And another Dawes Kingpin

I found another Dawes Kingpin local to me advertised for £30:00 pounds, I went to view it, knowing full well that I was going to buy the bike. I offered the seller £25:00 and they accepted. 

This is a September 1985 bike so coming towards the end of a 30 year production run for Dawes Kingpins. 

The bike was in quite nice condition tyres were flat and I had to repair a rear puncture, but the bike rode well. 

The saddle is not original, but aside from that the bike hasn’t had a lot of use, the tyres had a lot of tread on them but the sidewalls are perished so they will be replaced. The chrome is mostly ok, but the handlebars are a bit corroded in places. 

The next thing to do is service and clean the bike it very grubby. I will do a full bearing service on the wheels, the bottom bracket and headset, clean the chain which has no signs of wear and give the bike a good wash and polish. 

No full restoration for this one, the only money I will spend on it is for new tyres. 

Bad chrome on the handlebars 

No standard saddle 

The dealer sticker 

This is a photo of the Chesil Cycle Depot from where the Kingpin was bought. 

This is where the shop was today. 

The later bikes no longer had the spindle and BB shells made in England. Now made in Japan. 

Here is the bike with new tyres, it has a complete service, including new bearing and grease in the bottom bracket, headsets and wheel hubs. I have also added added a bag which I already owned and a chrome pump. At some point I may change the brake cables.  

I sold this bike in 2022

Purple to Gold Dawes Kingpin

In my last post I mentioned that I bought a purple Dawes Kingpin, well here it is customised. See photos below. The frame has been powder coated metallic gold. 

I also rebuilt the wheels using the original hubs, which I refurbished with new bearings and grease, and rims with new black spokes, spoke nipples and new tyres. 

I also replaced the chain set with a new Sturmey Archer chain set, pedals, chain and rear cog. 

I painted some of the bright work, brake levers and callipers mat black to tie in the gold/black/chrome effect. I also added a new black Selle Italia saddle, black decathlon handlebar grips along with  inner and outer brake and gear cables. The bell came from an old Dawes Diploma bike I bough and moved on. All the original fitted parts that were kept were thoroughly cleaned, polished and refurbished. 

I think the overall effect is quite contemporary. It rides very well and is much lighter than my other shopper bikes. 

 I recently added a Selle Italia leather saddle bag. 

 UPDATE: I have ridden this bike a few times, unfortunately last time I rode it it got damaged by falling over, it is not a pristine as it was. Still looks cool though. 

Click on the photos to enlarge

Another Kingpin 1977 Version

Another Kingpin 1977 Version

Purple 1977 Dawes Kingpin

I bought another Kingpin, this time a 1977 model, 10 years older than my blue one. Purple is the colour which is nice but it’s not staying that way, it’s going to be painted or powder coated gold. 

Kingpin showing Bottle Dynamo holder. 

H.G Hoare Dealer Label

As you can see, this bike still has the dealer label on H.G. Hoare from High Wycombe and Marlow. There is still a bike shop on the Marlow site, but not under the same name. I expect the Kingpin above came from the High Wycombe shop as that was near where I bought the bike from. 

There’s a couple of jobs to do on it first, both wheels feel a bit stiff and the Sturmey Archer gears are not working at all, they’ll have to be stripped down and cleaned and regreased I expect. 

UPDATE: I stripped down, took apart the Sturmey Archer gears, degreased, cleaned and bought and fitted new ball bearings. 

Dawes Kingpin Refurbish Update

Dawes Kingpin Refurbish Update 2021

It has been a few years since I updated this blog, so I thought it about time to post some more photos and add some more information.

In 2019 I wrote on another forum: 

“Some fettling today, I have swapped the wheels from KP2 to KP1 so I now have Dynohub on my bike. I also swapped the front mudguard over and removed the dynamo lights, the cable clips are missing from KP2 and the cables were held on by zip ties, they looked messy I need to source some clips. I cleaned re-set lens on the front light and polished the chrome on both, not much of a job really they are in really good condition.

