Dawes Cycles Ltd was founded in Wharf Dale, Tyseley England in 1926. The brand has a good reputation for quality bikes and is one of the few English brands that has survived till the present day.
Dawes was mostly known for touring bikes but also made some good racing bikes and have sponsored many pro racing teams throughout the years.
The Galaxy is the most well-known model and was considered one of the best touring bikes of its time. This model was first offered in 1971 with high quality Reynolds 531 tubing.
Production
During the 1970s they produced about 1,000 bicycles a week.
Ownership
Charles handed the business over to his son Wilfred P. Dawes in 1930. In the 1970s his son Richard Dawes took over the company. Starting in the late 1970s ownership was passed around between different venture capital companies. ATAG of the Netherlands purchased the company in 1990, closed down the factory, and moved production to Asia. Grove Industries purchased the company in 1998 and sold the company to its current owner, Tandem Group, in 2001. Tandem also owns Falcon Cycle.
Models
Chevron – entry level road bike
Courier – touring bike
Double Five – mid-level road bike
Flair – cruiser bike
Flambeau – mid-level road bike
Fleur – ladies road bike
Galaxy – quality touring bike
Kingpin – small wheel, unisex cruiser bike
Mirage – top of the line road bike
Red Feather – kids road bike
Star Celeste – entry level road bike
Streak – teen road bike
Gallery
Dawes Super Galaxy Early to mid 80s
Frugal Average Bicyclist 
In 1972 I had housemates with a matched pair of Dawes Galaxies. I’m not sure if I’d ever seen a drilled-out triple before your photo.
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How did they like then? Pretty isn’t it?
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I’m not sure I’d drill triple chainrings, since touring is usually associated with “bomb-proof”, not “ultra-light”. That Avocet saddle is what I had on my touring bike. When it wore out I went through a few other brands/models and still wish I had that one again. They liked their Dawes bikes. I see Dawes only rarely these days.
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My Dad had a Dawes Galaxy and used it to commute to work in downtown Toronto during the 70s and 80s. He kept it for the rest of his life. I remember as a kid being amazed how light it was, especially compared to my Raleigh 3-speed. Thanks for sparking a fond memory!
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Thank you for sharing your story.
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