'79 Claud Butler Majestique mixte......one for the missus

I've been thinking about getting hold of a mixte frame for a while now as a project for the missus - to replace her mid 2000's Dawes tank.

Flicking through Gumtree and an ad pops up for a "Cluad Butler bike" - bit of research via Google and from the 1 pic on the advert I could work out the 531 stickers and that it was a Majestique.







I arranged to meet up with the bloke, had a look, bartered with him and bought it. Not as original as I'd hoped - but I plan to strip it down, clean it up & knock it into shape. After pumping up the tyres, adjusting the loose headset and removing the crappy plastic mudguards I rode it into work this morning......and it's really fun to ride! (albeit a bit small for me).



So - Claud Butler aficionados - I want to find out a bit more about it. I've read that the Majestic and Majestique bikes were launched in '77 to coincide/commemorate the Silver Jubilee - does that make this a '77 model?







I'm desperate to find out what spec this bike had with regards to wheels/derailleurs/hubs etc. It currently runs crap thumbies on swept handle bars and Mountain LX/300LX mtb derailleurs - which will be the first things to swap out.





The wheels are a little odd too......both rims are Mavic MA2, but look too modern and show hardly any wear, and the rear hub is a Normandy large flange (nutted) an the front a "Sunshine" large flange with QR. Would it have originally run on 27" wheels - as these are 26"....?





Anyway - it's a bit of a project but with a little bit of TLC she'll be right again.

Re:

Nice

I've been sniffing around these as a potential replacement for my wife's rapidly crumbling triumph 3 speed but at present she's refusing to let the triumph die in peace. I've also got half an idea to get myself a majestic as a winter commuter as they tend to go for a good price but I'd need to make some space for it... :roll:

I would say yours is from 83 or 84 judging by the colour ("ice blue pearl) and the 531 decals (http://www.reynoldstechnology.biz/wp-co ... istory.pdf).

the spec for the '84 model is here:
http://www.nkilgariff.com/CBcats/Cat_84/CB1984_Cat.htm

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nonowt":2spkfwbw said:

Nice

I've been sniffing around these as a potential replacement for my wife's rapidly crumbling triumph 3 speed but at present she's refusing to let the triumph die in peace. I've also got half an idea to get myself a majestic as a winter commuter as they tend to go for a good price but I'd need to make some space for it... :roll:

I would say yours is from 83 or 84 judging by the colour ("ice blue pearl) and the 531 decals (http://www.reynoldstechnology.biz/wp-co ... istory.pdf).

the spec for the '84 model is here:
http://www.nkilgariff.com/CBcats/Cat_84/CB1984_Cat.htm

Click to expand...

I thought it was this year initially, the Reynolds decal suggests '77-'82 (from this website at least)



The only thing which makes me think it's earlier is that is has a rivet on head badge rather than a decal



.......and it has campag clamp on cable guides and I can make out the 'olo' of campagnolo on the rear drop outs.

'84 catalogue also suggests a lamp mount boss on the front fork - which mine doesn't have.

Colour of mine is def. silver as opposed to the light blue metallic of the '84 bike too.





Also - my thoughts of whether it originally wore 27" rims is down to the position of the brake blocks - right at the lowest position they can be....

Re:

Ah, I'd spotted the Campagnolo drop-outs but not the lack of lamp boss and the proper head badge. So it Looks like it's a 77-8 model. All the later models have a lamp boss. There's a referbed Majestique somewhere on retrobike where the owner suggest CB swapped to a decal head badge sometime in early 78.

The 'Majestique' decal on the chain stay threw me off as i thought the had started with a script font and changed to the crown style later.

27" wheels with high flange hubs seems to have been standard through out the majestic/majestique's time but the 77-8 seems to have had Huret gears (not sure which range) rather than the Suntour VX or Cyclone II of later models.

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Oh,and they'll probably be some type of data stamp on the weinmann's or the cranks.

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nonowt":qom4ifre said:

Ah, I'd spotted the Campagnolo drop-outs but not the lack of lamp boss and the proper head badge. So it Looks like it's a 77-8 model. All the later models have a lamp boss. There's a referbed Majestique somewhere on retrobike where the owner suggest CB swapped to a decal head badge sometime in early 78.

