1995 Claud Butler Professional 653

[MartinB123]

Picked this up yesterday... I'm a big fan of Reynolds 653 and i've seen a few of these online in 853 but rarely 653 so I had to have it.

It's pretty original - the only difference in comparison to the brochure is the tyres (but they also look like they're from 1995, so may have been fitted from new!)

It needs some love but it's all straight, no dents and with minimal corrosion - the Avanti groupset is complete and all working. My plan is to strip down, deep clean everything and put it back together. I may make some changes to modernise it a bit; 50/34 crank and perhaps some Mavic Ksyrium Elite's which may suit the aggressive nature of the frame.

Here's a couple of pics from the previous owner. I'll be sure to update once i've made some progress after the long weekend!

 

[Peachy!]

Nice. How’s the paintwork?
Strange how the “Professional” graphic is missing from the top tube. Perhaps a bored teenager picked it off?

 

[MartinB123]

Nice. How’s the paintwork?
Strange how the “Professional” graphic is missing from the top tube. Perhaps a bored teenager picked it off?

Just took a look at this tonight - it's definitely still there!! Just very faded.

 

[MartinB123]

Stripped the frame down yesterday and realised that I'm not much of a fan of the blue and white fade - it has a few chips as well as some general lifting of the paint in places as well.

Have sent it off to the powder coaters

 

[MartinB123]

Decided to opt for a similar finish to another frameset I built up last autumn. Stripped and clear coated to show off the detail of those lovely lugs!

I'll hopefully have her built up this week