I've finished my Claud Butler rebuild...(56k warning!)

Iain C

Dirt Disciple
Hi...fairly new on here, and really enjoying the site. Recently got back into cycling, got a 2007 Trek Fuel EX7 MTB but I was hankering after a road bike (MTBs seem RUBBISH on road if you've ever ridden skinny tyres!) so I decided to dig my old 1980s Claud Butler Dalesman out of my mum's garage where it had sat for about 15 years, I had it as a teenager.

OK so it's questionable whether it's worth it financially but I hate seeing nice engineering going in the skip, and finding this site made me realise that "I'm not alone" so I decided to go for it. The plan is to make a useable retro everyday hack rather than a faithful restoration.

The old groupset was a right mish-mash of non-index Shimano Golden Arrow and other bits, but a cycling friend gave me a newer (but still retro) pair of 105 dual pivot calipers, levers and rear mech. eBay turned up the matching front mech for under a tenner, as well as NOS index levers, and some new MTB M540 SPDs also all for under a tenner (saves me buying road shoes too!), and SCS were able to find me some 27" blackwall tyres as the old Michelins had turned to powder.

Worst thing so far has been the 6 speed freewheel which turned both ways and no amount of GT85 and fiddling with it would sort it, as unfortunatly it had totally welded itself to the old-school Maillard wide-flange hubs. No LBS could shift it, nor could a cold chisel, so out came the grinder and you've guessed it it started to work as soon as the first fatal cut was made! Still, a good excuse for a new 7 speed one, again under a tenner from eBay.

Bar the tyres the most expensive bit has been the brown Charge Spoon saddle, that's right I'm afraid the colour scheme is a rather blatant copy of the Charge Plug but as it works so well who cares, and at least this bike is genuine retro if that makes sense.

Anyway, finished the respray now and I have to say I am really chuffed with it, bearing in mind it was Halfords spray cans, done outside, with the bike dangling from the washing line! It's really shiny in the flesh and the 531 stickers (eBay again) and custom graphics set it off niceley.

Anyway, if anyone is interested I'll post more as I finish it...apologies to the purists if it's not quite right but I'm really inspired to finish it and ride it and I guess that's half the idea!

Oh...and looking at those kinda horizontal Campag dropouts I might go fixed at some point too...

Not in great condition...
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Bike stripped down...
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Lots of Nitromors and sanding later, but still more to go...
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Zinc primed, painted and lacquered...
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Nice spraying!

Was going to get an old Harry Hall resprayed or powder coated - but I'm now looking at a DIY job because yours looks great. How many cans did it take and how did you do it? Are the reynolds decals waterslide? Top job! :D
 
Re: Nice spraying!

cellleader":37zi98s5 said:
Was going to get an old Harry Hall resprayed or powder coated - but I'm now looking at a DIY job because yours looks great. How many cans did it take and how did you do it? Are the reynolds decals waterslide? Top job! :D

It was pretty easy really, stripped the bike with Nitromors, wire brush and wire wool (wear gloves and goggles), and then varying grades of wet and dry, yours will probably only need minimal rubbing down if it's not rusty like this was.

Washed all traces of Nitromors off, thoroughly cleaned and dried frame, and then painted. It took 2 small cans of zinc primer, 2 small cans of topcoat, and about half a big can of lacquer I had lying around. In fairness I would be tempted to buy 3 cans of topcoat as I ran out just as I finished it, might be good to have a spare can in case you spot any light patches. A frame is a funny thing to spray, it's so easy to miss bits...I found a bit of string with a stopper knot through the back brake mount worked well to hang it from, I sprayed the rear traingle, main tubes and finished with the head tube. Fork is easy obviously.

The 531 decals came from "decals2000" on eBay, and they are just peel and stick jobbies. Frame graphics from my local van signwriter.

Good luck!
 
Re: I've started my Claud Butler rebuild...

Iain C said:
Hi...fairly new on here, and really enjoying the site. Recently got back into cycling, got a 2007 Trek Fuel EX7 MTB but I was hankering after a road bike (MTBs seem RUBBISH on road if you've ever ridden skinny tyres!
quote]

:shock: Sorry have to disagree with that. I rode a racing bike to work and went back to a mtb.
The road bikes brakes were bad. The ride was hard. And the riding postion was a nightmare. True once moving you could move very fast.
But in London at least I keep to my Trimble.
BUT that is a very nice bike you have. Lovely paint job :cool:
 
I guess you might be right...what I mean is that although I love my Trek and it's awesome off-road, of an evening I want to go for a quick spin mainly for the exercise, and I don't want to go off road and get the bike filthy to spend 20 minutes cleaning it afterwards, so a roadie seems like a good bet for that. But take your point on riding position...remember I have not sat on that Claud Butler for about 15 years and I've had a spinal operation since then so I might hate it! But I guess 531ST and slack touring angles are going to be about as comfy as I can get on a road bike like that.

And I take your point about other things too...I took my missus' hardtail for a spin off road yesterday after I serviced the Marz forks on it, could not believe the difference in comfort between that and my Trek, and also got a bit scared braking wise after going through deep puddles...I used to think V brakes were the daddies but after hydraulic discs there's no going back!

But still looking forward to getting the CB back on the road though...time will tell if it actually gets used much!
 
Re: I've started my Claud Butler rebuild...

tintin40":hg863mh9 said:
Iain C":hg863mh9 said:
Hi...fairly new on here, and really enjoying the site. Recently got back into cycling, got a 2007 Trek Fuel EX7 MTB but I was hankering after a road bike (MTBs seem RUBBISH on road if you've ever ridden skinny tyres!
quote]

:shock: Sorry have to disagree with that. I rode a racing bike to work and went back to a mtb.
The road bikes brakes were bad. The ride was hard. And the riding postion was a nightmare. True once moving you could move very fast.
But in London at least I keep to my Trimble.
BUT that is a very nice bike you have. Lovely paint job :cool:

Well, different strokes for different folks - I cant ride my full suspension MTB now - bad back forces sale I'm afraid. Its like a magic carpet over rough stuff out of the saddle but in the saddle the upright position is like a pile driver for the vertebrae.
However! I feel perfectly at home on my road bikes - and my Campag Record brakes are as good as Hope discs on the road. Even in the wet.

Nice Claud Butler by the way - a magnificent DIY job. Remember to give that paint plenty time to harden.
 
well tickle my flange nuts - thats just identified another mystery frame hanging the garage...

those wraparound rear stays are the key - might do mine up now
 
A lot of frame builders used wrap-over seat stays, not just Claud Butler. If this is an 80's Claud it is probably a 'Holdsworth' one and many Holdsworth frames had this style of cluster. Possibly 'Prugnat' lugs as well.

Nice restoration, particularly as it's aerosol painted.
 
Old Ned":33ml30x8 said:
A lot of frame builders used wrap-over seat stays, not just Claud Butler. If this is an 80's Claud it is probably a 'Holdsworth' one and many Holdsworth frames had this style of cluster. Possibly 'Prugnat' lugs as well.

darn....
 
Looks good mate - excellent finish and an excellent colour :D :D

I've got a brand new Campagnolo band on gear lever boss in the garage if you need one ;)
 

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