1970? Claud Butler Electron Super Five

I've been fighting a losing battle with the need to own a 70's road bike for a few weeks now, as the spritiual successor to the dinky Viscount and Viking racers that my dad found and cleaned up for me when I was growing up.

The battle was finally lost on saturday night a couple of weeks ago, when a shady dabble on fleabay while the missus was cooking tea resulted in me becoming the second owner from new of this slightly dusty and battered looking Claud Butler:





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It was pretty much love at first sight. I think I lasted about two hours after I got it home before I got the T-cut, brasso and pan scourers round it, and it's come up a treat. The Weinmann brakes in particular look like they've been milled from solid lumps of shinyness.

It has a lovely Campag gear set, with the maker's C logo in red and white enamel on the end of a couple of the pivots. On the first ride, I couldn't get first and it kept jumping out of second, put I adjusted the stop screws and it all runs fine now.





There are a ton of scratches and touched up bits on the frame, which I'm in two minds about - I half want to make it look as new, half want to keep them so that the bike's more "honest".

It was the very bottom of CB's range when it was new, but it is without a doubt the best screwed together bike I've ever owned. I'm so chuffed I ended up with this and not something new instead.

The rear mech and shifters are Valentino Extra. Never the best shifting mechs, but I quite like the look of them.

Some more suitable tyres and that would look very nice.

Looks great, love that 70's burnt orange type colour.
Keep as is......and ride the wheels off it.

NickD":1nmf91n5 said:

The rear mech and shifters are Valentino Extra. Never the best shifting mechs, but I quite like the look of them.

Some more suitable tyres and that would look very nice.

Click to expand...

I know what you mean! I genuinely did spend five minutes just admiring the beauty of the shifter mechanism after I'd finished polishing it. Our lass came out in the garden and found me just looking at it with an idiot grin on my face.

mavesyn, wheels are duly being ridden off. I've stuffed the MTB in the shed and nicked the lights off it so I can ride the Claude at night. I went past two gents on a 70's Carlton and another British handbuilt of the same era last night on it, and it was excellent in a kind of "Life on Mars" timewarp way.

First thirty miler on the old lass today. Met a couple of lads on Dawes and Claud Butler Dalesman tourers, dating from the early eighties. Had old bike love in, then stoppped for multiple sausage roles in Lymm:





It delivered me safely home again a little while later, where I treated it to a wash, saddle polish and a can ful of GT85 on the moving bits...

that bike has patina and real style. Over-enthusiastic restoration would ruin it I think.
Make sure it gets plenty of car wax to stop any rusting and bring the paintwork up.

Looking good. Love the 1st pic, the Claud, is the most modern object in
it.....
Your inspiring me, to get my 70's Simonato project started.

T-cut. Wax. Sorted

I'm having a bit of a moral dilemma...

A few weeks ago, after I'd had a couple of cans, it suddenly seemed a good idea to own at least two '60's Clauds... so I bought a moss green Coureur straight off of this very forum. I'll post a couple of pictures up when I get chance...

I've kind of come to my senses since, and I'm going to move it on. But it's got these gorgeous - but not original - wheels with alloy rims, stainless spokes and to-die-for Campag alloy large flange hubs. And I'm kind of finding it difficult to contemplate seeing them go. So... should I swap the wheels? Or keep my Electron as it came to me. :?

For me it's the frame that counts. Keep the campag wheels mate. Think of it as the best wheels complimenting the frame and fork.