claud butler lugged reynolds something. pics!

jaypee

Senior Retro Guru
Now this is interesting. Ok I grant you not that interesting ;)

I'm quite into eighties lugged steel and I just picked this up. W wasn't sure from the outset - the styling looks more early-mid 90's and the forks too but it was pretty cheap so I wasn't too bothered.
.
I thought on picking it up I might get a few clues but there's no trace of a decal aside from CB and no serial number

Looks like original kit might have been stx (not rc).
With unicrown forks I was thinking possibly 89 which would make it relatively high end for the year. However other CBs I've seen with similar styling are around 93-4 and by then I'm sure lugged 501 was nothing special.

I'm not too bothered, my main hack bike's awaiting some work and unrideable and this'll be a nice replacement at least for now. Just be interested if anyone knows.

I've just switched out the lethal back wheel, given it a front brake and removed the mudguards
 
Re: claud butler lugged reynolds something.

nellupeoj


(First attempt at pics from photobucket, let's Dee how it works)
 
Re: claud butler lugged reynolds something.

Or not.

I know 501 in 89 only puts it in montage/mirage territory but to be honest I'm surprised they were even making lugged steel mtbs in 93-4. Maybe it's somewhere in between. Either way it's reasonably light(ish) and 501's still double butted cromo right?
 
Re: claud butler lugged reynolds something.

I have a Claud Butler Spirit about 1997 and its still lugged steel. It does have more modern features like top tube cable routing and a forward facing seat binder bolt but its still lugged. I get the impression if it was lower end and UK made (Falcon is the parent company) it remained lugged where the old school frame building skills existed before finally the Taiwanese took over.
Nicely made frame though, cant fault the frame builders !
 
Re: claud butler lugged reynolds something.

raleigh yukon was lugged 501 and my dawes is also lugged 501. there was a definite trend in the late 80,s to make decent british bikes out of such stuff and my yukon rode exceptionally well. Look at mid to late 80's british road bikes the record sprint was lugged reynolds iirc.
Doesnt help you but it definitley puts it in that era
but also dont forget they were building lugged bikes then to eliminate the cost of welding each one. I actually watched them at the raleigh factory nail the lug to the tube before brazing it :D
also its was common practice only to make the main triangle out of reynolds, the rear was usually high ten. A lot of stickers on the 501 framed raleighs say reynolds main tubes, Im sure cb are no different.
 
Re: claud butler lugged reynolds something.

Cheers for the info guys, I'm gonna try with the pics now:

nellupeoj
 
I'm pretty sure thats a claud butler exon from the early 90,s colour looks right and the frame does. its the 501 magnum tubing which was off road as opposed to the regular 501 which was for general use. are the stickers metalic looking?
 

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