Claud Butler Dalesman advice

[westpe]

Hi all,

I've got a Claud Butler Dalesman - photos attached. I have two questions that I'd like to get advice on:

1. I've been told that the brakes on a Dalesman can be quite particular. In other words, that I may need to get a specific type of brake pad. Does anyone know if that's right?

2. I recently had the bike serviced and think I may have been a victim of a bit of a cowboy. In particular, they replaced my derailleur. The original derailleur was on the bike when I bought it on ebay about 6 years ago. They new one (see close up photo) is one you can get on Amazon for about 9 quid. I'm a bit concerned that the old derailleur (which wasn't given back to me) may have been worth something, and whether the new one is appropriate for the bike. Any thoughts?

Also, any general thoughts on what I could/ should do with the bike would be much appreciated.

Thanks in advance!

 

[highlandsflyer]

Any decent brake pad will do the job, although you might like to try Kool-Stop or similar.
As you have 'lost' the previous derailleur; you could just run the Tourney if it is satisfactory. An 'upgrade' there will mainly be a weight saving and longer lived, rather than noticeably improved day to day functionality. I'd just maintain it and enjoy it; excellent bike!