Last of the Lugged Claud Butlers

[velomaniac]

A couple of months ago I dragged the remains of a fly tipped Claud Butler out of a ditch. Anything useful bar the frame, forks and bottom bracket and headset had been stripped before dumping. Anyhoo, I've rescued it and I'm rebuilding it for pub/spare bike riding status. But what year is it is confusing me as it has a lugged frame but top tube mounted cable guides which if our archive is to believed suggests post 95. Its a black Claud Butler Spirit to be exact. Any ideas when CB stopped being lugged as the top tube guides look out of place on a lugged frame :?

 

[legrandefromage]

lugged CB's seemed to be around as late as 98 with low end models.

as for cable guides my 1992 grellow Spectre 531 Magnum (PI?) was top routed.

heres the 1992 top routing:

 

[lrh]

As far as I've seen they only did top tube routing on 653 frames (plus 90/91 Cape Wrath 531). They sold 653s as late as 97 but badged as Pagan, with the Spirit being a BSO with Altus by then.

Their naming and model hierarchy was all over the shop in the 90s but if I had to guess I'd say it's the entry level 653 model around 92~94. Dr Carlos might be able to remember.

Get a pic up, I should be able to tell the year by the decals. If they're italic it's definitely 93/94.

 

[velomaniac]

Sorry, no decals they were very tatty and I removed them but they were silver and not itallic and no pics but definitely low end, similar spec to 95 model but with top tube cable routing and forward facing seatpost clamp. I think by weight its Reynolds 501 or 500, at least the main triangle is.
I think I'll split the difference based on you guys answers and assume 97.
Thanks muchly
For reasons I dont understand i'm collecting CB's, now got 3 and didn't set out specifically to get any of them

 

[legrandefromage]

As before, my 1992 Spectre was top routed.

 

[lrh]

Just spotted one on eBay with 1993 Alivio and top routing too :?

So the Spectre went from 501 (89-91) to 531 (92,93?) to 653 (94/95)... God knows what they were playing at, their range was a mess!

Kinda why I've lost interest in CB, along with the top models being unobtainium.

 

[legrandefromage]

Never seen the grello spectre since either. I took the decals off mine within about 4 minutes of ownership - left the reynolds decals on though.

I was lucky enough to bag a set of RS MAG20 so by the time it went it had 1993 'new' low pro 110 bcd LX cranks (polished to look like XTR), AT-70 pads, xt rapdfire sti, XT rear mech and blue Renthal sub 130 bars with blue Xlite ski bar ends.

terrible ride though. A bit like a tank, it went 'through' rather than 'over'.

 

[drcarlos]

Despite owning the top end one I know very little about the brand I'm afraid. My bike was bought new by me in 1993 fairly late in the year and was originally fitted with marzocchi forks which I had swapped for the manitous. I think its a 93 bike, but it was heavily reduced so may have been 92, the marzocchis were mx500 which I think were 93s though. Really not sure at all, early 90s muddy fox and I'd know

Carl

 

[lrh]

Yep it's a minefield, I've given up trying to catalogue what model was what and when.

Don't know if you saw but a member has a stack of CB brochures but not scanned yet: http://www.retrobike.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?p=1737624

Antaeus switched to aluminium in 93 and Cape Wrath was still 531... So 653 was dropped for 93 then brought back in 94... Jeez, such random product planning, no wonder they never sold any.

 

[drcarlos]

No I missed that then, thanks, mine is the 1992 then, pretty conclusive, a lot nicer than that generic alloy thing too.

Carl.