Dawes Ranger rehabilitated

Its a public forum, that's what happens, something is posted and people comment.

Just because it doesn't all go your way you get upset - no one has 'slagged' you or your bike off, just what it does for you is not necessarily the experience of others.
 
These bikes are a great snapshot of the era, very few people knew what they were doing!

Having owned and ridden many of this era of bikes, very few builders got the recipe right

If you go back to the history of these things, many were copies and there is nothing easier than to copy someone else's work. That's why many bikes looked the way they did and with the availability of only a limited catalogue of tubesets, dropouts and lugs, customisation would have bumped the price up.

The Ranger simply isn't a good bike, it is an okay bike but not when compared to other models,( all be it very few!) that were available.

They had all seen what specialized were up to and wanted in on the act

Dawes and Ridgeback were the only volume producers capable of knocking out the ultra fashionable and lucrative mtb/ atb at the time. But this was a very very short time, new names would soon become available leaving these bikes looking very old hat within a few months
Much as I love my Ranger I get what you are saying. It was one of the first MTB’s in the UK and would have been very unresponsive on trails which was what it was supposed to be doing. But it was fabulous for me and such a comfortable frame when fully loaded. Once I put some completely slick Avocet 1.9 balloon tyres on it I loved overtaking cars downhill on the outside of corners at 50mph plus in complete confidence as it stuck to the road like glue and was completely predictable, until you hit a patch of gravel!
 
Now this on the other hand…………

Should be very similar to the Dawes but isn’t. Similar but not quite as slack.

So good I bought it twice.

Why would this be? Discuss. Nicely.

Support your answer with evidence from the text and your learning.

16 marks.


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A stripy Cougar being ridden/ wrestled by Mr. Grumpyarse somewhere in the Peak District

I wanted to like this bike but hated the way it rode

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I came across this thread recently so I just thought I’d add a few pics of my ‘rehabilitated‘ Dawes Ranger… I built it up as a round-town cruiser/klunker I wouldn’t mind locking up (almost) wherever. I have to say it’s a right laugh to ride, the half metre long chain stays, long bendy bars and 2” tyres make it ludicrously comfortable, but I can see how it would be a bit of a weird bike to ride on intricate UK bridle paths/single track. Anyway, here it is…
 

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Beautiful! what character, you could almost have a beer with it and a chat. I agree about the ride, they're so comfortable.
 
I came across this thread recently so I just thought I’d add a few pics of my ‘rehabilitated‘ Dawes Ranger… I built it up as a round-town cruiser/klunker I wouldn’t mind locking up (almost) wherever. I have to say it’s a right laugh to ride, the half metre long chain stays, long bendy bars and 2” tyres make it ludicrously comfortable, but I can see how it would be a bit of a weird bike to ride on intricate UK bridle paths/single track. Anyway, here it is…
Love it! In my mind this is what doing up old bikes is all about
 
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