New bike time



M

Matthew Vernon

Guest
Hi,

My current bike's frame has given up (possibly as a result of a crash
a while ago), so it's time to replace it. Riding on borrowed bicycles
since it broke has reminded me how much I liked it :s It was a Raleigh
Royale (several years old), with butterfly bars, 21 gears (slightly
idiosyncratic front set, including a great granny gear), front+rear
pannier racks and a Sturmey-Archer dynohub. I'm not sure I like
drop-bars, really, so I think I'll want butterflies put on whatever I
get.

It was good for touring holidays, the daily commute, and carrying
large quantities of shopping (well, beer). I want something similarly
nice, and have a fair budget, but don't want unnecessary bling, IYSWIM.

A new Dawes Super Galaxy will cost about 1k UKP new, and that's about
the top end of my budget; the frame seems to be quite a bit better
than the Galaxy's. There's also the advantage of a Dawes shop in my
home town, which would make trying something (for size, especially,
which I remain confused about) easier. Giant don't seem to do anything
toury any more.

I don't know much about bikes, though, so I'm wondering what else I
should be considering / whether I should be looking to spend
less/[more??] money, going for a different manufacturer?

Any advice gratefully accepted :)

Matthew

--
`O'-----0 `O'---. `O'---. `O'---.
\___| | \___|0-/ \___|/ \___|
| | /\ | | \ | |\ | |
The Dangers of modern veterinary life
 
Matthew Vernon said the following on 05/07/2006 15:03:

> I don't know much about bikes, though, so I'm wondering what else I
> should be considering / whether I should be looking to spend
> less/[more??] money, going for a different manufacturer?

It might be worth looking at the Thorn bikes from St John Street Cycles
- I've no experience of them, but they look nice! I don't know where
you are in the country though, so a test ride may be a bit awkward.
Someone said in another thread that SJSC don't allow test rides - I'm
not sure if that can be true, because surely no-one will spend that sort
of money on a bike without trying it, but with SJSC anything is possible!

--
Paul Boyd
http://www.paul-boyd.co.uk/
 
Matthew Vernon wrote:

> I'm not sure I like
> drop-bars, really, so I think I'll want butterflies put on whatever I
> get.

> A new Dawes Super Galaxy will cost about 1k UKP new, and that's about
> the top end of my budget; the frame seems to be quite a bit better
> than the Galaxy's. There's also the advantage of a Dawes shop in my
> home town, which would make trying something (for size, especially,
> which I remain confused about) easier.

A Super G will also have the drop bars you don't like. Perhaps look at
the Kara-Kum if you want to stick with a similar setup since it's
designed as a butterfly bar tourer with a decent general spec and no
gimmicks.

> I don't know much about bikes, though, so I'm wondering what else I
> should be considering / whether I should be looking to spend
> less/[more??] money, going for a different manufacturer?

Thorn and Orbit do nice tourers with non-drop bar options.

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net [email protected] http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/
 
Peter Clinch wrote:

> A Super G will also have the drop bars you don't like. Perhaps look at
> the Kara-Kum if you want to stick with a similar setup since it's
> designed as a butterfly bar tourer with a decent general spec and no
> gimmicks.

True, but it's a nice bike and if you buy the bike from a decent shop
I'd not expect the swap to cost much, if anything, if done when new
since the bits they'd keep (STI's mainly) are reasoanbly valuable.

--
Arthur Clune
 
Peter Clinch <[email protected]> writes:

> Matthew Vernon wrote:
>
> > I'm not sure I like
> > drop-bars, really, so I think I'll want butterflies put on whatever I
> > get.

<snip>

> A Super G will also have the drop bars you don't like. Perhaps look
> at the Kara-Kum if you want to stick with a similar setup since it's
> designed as a butterfly bar tourer with a decent general spec and no
> gimmicks.

Presumably I could get a Dawes dealer to put butterfly bars on for me,
though?

> Thorn and Orbit do nice tourers with non-drop bar options.

Thanks!

Matthew

--
`O'-----0 `O'---. `O'---. `O'---.
\___| | \___|0-/ \___|/ \___|
| | /\ | | \ | |\ | |
The Dangers of modern veterinary life
 
In article <[email protected]>
Matthew Vernon <[email protected]> wrote:
> Hi,
>
> My current bike's frame has given up (possibly as a result of a crash
> a while ago), so it's time to replace it.

