Antipodes

Hey folks.

I picked up a Claud Butler Gran Sport in pretty good shape today.
Details are:
Frame # stamped into BB: 55095
Appears to have Prugnat lugs (maybe?), and is "peacock" green/blue with a red, white and black decal accent on the seat tube.
Parts: Campy Gran Sport rear derailleur, Campy clamp-on downtube shifter, 5 speed block, single ring chrome cottered crank with narrow fluting, GB alloy stem (and bars?), Weinmann 610 999 Vainqueur centrepulls, Weinmann levers, Brooks B5N saddle, chrome seatpost, Le Tour alloy hubs (states "Made in France"), unidentified steel 27" rims.

Seems surprisingly light for a bike with so much steel.
I was reading somewhere online about C.B. serial numbers having the first two numbers as the year. However, this seems incorrect, as the little information on this model that I could find online suggests that the Gran Sport was introduced in 1970. Also, it's clearly not a 1955 model, going by the Campy parts alone.

Does anyone know of any other good resources for C.B. bikes, and more importantly how to decode the serial number?

And yes, before you ask, PICS WILL BE COMING SOON !!!

Sammyboy

I had one of those in an awesome imperial purple (see below), but mine didn't have a GS derailleur, it came with a Velox. Not as nice! Does yours have a 531 sticker? I couldn't work out whether it was or not.

Wil Davis

Sammyboy, that's incredible! Here are some B & W pics of my 1971 CB Gran Sport (also in purple) which I bought when I lived in Abingdon (1968-1983). I did a few tweaks: removed mudguards (fenders); added TA chainset, Campy gears. I still have the Brooks B17CN. That colour is amazing! My brother-in-law now has the bike and still uses it (as far as I know). These are the only pictures I can find of mine:











Thanks again!

- Wil

nlerner

A great Claud Butler resource: https://homepage.ntlworld.com/nkilgariff/ClaudButler.htm

Neal

Sammyboy

Wow - matching bikes! The wheels from that one I had are going on the resprayed Holdsworth that I and my ten year old son are putting together for him. The rest went to good homes......

In that colour, though, I would've kept it, had it been in my size.

Sammyboy

Incidentally, mine has Williams cranks. Probably so does the OP's, judging by the description.

Antipodes

I cannot see any 531 sticker, but like I said, the bike seems reasonably light considering the steel components.
The link that nlerner posted is great! From the perusal of the catalogues posted there, it appears as though yours (Sammyboy) is/was a 1972 model (based on the Velox derailleur) and mine is a 1971 (or 1970 - no catalogue posted), similar to Will Davis'.
I discovered upon closer inspection that the rear wheel and pedals are not original, and that the Campy shifter is attached with what appears to be a hose clamp!

Here are the pics:

Antipodes

Well, that is my problem too - it's too small for me, though with a longer seatpost it would definitely be rideable. But surely, it's "unethical" to replace the cool-looking chrome post with some generic alloy thing!? No?

Sammyboy

Meh. Chrome posts can bite me. They're heavy, and alloy posts were available in period.

Antipodes

My liking for chrome posts is 100% aesthetical. Aside from that, they suck. Do you mean, that alloy posts were available back then on other Claude Butler models?

Also, any tips on removing the truly glued down reflective tape on the fork? You can't peel it up - it just chips off in tiny, tiny pieces...

Sammyboy

No, I don't know anything about removing tape, sadly. I also don't know if Butlers had alloy posts in period, though it wouldn't surprise me. What I meant is that SOME bikes had them back then, so a rider could have retrofitted one.

Seeing the pics, I don't think your cranks are Williams, btw, though I can't identify what they actually are!

Antipodes

From what I can see of the side-on view in the catalogue, they are the original cranks, though it doesn't state what they are, just "Good quality British chrome steel chainset"...