Claud Butler - What era?!

cworrell

Retro Newbie
Hi

I have decided to rennovate my dad's old Claud Butler, which has been very badly looked after. Im trying to work out the era as well. Its a Caureour but not sure which decade. The Claude decal is in block lettering and the brakes are Weinmann 999s. The forks seem to be bi lam lugs, the front fork badge is a metal not decal and there is an interesting lamp welding on the front right fork. Any clues greatly received. Thanks!

Also, first post, first time ive come across this site but looks great so far.

Cheers, Chris
 

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Wow, i think thats it, i must have misread Coureur. The decals have seriously faded! Thanks for your help - now to continue the strip down and prep for a respray. Will have to retain the original colour scheme now!
 
Chris, the Holdsworthy Company made these from about 1960 on, badged as Claud Butler and Freddy Grubb, well made in quantity cheapish frames, mostly from grade A drawn steel, (not "gas pipe"), some models had 531 3 tubes. Their better frames in the 60's usually badged Holdsworth, not W F Holdsworth.
It looks mid 1960's.
I sold a lot of them then.
No bi-laminate as far as I can see.
 
Thanks for your replies, really appreciated. Im down to now trying to remove the pedals which given its state of disrepair is not going to be an easy task - being new to the rennovation scene (but addicted already!) ive never come across this type of set up before - as you can see from the Trek in the background!
 
Chris, impossible to know your state of knowledge, but pedals are right hand thread for the right, and left hand thread for the left. R H pedal undoes anti clockwise.
Failing any other tools, (I had a cyclo cam type cotter pin squeezer) I could knock out cotter pins using 2 fairly light hammers. Support the bottom bracket or underside of the crank, undo the nut, place one hammer on the threaded end of the cotter, and hit it sharply with the other.
This has 2 advantages, your fingers are out of the way, and you can hit more sharply because you have a bigger target. They are still a pest. I was a cycle repairer in the 50/60's.
 
I'll do what I always do when someone posts a picture of a sixties / seventies Claud or Holdsworth and say - keep the pictures coming! I love these things. They are such stylish, sprightly things to ride. It's really interesting to see it alongside a modern Trek as well, and be able to look at all the ways drop bar bike design has changed...

Fair play for getting it in the living room btw! I only do that with mine when our las is out :oops:
 
Goldie":17jgzm9o said:
I'll do what I always do when someone posts a picture of a sixties / seventies Claud or Holdsworth and say - keep the pictures coming! I love these things. They are such stylish, sprightly things to ride. It's really interesting to see it alongside a modern Trek as well, and be able to look at all the ways drop bar bike design has changed...

Fair play for getting it in the living room btw! I only do that with mine when our las is out :oops:

enjoy this one then, although it's a bit older (1951) but has a '60s repaint…

vintage_claud.JPG
 
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