Claud Butler Dalesman...what to do with it?
Iain C
Posts: 464
Getting right back into this cycling malarky but getting a little frustrated with the ground conditions round here (Rugby). It's seriously wet at the mo and any off road trips seem to end up with me having to push the bike through a complete quagmire at some point. Cleaning takes ages (it's a new Trek EX7 so I'm still a bit precious about it!) and whilst I don't mind if it's been a long weekend ride, a quick evening blast hardly seems worth getting it filthy (and storage issues mean it needs to go away clean!) and I'm tempted to stay on-road until I find some better evening routes or it dries out a bit. And fantastic as my bike is, even a decent full susser is rubbish on road compared to a bike designed for it.
So I was thinking about digging out my old road bike which has been lamenting at my mum's place ever since I moved out about 15 years ago. It's a very "old skool" Claud Butler Dalesman, about 1989-ish and was built up rather than being off the shelf.
Gunmetal grey Reynolds 531 tubes, polished ally rims (can't remember the make, possibly Araya), wide flange hubs, polised ally Shimano 105 non-index groupset (the old one with the gold arrow engraved on it), Shimano sidepull brakes, Cinelli bars, grab-on grips etc...you get the picture! When it was new it was quite a beasty and a great long distance bike. Altough the Dalesman frame is a tourer, it was set up with skinny wheels, no mudguards etc.
As it's been sat for such a while it will almost certainly need new cables throughout, tyres, bearings and a chain, and a swap to SPDs and a new saddle. I seem to remember it was undergeared as I could happily push top on the flat so it might need a new chainset too, although having turned 30 a few years ago and drank a few beers along the way may well sort that out anyway!
I think the wheels are 27" and from the looks of things tyres for this are tricky to get hold of...can you convert to 700c or are there things to bear in mind like new calipers?
Question is, would I be wasting time and money on it? There's part of me that thinks it could be really quite cool in a retro kind of way, and I just love the look of that Charge Plug in WMB at the mo and I would consider "copying" it with a respray (it will probably need one) and groovy saddle and bar tape. I would not go single though!
Or would I be better off spending the money on road tyres for the Trek or getting a 2nd hand more modern roadie if I really feel the need, like this for example, partly funded by an eBay sale of the Claud Butler to a real enthusiast as I understand that they are still a well regarded touring bike.
Something like this...
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Barracuda-Cipress ... dZViewItem
Any thoughts?
So I was thinking about digging out my old road bike which has been lamenting at my mum's place ever since I moved out about 15 years ago. It's a very "old skool" Claud Butler Dalesman, about 1989-ish and was built up rather than being off the shelf.
Gunmetal grey Reynolds 531 tubes, polished ally rims (can't remember the make, possibly Araya), wide flange hubs, polised ally Shimano 105 non-index groupset (the old one with the gold arrow engraved on it), Shimano sidepull brakes, Cinelli bars, grab-on grips etc...you get the picture! When it was new it was quite a beasty and a great long distance bike. Altough the Dalesman frame is a tourer, it was set up with skinny wheels, no mudguards etc.
As it's been sat for such a while it will almost certainly need new cables throughout, tyres, bearings and a chain, and a swap to SPDs and a new saddle. I seem to remember it was undergeared as I could happily push top on the flat so it might need a new chainset too, although having turned 30 a few years ago and drank a few beers along the way may well sort that out anyway!
I think the wheels are 27" and from the looks of things tyres for this are tricky to get hold of...can you convert to 700c or are there things to bear in mind like new calipers?
Question is, would I be wasting time and money on it? There's part of me that thinks it could be really quite cool in a retro kind of way, and I just love the look of that Charge Plug in WMB at the mo and I would consider "copying" it with a respray (it will probably need one) and groovy saddle and bar tape. I would not go single though!
Or would I be better off spending the money on road tyres for the Trek or getting a 2nd hand more modern roadie if I really feel the need, like this for example, partly funded by an eBay sale of the Claud Butler to a real enthusiast as I understand that they are still a well regarded touring bike.
Something like this...
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Barracuda-Cipress ... dZViewItem
Any thoughts?
0
Posts
If fit toe clips to existing pedals rather than spds (biased in that I've never used clipless), then shouldn't be looking at more than 50 quid?
And don't sell the Trek!!
"Cancel my subscription to the resurrection."
"Cancel my subscription to the resurrection."
Hmmm, so I'm guessing the CBD is worth the square root of jack all so not really worth spending much money on, but would make an OK roadie that will be a whole lot better than the Trek on tarmac, and would probably be unlikely to go walkabouts if left chained up somewhere when used as transport.
So I think I see a plan forming...I'd like to end up with something that looks very similar to the Charge Plug (I love that bike!) but a bit more user friendly for me.
Buy some cheap MTB SPDs so I can use it with my current shoes (BIG convert after using them for the first time on the Trek)-£15.99 off eBay, or stick with the current clips (however I hate clips now!)
Buy a Charge brown cromo saddle £20.99
Buy a roll of brown handlebar tape £5
A few new cables here and there £10
New chainset may well be very cheap as I friend of mine may have one or two going cheap (unused prizes)
Respray (DIY job, I'm fairly good) and re-graphic, and I'll have an interesting project bike!
HOWEVER the one thing I'm struggling with is tyres, I can only find 27x1 1/4", does anyone know where I can get the skinniest 27" modern tyre possible, hopefully black-walled?
Thanks for the tips all! :P
On-One Inbred
Giant TCR A0
Claud Butler Dalesman
http://www.sjscycles.co.uk/product-Pana ... ch-(25-630)-1065.htm
IF you can go with x1 1/4s, there are a some bargains on th'bay I think. Got some Conti Ultra Sports last week for well less than 1/2 the price of sjs cycles. Ride fine.
"Cancel my subscription to the resurrection."
Help I'm Being Oppressed
(apart from the respray etc!)
On-One Inbred
Giant TCR A0
Claud Butler Dalesman
Absolutely go with this advice...or convert it like the earlier Pizza-muncher did into a tidy fixed-gear.
I've run a 1949 Holdsworth 531 frame as both Tourer and converted to fixed-wheel still on 27" wheels, it's still a fine mile muncher. Your Claud will be a beauty to ride and IMO it's worth spending a few quid on her. A bike for a long-term relationship rather than a quick knwee trembler. Keep her going or pass her on to somebody who will.
BTW, Schwalbe and Continental still do OK 27x1 1/4 tyres, or go for some new 700c wheels.
The pessimists of this world are rarely disappointed....
Fab's TCR1
Does not actually look to bad in this picture, but it's not very nice up close!
I'll post some updates as work progresses...
On-One Inbred
Giant TCR A0
Claud Butler Dalesman
Not in great condition...
Bike stripped down...
Lots of Nitromors and sanding later, but still more to go...
Zinc primed, painted and lacquered...
On-One Inbred
Giant TCR A0
Claud Butler Dalesman
Usual way I expect: Nitromors (as stated), rotary wire brush(es) in a drill, wet and dry, lots of elbow grease and patience! Well, that's how I do it.
Unless you actually enjoy DIY'ing, then a blast + powder coat very nearly as cheap and a lot easier!
It looks very nice, Iain C!!
"Cancel my subscription to the resurrection."
On-One Inbred
Giant TCR A0
Claud Butler Dalesman
On-One Inbred
Giant TCR A0
Claud Butler Dalesman
"Cancel my subscription to the resurrection."
Cool looking bike though, like the new decals.
Nice job BTW!