1984 Claud Butler Majestic

[Peachy!]

Re: 1983 Claud Butler Majestic

My lads currently running one of these on his winter bike (with the very same wheel set you have from my striped Majestic)
I’ve got a spare that’s not quite as pretty as this stock photo but it’s yours for £10 posted.

 

[Captain Stupido]

Re: 1983 Claud Butler Majestic

My lads currently running one of these on his winter bike (with the very same wheel set you have from my striped Majestic)
I’ve got a spare that’s not quite as pretty as this stock photo but it’s yours for £10 posted.

Thanks Peachy, yeah they work ok don't they? Actually I've got a few options here already - just thought it might be fun to make a "special" long cage 105 out of the scrap pile...

 

[Captain Stupido]

Re:

Started looking up date codes following cleaning... the Suntour mechs are dated 85 and 86.

Frame code has been misread previously too... it's actually 060988 which (correct me if I'm wrong) makes it 1984.

Seems odd that the mechs would have been replaced that early on in the bike's lifetime... especially to something fairly similar to standard equipment.

I wonder if this received the "upgraded" mechs along with triple chainset from the dealer? Didn't these usually come with a double?

 

[Captain Stupido]

Re:

Once I start cleaning I get a bit obsessed. Takes ages too.

Also photographed are a slightly earlier 1984 mountech front mech which I bought for the Falcon in my sig. And a blurry 1979 V-GT purchased for the same purpose which I have bravely dismantled and left to soak.

I can't decide which mechs to use. Will probably leave it with the ones it came with...

Very good news is the pedals were incredibly easy to remove. I left them til last (wheels off) which is sometimes a silly thing to do. It's proving to be a well-oiled machine.

 

[Peachy!]

So will you be sticking with the 3 up front crankset?

 

[Captain Stupido]

So will you be sticking with the 3 up front crankset?

Too right.

 

[Captain Stupido]

Front hub serviced, new balls and grease. The usual to-ing and fro-ing trying to get the bearings perfect... and settling on a compromise!

Replaced knackered rim tape, tyre and tube. Just the rear to do now...

Got to put that mech back together before I lose half of it. Probably should have read the guide in Richard's Bicycle Book ("note position of spring") before I started taking it apart. No mention of the 3 washers either...

 

[legrandefromage]

'position of spring' - usually end of March in the Northern Hemisphere

 

[Captain Stupido]

'position of spring' - usually end of March in the Northern Hemisphere

Thanks muchly LGF. :facepalm:

 

[Captain Stupido]

Had some fun messing about with old broken mechs. Managed to cobble together a hybrid using the 105, DX and STX mechs above. Initially I was quite excited as it looks nice and is fairly light, and i managed to put a complete mech together out of 3 incomplete ones... Unfortunately I can't see it working as there's quite a bit of play in the joint.

The photos below hopefully illustrate this. Not sure whether it's because the bits I used are knackered or because of a compatibility issue but for now I'm going to shelve this idea. You may notice that the little plastic seal is missing - the DX one was damaged and I couldn't work out a way to salvage the good one on the 105 cage - I did wonder whether this was causing the problem.

Anyway meanwhile the frame and forks are now totally bare and a new headset awaits... I was pleasantly surprised how light they are... will try to shave off a few grams in the rebuild as the bike as purchased was a fairly weighty lump...

Slow progress but getting there.