The 'Majestique' decal on the chain stay threw me off as i thought the had started with a script font and changed to the crown style later.

27" wheels with high flange hubs seems to have been standard through out the majestic/majestique's time but the 77-8 seems to have had Huret gears (not sure which range) rather than the Suntour VX or Cyclone II of later models.

Click to expand...

This is the rebuild I found from a few years ago - the same one you're thinking of?

viewtopic.php?t=229885

I got given a spare set of 27" rims from the guy I bought it off (as I was leaving he said "d'ya want these?"). Not sure they're the originals, he said they were off a Dawes racer he'd stripped. The front wheel is a chrome rim and properly corroded but the rear is alu rim, sunrace freewheel and is like new (aside from being filthy). No wear on the rim, hub bearings are perfect and sprockets look like they've not seen a chain. Turns out that the freewheel on the 26" wheel fitted to the bike is goosed anyway so I've fitted the 27" rear and am now on the lookout for a 27" front wheel to match.

nonowt":qom4ifre said:

Oh,and they'll probably be some type of data stamp on the weinmann's or the cranks.

Click to expand...

Cool - thanks for that info - will have a scout around for numbers later. Presumably the frame will have a number too - can you date Claud Butler bikes from the frame serial number?

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Not sure how to decode CB frame numbers but I’m sure someone on here will. …although I have a vague memory of reading that they get confusing in the 70s and 80s…?

According to the My Ten Speed site -http://www.mytenspeeds.com/My_TenSpeeds_1/FREE_SITE_VINTAGE/VINTAGE_5_Component_Numbers.htm - the brake calipers should have a month and year code on the back inside a circle of numbers and the crank should have a two-digit year inside a regular circle.

Yep, that was the refurb I was thinking off - looks a lot like yours down the cable guide and the lack of lamb boss. The owner of that CB still seems to be active on here so might be able to help. Squinting very hard it looks like that has a Huret front mech as mentioned in the ’77 catalogue. Further squinting on Velobase and http://www.disraeligears.co.uk/Site/Hur ... 90%29.html suggest that
that it could be Huret Eco?

Re: Re:

nonowt":20q8lci6 said:

Not sure how to decode CB frame numbers but I’m sure someone on here will. …although I have a vague memory of reading that they get confusing in the 70s and 80s…?

According to the My Ten Speed site -http://www.mytenspeeds.com/My_TenSpeeds_1/FREE_SITE_VINTAGE/VINTAGE_5_Component_Numbers.htm - the brake calipers should have a month and year code on the back inside a circle of numbers and the crank should have a two-digit year inside a regular circle.

Yep, that was the refurb I was thinking off - looks a lot like yours down the cable guide and the lack of lamb boss. The owner of that CB still seems to be active on here so might be able to help. Squinting very hard it looks like that has a Huret front mech as mentioned in the ’77 catalogue. Further squinting on Velobase and http://www.disraeligears.co.uk/Site/Hur ... 90%29.html suggest that
that it could be Huret Eco?

Click to expand...

Good info right there! Had a quick look at the cranks tonight and they have a 78 inside a circle.....

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Excellent. I wonder if they had some Jubilee frames left and rebadged them as Majestique once the Sex Pistols had be kept off the number 1 slot? They basically seem to be the same except the jubilee having the higher spec Brooks and Campag.

Re: '78 Claud Butler Majestique mixte......one for the missus

Bike is now stripped down to the frame and has had a thorough cleaning to remove the years of crud.

Frame paint is not bad but there are a couple of nasty scrapes which have been bugging me. I don't really want to completely respray/refinish the frame before rebuilding.....so I decided to try out some silver automotive wheel paint that I have left over in my paint collection. Using zinc-rich primer as a base it turns out to be a damn good match!

Fork scuff:



Rubbed back:



Painted:



Lacquered:



New (old) 27" front wheel courtesy of forum member Oaklec (cheers Chris!), a slightly longer stem in preparation for the swept back North Road style bars that should turn up next week.



Next up - to sort out the paint damage on the head tube in the same manner: