Dawes, along with Raleigh- are one of the Icons in British Biking. Pity they no longer are but My LBS is a Dawes dealer. Over here they still have a great following but not a bike that I reckoned for the type of riding I do. But get on any of the Audax rides and the predominant make is Dawes.
Now on the nasty side---- couple of weeks ago and the shop were supplying a new bike to a customer under warranty. The frame top tube had rusted through but the warranty seemed a bit exceptional to me. His model was no longer made but they had supplied the equivalent bike- not just frame- to his original purchase. Whether it was a mistake or not but they had also upgraded the model. His old bike was Sora 24speed- but the new one was 20 speed-Ultegra. Not a bad upgrade for a bike that was 10 years old and well and truly out of warranty.
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How long was I in the army? Five foot seven.
Spike Milligan