Those of you with good memories might remember the “My dad’s Claud Butler” * thread which contained this bit of steel loveliness.

Well after a small amount of TLC and commuterising it looked like this:

But after a lot of use, and a fair amount of “I’ll fix that next weekend” it now looked like this 🙁

[url=https://flic.kr/p/xbrbSH]20150816_171434[/url] by thisisnotaspoon, on Flickr

So a few minutes re-taping the bars and replacing the front brake cable were in order. Or so I thought!

[url=https://flic.kr/p/xs1ygk]20150816_194405[/url] by thisisnotaspoon, on Flickr

Thankfully the only siezed bits were the driveside crank which destroyed my extractor to boot 🙁 , a bent dropout adjuster screw, and the headset crown race is stuck on so that’s off to the shop to be done properly.

Started a thread on retrobike** too to see if anyone knew it’s actual age or a model name, otherwise I’m just going to go with spraying and matching the current color and decals of which I’ve no idea if they match the originals or not.

It’s going to be an expensive brake cable!

* http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/my-dads-claud-butler-shortly-to-be-for-sale

** http://www.retrobike.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=12&t=330985&p=2472047#p2472047

Maintaining a vintage bike in good condition is not compatible with commuting IMO. What you need is another bike.

I don’t think it was ever ‘vintage’, I think it was probably just ‘old’.* I’m firmly of the opinion bikes are for riding not looking good, judgeing by the mish mash of parts it’s had a long life so far, plenty of £££ and many hours of TLC spent on it. I’d like to think (if those people are even bothered) that the guy who built it and the original owners would be pleased to know it was still out and about being used rather than hung up on the wall gathering dust or sent to the tip.

Most of it I could have kept but for the most part it was a load of upper-mid range 80’s/90’s bits, not worth saving anymore and new stuff is so much better. If it had been ‘classic’ I’d have stuck new wheels on there and kept the friction shifters.

As it is the keep pile from the original build is:
Bars, stem, brake levers, seatpost, suntour friction shifters and front mech, pedals.

From my build:
Conti sport contact 32c tyres
SKS Chromoplastics

From my spares bin:
Stronglight touring triple

New stuff to buy:
Headset (it was going well until the lower seal fell apart and the crown race bits chipped off rather than come off the fork)
Cassette
R.Mech (maybe a 7800 and some polish, or 7200 if I can find some)
Wheels (5800 hubs and open sport rims)
Bar tape
All new cabling

*my best guess is actually post the amalgamation of British Eagle, Falcon, Holdsworth and Claud butler (and Dawes?) under the Townsend group which makes it late 80’s.

Wheels (5800 hubs and open sport rims)

Is it 130mm rear spacing? Or will you be into “Cold setting” territory?

if its being resprayed by a frame builder/renovator then they can re set the rear spacing which is probably 126mm currently.

I’m not quite sure what happened here.

Did you start re-taping the bars and replacing the front brake cable, and all the other bits of your bike simply fell off of it? 😕

Mysterious.

If it’s going to carry on being used to commute, given it’s got reverse slot drop-outs, depending on your local topography, I’d be tempted to single speed it for winter commuting duties, 120mm, screw on rear hub with 3mm worth of spacing either side, and spend the money you would have thrown at period Dura Ace mechs at a nice saddle or bars, unless gears are a necessity…

Is it 130mm rear spacing? Or will you be into “Cold setting” territory?

126mm

Swap the 6mm spacer shimano hubs have on the NDS for a 2mm M10 washer and it’s all good (assuming 5800 is the same as all my previous shimano hubs and has a 6mm spacer).

Did you start re-taping the bars and replacing the front brake cable, and all the other bits of your bike simply fell off of it?

Pretty much. Started with that, then a few “I’ll just fit……”, a handfull of “that’s loose, I’ll clean it and re-fit it” moments, and the rear mech pretty much fell off. The only bits that put up a fight were the dropout screw and the crank!

If it’s going to carry on being used to commute, given it’s got reverse slot drop-outs, depending on your local topography, I’d be tempted to single speed it for winter commuting duties, 120mm, screw on rear hub with 3mm worth of spacing either side, and spend the money you would have thrown at period Dura Ace mechs at a nice saddle or bars, unless gears are a necessity…

I wouldn’t say gears are a necessity, but I already have a singlespeed, and my commute may only be 10 minutes but involves 2 of those horrible motorway junction roundabout spider bridges and a small but persistent hill at the end. The aim is to build a bike that doesn’t encourage me to break a sweat on it!

Saddle I’m torn over, on the one hand it really needs a B17 or a Swallow. On the other, those are >£100, and a Charge Bucket is £8, looks 95% and I know it fit’s my overly fussy arse.

resetting is not rocket science.

reverse slot drop-outs

Erm..you mean “horizontal dropouts”?

Erm..you mean “horizontal dropouts”?

Potato / Potato…

cookeaa – Member
Potato / Potato…

For sure, drop outs machined from billet potato are very easily bent. Try to replace/upgrade to case hardened celery if the budget stretches that far.

More likely Tange(rine) like my fixie.

Thisisnotaspoon – Member
More likely Tange(rine) like my fixie.

You’ll need to use special assembly compound if you’re going the tangerine route. Chilli Mayo IIRC.
HTH
😉