Just remembered years ago l had a couple of

KP donor bikes that I removed the cable clips from, took me over an hour to find them, then I couldn't find the little one for the fork, just when I was about give up I found two under a pile of screws! Re-feckin-sult.

A tip I picked up on the Kingpin FB group Swarfega rubbed in really works on the Whitewall tyres.”

As mentioned in an earlier posts the original version of the Kingpin I had in 1970 had a Sturmey Archer Dynohub and lights, in 2019 I found another Kingpin on eBay with the correct lights and a working Sturmey Archer Dynohub from more or less the correct date year (1968). I collected the bike from Birmingham for £50 and stripped it of the hub, lights and front mudguard, seat post and swapped them with the those that were on my original Kingpin. I then sold the latest Kingpin for what I paid for it. 

I now have a bike that is pretty much how I had it in 1970. (except for the Brooks Saddle, the original white Mertens saddle was an instrument of torture). 

I have changed the rear carrier bag too for one that is a better colour match than the one mentioned in a previous post. 

Dawes Kingpin with Matching Tartan Bag

Tartan Carrier Bag.

New Rear Tartan Carrier Bag.

October 2015

Finally I have found a period style rear bike bag / box for the Kingpin. Very hard to get hold of in good condition and for the right price, some very tatty ones seem to sell on eBay for more money than the bike cost when it was new!

Any way I managed to be the only bidder on the bag pictured below, its a reproduction one from a company called Cycle Chic from a couple of years ago, they don't seem to make them any more either. Not quite the right colour but these new versions are very well made and I'm pleased with it. I will try and source one the right colour if I can but in the mean time this one will do.

New Brooks Saddle and Brooks Challenge Tool Bag.

New Brooks Saddle and Brooks Challenge Tool Bag.

March 2015

This winter I decided to put a Brooks B17 saddle on the Kingpin, as the "new old stock" saddle that was on the bike was uncomfortable and noisy, the new saddle is the exact opposite! I also added a Brooks tool bag, not the most practicable of bags, but it holds a puncture repair kit, an old style "dumbbell" spanner a sort of multi tool, and a couple of metal tyre leavers. It suits the age of the bike. 

This phot was taken March 2020 during the Coronavirus Pandemic. 

Dawes Kingpin Update June 2014

Dawes Kingpin Update June 2014

Since my last post about the Dawes Kingpin I had put the project on hold over the winter months, but when spring and summer arrived I started to some more work and fettling on the bike.

I've adjusted the gears finally and they are working perfectly now, they were giving me some problems and not shifting properly, and when I rode the bike I seemed to be only able to ride it in 3rd gear. I eventually found out that I had the adjuster too tight once loosened off and tweaked they worked fine. I thought at first it was the gear lever at fault, and I searched eBay for a new leaver, I'm pleased I never found one because the fault had nothing to do with the leaver, you live and learn.

I may in the near future take the Sturmey Archer 3 speed hub apart and give it a good service, but its fine for now and works better than I thought it would. Brakes have been adjusted too and various rattles and noises have been banished from the bike forever! UPDATE: I did completely take the hub apart and service the gears in 2020. 

I have ridden it a few times, not that far, I have three other modern bikes to do proper riding on, but I did ride the Dawes to the Bicester Bicycle Day in August (2014), an 11 mile round trip where the bike got a lot of attention.  

It was fun to ride it and it was interesting to ride it just in normal clothing and trainers, no special cycle gear, no helmet, no lycra. I also rode it to a friends house who had expressed an interest in seeing the bike, when I had got to the door the front tyre went flat, a huge pinch flat in the inner tube, very annoying.

I have decide that the "new old stock" white saddle I bought for this bike is horrid, uncomfortable and squeaky, in fact, an instrument of torture! I am going to change it for a Brooks B17 saddle when I get the chance, I'm also going to put on a leather Brooks Challenge tool kit bag on it, which was a birthday gift a while ago, and instead of the white grips I think I might put on some black grips or maybe Brooks black handlebar tape.

I am still looking for a blue tartan rack bag, I think its going to be a long search.

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