What have I bought!
 

Hello all, first post so be gentle.

I bought this today, I liked the detail on the frame and the design of the front cog and have many ideas what to do with it. So on a whim purchased it :D. Got it back and I am very pleased with it but can I find any information on it...no...nothing! Its badged as a Dawes Streak but I cant find anything on it, the nearest search lead me to this forum and thus this post...any information would be appreciated.

Chris


http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/RETRO-DAWE...p2047675.l2557

I hope it fits

I can't help in any substantial way, but here's how I see it:
+
Lugs are cool. Fork crown is cool. Light bracket is cool. Crank is cool. Graphics esp. seat tube look really cool. Doesn't appear that you spent very much on it.

-
Some rust issues. Suicide brake levers generally indicate low end (but I have no idea whether those are original; I sort of suspect they are not, just a hunch).

Please post some better pictures when you have it cleaned up.

I'd need better photos to be able to comment. What kind of brakes, hubs, derailleurs? These things will indicate the general level of quality and the date.

You got a cool bike. 50 pound is, what, $80 bucks, U$D? $85, tops? don't sweat it too much. If it fits, ride it. And, don't let those danged cottered cranks get ya down. I suspect shops in JOE can fix those up easily for you....

Update on the Bike.

rhm: not sure on the brakes but I think they are Weinmann centre pulls. Simplex gears but i could not make out what was written on the hubs. I have stripped it all for cleaning so will have a better idea of names, makes, models etc.

surreal: I got it for £40 with a cheeky email to the seller :D. Out of interest, you mentioned about the "Cottererd Cranks", are these something I should look at replacing?

Once i have finished removing the other bits, I had intended to get it powder coated and sprayed black as its original colour (still seeing if i can source decals) but what do you guys reckon?

Many thanks

Chris


http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=347057http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=347058http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=347059http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=347060http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=347061http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=347062http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=347063http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=347064http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=347065

Oh also...how do I remove the Dawes badge for re-use??

http://bulgier.net/pics/bike/Catalogs/Dawes-77/b6.JPGI like the older Dawes bikes. Underrated if you ask me. Probably because they never really invested in marketing. Don't be fooled by the low end parts. What they generally did was provide a good quality frame with cheap parts so the initial purchase price could be kept low, and you could upgrade later on if and when additional funds became available.

Edit: found the Streak in the 1977 catalogue. Check out http://bulgier.net/pics/bike/Catalogs/Dawes-77/b6.JPG

Well, I'll try to be gentle but, I reckon you're nuts. Do you really want to destroy those cool old decals and the neat graphics on the seat tube?
After you get it down to the bare frame, clean it up, maybe de-rust the bad parts a bit, and clean and polish the black paint with some ScratchX or other cleaner wax. Whatever's available over there. I think it would be a mistake to re-paint it and and even bigger one to have it powder coated. You might be pleasantly surprised with how it will look with a little careful cleaning and some elbow grease. Plus, is it really worth it spending that much for a re-spray and 30 quid's worth of decals?

Non-fixie: Many thanks for that, I spent hours looking for some info on the bike but found nothing. Shame it didnt still have the mud guards.

Rootboy: :D lol I like that, I thought you were going to tell me that I was Nuts for buying it & trying to restore it. I appreciate your comments, I wasnt sure whether I should go down the powder coating route. I love the detail on the frame and no I dont want to lose any of its originality or history. I will look up how to treat the rust parts and cleaning it up the way you suggest, if you could point me in the right direction, step by steps that others may have done to give me an idea it would be appreciated.

Thank you all again

yeah, Mcgirr. The search feature here leaves a lot to be desired but you can find lots of good hits from this forum by using Google to search for threads on restoration. Tons of good ones. Search Oxalic acid and follow the many links to forum threads on its use for rust treatment.

Look forward to seeing that bike when it's all cleaned up and shiny. :thumb:

+1. Spend the money on a nice set of those Esge chromo-plastic mudguards, and perhaps getting rid of the 'duo capacity' brake levers.