Dawes Cycles is a bicycle manufacturer based in Castle Bromwich, England. Dawes produces a range of bikes including road, mountain bikes and tandems, but is best known for touring bikes, specifically the Galaxy and the Super Galaxy model lines.

History

thumb|left|1951 Dawes Courier

In 1906 Major Ernest Humphries and Charles F. Dawes set up the "Humphries and Dawes Company" in Birmingham, England. At first, they produced motorcycles and a few bicycles. But after twenty years, the two partners split up, with Major Humphries setting up a motorcycle manufacturer.

Charles F. Dawes set up Dawes Cycles Ltd in Wharf Dale, Tyseley in 1926,

In 1971, Dawes first "Galaxy" model appeared, fitted with wide-ratio gears and Reynolds 531 tubing. The Galaxy became the benchmark in the English touring bicycle market.

thumb|A Giro 400 model racing bike by Dawes. It uses a [[Shimano chainset and carbon fibre front forks on a butted aluminium frame]]

By the mid-1970s, the company was still family owned and producing 1000 bicycles a week. Between 1978 and 2001 the company was sold at least five times, passing through the hands of various venture capital and leisure companies. Resultantly, by the mid-1980s, the firm had 50 staff at its dilapidated Tyseley factory. After being bought by ATAG of the Netherlands in 1990, the factory was closed down and production moved to Asia, while the head office moved to Castle Bromwich. In this guise it was bought by Midlands-based investment house Grove Industries in 1998 and sold to Tandem Group Plc in 2001.

Present

Since 2001, Dawes has been owned by Tandem Group plc, owners of Lincolnshire-based Falcon Cycles. Although Dawes bikes are no longer manufactured in the United Kingdom, the research, design and development still comes from their head office staff based in Birmingham. Dawes was one of the first companies to produce a complete single speed mountain bike, the Edge One, and continues to develop new models.

See also

  • List of bicycle manufacturing companies

References

  • Dawes Cycles