes usually have a date code stamped on the rear. It's likely that they're original to the bike, but they may be a year or two older than the frame. Stock turnover was slower in those days.

 

[Cumisky]

Thanks, for those links, I will have a look for the date code on the brakes later.
I have searched Google and found one image that appears to be exactly the same as mine in colour scheme, decals, and badging.
the guy who posted the shot bought his new in 1980 so I think we are pretty near with that date.

 

[enc]

Partingtons Cycles in Bolton .... i remember it well, now gone

 

[Cumisky]

Well, the bike is still in Bolton, so it hasn't traveled far from its roots

Where were Partingtons, and when did they close?