Dave Russell - Back to Blue

rmwesley

Retro Guru
Picked this up today and was wondering if anyone could shed a bit of light on it. I've googled and got some basic Dave Russell info back, but couldn't find out much about the range of bikes he produced & whether this was a diamond or a lump of coal. Some of the parts seem a bit incongruous, so may not be original but the bulk of it does seem to be. Any info gratefully received...

Frame: <EO> 4380 stamped under bottom bracket, chromed Columbus front fork
Rear derailleur: Suntour Vx
Front derailleur: Suntour Superbe
Shifters: Suntour
Cranks: Stronglight 49D with TA Cyclotouriste 52T/40T Chainrings
Freewheel: Regina Corsa 78, 5 speed, 14T - 28T
Brakes: Weinmann Vainqueur 610
Brake levers: Shimano
Headset: Hatta Swan
Saddle: Selle Italie Anatomic
Hubs / QR: Campagnolo
Rims: Staral

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As far from an expert as it gets but I have a Dave Russell frame & it's really well made I believe he is quite well respected
 
I started stripping the bike down today and found a few nice little oddities I hadn't see before...

The cranks currently remain in place since I don't have the correct crank removal puller. Apparently pre-80s Stronglight cranks use a 23.35mm thread rather than the "normal" 22mm. A 23.35mm puller seems to cost one million pounds, so hopefully I'll see some more of these in the future to be able to depreciate the purchase.

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These were bent beyond belief so I was praying to all the gods available whilst removing them, that the bolt wouldn't snap leaving an irrecoverable bit inside the hole.

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However, once remove they did reveal some very nice Campagnolo dropouts.

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The forks are almost certainly not original, but very nice nonetheless. Will get them re-chromed since I've got enough stuff for the local guy's minimum £60 charge.

I'm starting to think this build might turn out quite well :cool:

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