To me that sounds like new frame time rather than new bike time.
 
Matthew Vernon wrote:

> Presumably I could get a Dawes dealer to put butterfly bars on for me,
> though?

As Arthur suggests, shouldn't be a problem, but you might want to check
out the Kara-Kum anyway, since it's still in Dawes' touring lineup.

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net [email protected] http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/
 
Rob Morley <[email protected]> writes:

> In article <[email protected]>
> Matthew Vernon <[email protected]> wrote:
> > Hi,
> >
> > My current bike's frame has given up (possibly as a result of a crash
> > a while ago), so it's time to replace it.
>
> To me that sounds like new frame time rather than new bike time.

I know even less about buying frames, though! And getting a bike
assembled seems quite pricey, too. If I was going to go that route,
then what sort of thing should I be looking at?

Thanks,

Matthew
[sorry for doubtless-obvious questions]
--
`O'-----0 `O'---. `O'---. `O'---.
\___| | \___|0-/ \___|/ \___|
| | /\ | | \ | |\ | |
The Dangers of modern veterinary life
 
In article <[email protected]>
Matthew Vernon <[email protected]> wrote:
> Rob Morley <[email protected]> writes:
>
> > In article <[email protected]>
> > Matthew Vernon <[email protected]> wrote:
> > > Hi,
> > >
> > > My current bike's frame has given up (possibly as a result of a crash
> > > a while ago), so it's time to replace it.
> >
> > To me that sounds like new frame time rather than new bike time.
>
> I know even less about buying frames, though! And getting a bike
> assembled seems quite pricey, too. If I was going to go that route,
> then what sort of thing should I be looking at?
>
I don't know - I built my road frame from some odd tubes that were lying
around the workshop, I do my own spannering, my ATB was £50 on eBay ...
If you have a local frame builder see if he can do you an equivalent of
the Royale (with whatever customisation suits you) for a reasonable
price, and buy a few tools?
 
in message <[email protected]>, Rob Morley
('[email protected]') wrote:

> In article <[email protected]>
> Matthew Vernon <[email protected]> wrote:
>> Rob Morley <[email protected]> writes:
>>
>> > In article <[email protected]>
>> > Matthew Vernon <[email protected]> wrote:
>> > > Hi,
>> > >
>> > > My current bike's frame has given up (possibly as a result of a
>> > > crash a while ago), so it's time to replace it.
>> >
>> > To me that sounds like new frame time rather than new bike time.
>>
>> I know even less about buying frames, though! And getting a bike
>> assembled seems quite pricey, too. If I was going to go that route,
>> then what sort of thing should I be looking at?
>>
> I don't know - I built my road frame from some odd tubes that were
> lying around the workshop, I do my own spannering, my ATB was £50 on
> eBay ... If you have a local frame builder see if he can do you an
> equivalent of the Royale (with whatever customisation suits you) for a
> reasonable price, and buy a few tools?

If you're going down that route, the Royale, being a lugged and brazed
steel frame, is repairable. The cost of the repair will probably be not
far short of the cost of a new mass-produced frame, but if you liked the
bike, it may be worth doing. Any competent frame builder can do it;
where in the country are you?

--
[email protected] (Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/

Morning had broken, and there was nothing left for us to do
but pick up the pieces.
 
In article <[email protected]>
Simon Brooke <[email protected]> wrote:
> in message <[email protected]>, Rob Morley
> ('[email protected]') wrote:
>
> > In article <[email protected]>
> > Matthew Vernon <[email protected]> wrote:
> >> Rob Morley <[email protected]> writes:
> >>
> >> > In article <[email protected]>
> >> > Matthew Vernon <[email protected]> wrote:
> >> > > Hi,
> >> > >
> >> > > My current bike's frame has given up (possibly as a result of a
> >> > > crash a while ago), so it's time to replace it.
> >> >
> >> > To me that sounds like new frame time rather than new bike time.
> >>
> >> I know even less about buying frames, though! And getting a bike
> >> assembled seems quite pricey, too. If I was going to go that route,
> >> then what sort of thing should I be looking at?
> >>
> > I don't know - I built my road frame from some odd tubes that were
> > lying around the workshop, I do my own spannering, my ATB was £50 on
> > eBay ... If you have a local frame builder see if he can do you an
> > equivalent of the Royale (with whatever customisation suits you) for a
> > reasonable price, and buy a few tools?
>
> If you're going down that route, the Royale, being a lugged and brazed
> steel frame, is repairable. The cost of the repair will probably be not
> far short of the cost of a new mass-produced frame, but if you liked the
> bike, it may be worth doing.

