Dawes Super Galaxy

Generations have passed, empires have crumbled and George Hincapie's varicose veins have finally retired, but the Dawes Galaxy is still trundling around the globe bringing colourful panniers and expedition beards to grateful villagers in far-flung parts - and if someone hasn't started a travel memoir with the words 'a long time ago and on a Galaxy far, far away' then they jolly well should. The latest iteration continues that noble tradition.

The Galaxy has changed shape over the years and the current crop (in three flavours, plain, Super and Ultra) all have a compact frame, 631 steel for the Galaxy and Super, 853 for the Ultra. I've been testing the Super for a large proportion of the year and having racked up well over 700 miles I can confidently say that it's a very nice bike and I'd happily own one. The only downside is the feeble brakes, but that's a problem that can be overcome.

The heart of the Super Galaxy is a Reynolds 631 steel frame. 631 is a popular material for long distance frames, being just a bit stronger than 520 and providing a comfortable ride without sacrificing strength. At least, I think that's what it means and while there's a whole debate to be had about the merits of different steels and whether the numbers mean a great deal in the Real World(TM). I'd be hard pushed to spot much difference between the different grades. What I do know is that the Super Galaxy does have a very nice ride although quite a lot of that might be down to the 32mm Schwalbe Marathon tyres.

The first thing that strikes you about the SG is the front end. It's incredibly high - even with the (butt ugly) adjustable stem set at its lowest, the bars are a full 5cm higher than they are on the Raleigh Sojourn I tested earlier this year. It makes for a stately riding position, but a very comfy one, suitable for enjoying the scenery as you trundle around. The bars themselves are pretty narrow (40cm) which means that fitting a bar-bag is going to be a real challenge, given that the Tiagra shifters still have side-exiting cables. Whether that is a problem is entirely up to you, but the plain-jane Galaxy has bar-end shifters which solve the problem as well as offering a lower-tech option for those tricky arse-end-of-nowhere repairs.

As you might have gathered, the Super Galaxy isn't exactly built for speed. That said, it's not as slow and puddingy as the Raleigh. The handling is as steady as you'd expect from a touring bike but it's still enjoyable to ride. The shallow drop bars (FSA Wing Compact) are a favourite of mine and make it easy to cruise on the drops without putting your back in jeopardy.

The drivetrain is a mix of road and MTB with Tiagra shifters and mechs controlling a 48/38/26 Deore chainset. As a combination it works well and with a 12-30t cassette on the back it gives a bottom gear of 22". That's not quite as low as the 20" that the Surly LHT sported, but it was low enough to get me up the demented goat-track of Peppardon Hill on this years Dartmoor Devil and it's plenty low enough for a loaded tourer. During the test period I did experience two snapped chains - something that I've never had happen to me before - but the second incidence may well be a failure of my initial repair and who knows what the bike had been through before it got to me?

The wheels are a reliable mix - our old friend Deore provides the hubs while the rims are Alex XT19s and the tyres are the tourist's favourite, the Schwalbe Marathon. The tyres in particular impressed me - they roll better than you might expect and are showing very little sign of wear. They also have a reputation for being highly p*nct*re resistant. Touch wood that hasn't been fully tested yet, because they also have a reputation for being a complete pig to remove and fit.

Unlike the Surly, the Dawes comes fully loaded, with a quality Tubus Logo rack, full length mudguards, some perfectly decent Wellgo double-sided SPD pedals and a brace of bottle cages. The saddle, a Selle Italia Flite FLX, suffered a weird injury during a brief intermission in the testing (the bike went to some chap in York for a month or so) so I swapped it out for a Brooks, but it felt comfy enough when I did use it and was the saddle of choice for my mate Andy during his LEJOG last year.

The one thing I didn't like was the brakes. Maybe I've been spoiled by riding bikes with discs, but the Shimano cantis seemed weak and gutless with no bite. They stopped me, eventually, but I found myself moving from the tops to the drops in order to pull harder on the levers. I'd be inclined to try some different brake blocks, but a swap to some different brakes at point of purchase might be worth considering.

Overall I enjoyed riding the Super Galaxy. It's a sturdy beast, but by no means dull and it should last a lifetime.

Verdict

Still a classic.