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Cutting tubes will actually be a dead giveaway; I remember one of the builders at the old Sirius factory in Dudley telling me that post-assembly, 853 will easily blunt most hacksaw blades thanks to the air-hardening properties! 27mm sounds suspiciously like an 853 by the way - I had a heck of a...

Does anyone know if Butler frame numbers from the Brigg works relate to age? The 653 CB Pro was (IIRC) 1995-1997, 853 (I think) 1997-8. If any original bits are present, pretty sure that the 853 was always Shimano RX100 kit and the 653 Campag Avanti. Not a reliable indicator by any means though...

In my line of work acetone is always, erm, "entertaining" when it seeps into paper cuts, etc. - the phrase "dance without a piano" springs to mind. Ouch! David

<insert Johnny Cash reference here> ;) David

Re: Despite the name, the Pro was actually lower in the range than the America - IIRC it was effectively the "training" version of the America - still 531c tubing but with dropout eyes and extra clearance so that you could fit guards. David

Trust me, even having the right tool for the job is no guarantee that that won't happen. My race on the Saturday just gone mostly consisted of dead leaves, dead leaves and more dead leaves. Things were so badly clogged up - even with a modern(ish) CX bike - that just keeping moving was a...

Re: A French Classic : 1977 RH 753 Indeed. Not seen mudguard stay fittings like that before, but they are extremely neat (and possibly more rattle-proof than some solutions?). David

Re: Good headsets, roughly on a par with Stronglight or Miche Primato as they used a cylindrical roller rather than ball bearing system. Orbit/Sirius used to fit them to a lot of their frames IIRC. David

Might Chicken & Sons (www.chickencycles.co.uk) be able to help out as UK importers, or am I getting DT-Hugi mixed up with Edco-Sapim cartridge bearing hubs? :? David

Sorry to hear about your frame disintegrating, but the main thing is that you came out of it (relatively) unscathed even if the bike didn't; part of me wonders if they had a habit of buying in cheap pre-assembled forks at the Brigg factory, as I had an early 90s Holdsworth steering column snap...

Re: Shimano MT62s (Deore) work well on tourers of this sort of era - my 1989 Raleigh Gemini is fitted with a set. "Wide profile" too, so no issues with drop handlebar brake levers. I did try Frogglegs, but found they fouled the pannier rack. Waste not, want not - said Frogglegs ended up on the...

Surely someone's already mentioned Cannon and Ball? ;) Brilliant sketch about double acts from, erm, a double act here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B80SyRmtbdI :) David

Re: Re: Frozen half horses? I'd do a Findus joke at this point, but it's probably lost its topical edge by now.... David

I now have the phrase "Matron, take them away!!" indelibly etched in my brain. :) David

Apparently the telly stuff is very much a sideline - he only does so much filming per week so that it can be fitted in around his day job. David

Re: Re: ....and a set of bar-top CX-style brake levers? ;) David

Re: Re: I have a TIG-welded cross frame (Columbus Foco) which is incredibly neatly done compared to my road bike (853) - I guess a lot of filing and burnishing must have been done before it was primed and painted. Still lacks the "fluid" look of fillet brazing though. David

If I'm ever guilty of using this phrase, I lay the blame squarely with a certain "top light entertainer and singer" who used the expression to describe his early 90s Channel 4 series as such during its trailers. David

Saw this and immediately thought "blimey!" - ex-team issue, so NOS it still has most of the wrapping on it, and 753 throughout from a well-regarded builder to boot. If the bidding doesn't get too silly this could be a real bargain for someone: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/NOS-VINTAGE-5 ...

Re: Wippermann are far from cheap but as tough as old boots. For something a bit more wallet-friendly, I've recently started running a YBN on my road bike and am pleased with that so far. Ordered a bargain Sunrace 8sp chain for my tourer this evening so will report back on how well it...