I forgot to mention that - silly me ...
 
Matthew Vernon wrote:
> Rob Morley <[email protected]> writes:
>
>
>>In article <[email protected]>
>>Matthew Vernon <[email protected]> wrote:
>>
>>>Hi,
>>>
>>>My current bike's frame has given up (possibly as a result of a crash
>>>a while ago), so it's time to replace it.
>>
>>To me that sounds like new frame time rather than new bike time.
>
>
> I know even less about buying frames, though! And getting a bike
> assembled seems quite pricey, too. If I was going to go that route,
> then what sort of thing should I be looking at?
>

You could always buy a cheap frame and build it with the bits from your
broken bike. SJSC (again) sell a cyclocross frame with bosses for canti
/ V brakes and enough clearance for mudguards, for about 130 of your
English pounds. At that price it would make a great hack bike.
 
Simon Brooke <[email protected]> writes:

> If you're going down that route, the Royale, being a lugged and brazed
> steel frame, is repairable. The cost of the repair will probably be not
> far short of the cost of a new mass-produced frame, but if you liked the
> bike, it may be worth doing. Any competent frame builder can do it;
> where in the country are you?

I'm in Cambridge. It was looking to be pretty expensive just to have
the failed tube repaired, and the reason why that couldn't be done
under warranty was because of a previous crash, and there was concern
that other bits of the frame might well fail in the not-hugely-distant
future.

Matthew

--
Matthew Vernon MA VetMB LGSM MRCVS
Farm Animal Epidemiology and Informatics Unit
Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Cambridge
http://www.cus.cam.ac.uk/~mcv21/
 
In article <[email protected]>
Matthew Vernon <[email protected]> wrote:
> Simon Brooke <[email protected]> writes:
>
> > If you're going down that route, the Royale, being a lugged and brazed
> > steel frame, is repairable. The cost of the repair will probably be not
> > far short of the cost of a new mass-produced frame, but if you liked the
> > bike, it may be worth doing. Any competent frame builder can do it;
> > where in the country are you?
>
> I'm in Cambridge. It was looking to be pretty expensive just to have
> the failed tube repaired, and the reason why that couldn't be done
> under warranty was because of a previous crash, and there was concern
> that other bits of the frame might well fail in the not-hugely-distant
> future.
>
Assuming it was the downtube that failed, you could have new
top/head/downtube fitted to replicate the original geometry - it
probably wouldn't work out cheaper than an off-the-peg frame but it
would result in a frame that you know you like, with your choice of
paint and braze-ons.
 
Quoting Matthew Vernon <[email protected]>:
>I don't know much about bikes, though, so I'm wondering what else I
>should be considering / whether I should be looking to spend
>less/[more??] money, going for a different manufacturer?

I concur that you should be looking at a new frame, not a new bike. You
already have a set of parts you like; if you buy a new bike, you'll just
end up putting on your existing handlebars, racks, saddle, front wheel,
lights...

Haywards in Cambridge - and probably Howes - should be able to quote you
for putting a full set of bits on a new frame; when I asked AW Cycles
about this, they said about a hundred quid. That's still going to be
cheaper.

Some parts will not be compatible. Likely problem areas are stem -
threaded versus threadless and diameter - bottom bracket width and
threading - and seatpost diameter.

Dawes sold their bikes as frame+forks last time I looked; I seriously
considered a Bob Jackson frame last time I had my frame mended (and Bob
Jackson may well be happy to be posted a bag of bits, fit a threaded fork
to fit an existing stem, etc); so do Thorn IIRC. If I were you I would
start with Bob Jackson.

As long as the geometry is such that the bars, pedals, and saddle end up
in the same places, you can't go too far wrong...
--
David Damerell <[email protected]> Distortion Field!
Today is Second Thursday, Presuary.
 
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