# Anybody heard of Dawes?



## EricfromLA (Oct 21, 2007)

Hello all. Nice forum!

Anybody ever heard of a brand called Dawes? I have used the search function as well as Google and it seems that there is barely any literature on this brand of bicycle. I am beginner and would like to buy a mountain bike that wont break my wallet. I have narrowed it down to the *Mongoose Tyax Elite *since I can get it from my LBS and the *Dawes Haymaker 1200*. The Dawes seem to have better components but again, theres nothing on net, cept for a few things, that I can read up on. I'm planning to use this bike for riding around town and maybe a few easy single track trails at most. I'm looking for a cheap bike but not a Kmart special. My budget is around $300 and these 2 bikes I've narrowed down seem to fit that bill. A hardtail with discs that is not cheaply made.

Dawes Haymaker 1200
http://www.dawescyclesusa.com/h1200.html
http://www.bikesdirect.com/products/dawes/hay1200.htm

Mongoose Tyax Elite
http://www.performancebike.com/shop/profile.cfm?SKU=23537&subcategory_ID=3050


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## trek7100 (Jul 15, 2007)

Don't know about the Dawes line, but I'm in the market for a 'cheap' bike. Motobecane has been recommended(also at bikesdirect). I know the Mongoose Tyax Elite is on sale at Performance Bicycle - I believe $299. You should get lots of good advice here.


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## mtnbiker72 (Jan 22, 2007)

Dawes Cycles is/was? a longtime British bicycle manufacturer...but I see that BikesDirect is selling them along side Motobecane and Windsor bikes (also old European names now being used for Taiwan made bikes). My guess is that someone purchased the right to the name and is putting it on Taiwan made product...which there is nothing wrong with (the Taiwan product that is...I have a bit a problem with regurgitating old company names and passing off the "tradition" on new Taiwan product).


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## chrisernator (Aug 28, 2007)

Never ridden a Dawes nor Mongoose, but from specs, I'd say go with the Dawes


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## EricfromLA (Oct 21, 2007)

Thank you all for the feedback. I'm leaning more for the Dawes due to better components. I just never heard of them before. Here's a pic of both.


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## crazylax42 (Jan 17, 2007)

the mongoose is great for the money, I sell them where I work. Dawes is an English brand, a value option that has nevertheless won alot of praise from Mountain Biking UK and What Mountain Bike, both english mags; on certain bikes anyway. I think one of them won the "best bike under 500" (British Pounds).


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## EricfromLA (Oct 21, 2007)

crazylax42 said:


> the mongoose is great for the money, I sell them where I work. Dawes is an English brand, a value option that has nevertheless won alot of praise from Mountain Biking UK and What Mountain Bike, both english mags; on certain bikes anyway. I think one of them won the "best bike under 500" (British Pounds).


You think I can find the mongoose for less than $299?


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## EricfromLA (Oct 21, 2007)

trek7100 said:


> Don't know about the Dawes line, but I'm in the market for a 'cheap' bike. Motobecane has been recommended(also at bikesdirect). I know the Mongoose Tyax Elite is on sale at Performance Bicycle - I believe $299. You should get lots of good advice here.


Thanks for introducing me to Motobecane now I'm looking into those as well.  As far as buying from bikesdirect, I've read reviews on this forum that while it is cheap, you'd still have to assemble and tune it yourself and thats where a lot of people complain. I'm pretty mechanical and I work on my own cars but I've never worked on bikes. Would having my LBS tune a new bike be better than tuning it yourself? What do they exactly do to tune a bike?

I see a 2007 Motobecane 600HT on ebay from bikesdirect thats pretty tempting. $318 shipped. :eekster: I can build it and piece it together, I just dont know about the whole tuning it yourself.


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## Mike T. (Dec 30, 2003)

Dawes was a British bike that I was aware of over 40 years ago. The name will have been bought out and I'll bet the bikes are now built in Taiwan and no better or worse than any other Taiwan bike.


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## arctic303 (Sep 27, 2006)

If you ever visit Cambridge in England you'll see thousands of them. Quite a well-known brand over here, though never owned one or seen one on the trails.


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## Joules (Oct 12, 2005)

all the bikes sold by bkesdirect seem to be more or less the same. I have a dawes fixed gear road bike I got on ebay a couple years ago. Assembly was easy - on par with how any other bike comes packed for shipping. 

The cog wore out in 2 rides then stripped the threads on that side of the hub making the rear wheel useless. Frame has been fine....

Just bear in mind that you do often get what you pay for.


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