1948 Claud Butler Avant Coureur #82595

[Peachy!]

Ok chaps, whilst I have your attention and before I strip the bike down later this weekend, I’ll leave you with this;
I thought the bike was just dirty white, but on closer inspection (and a wipe) it looks like it was a pale rose pink, with white box lining.
I was thinking of getting the whole frame zinc plated as well as re-plating the current chrome bits so that I could do a real flamboyant paint job, but now I’ve found this subtle pink I’m not so sure....
I’m hoping I’ll find a less aged/faded patch under a strap somewhere or on the stearer in the head tube.

 

[Peachy!]

Ok, so I’ve put off this afternoons work till the weekend and started the strip down this lunchtime...
Everything came off with various levels of effort, but nothing gave up much of a fight.

So to the colours first, it looks definitive that it had its bi-lam head tube, forks and seat tube middle band in white with the rest in pink.
But I wonder what the box lining would have been? Gold or silver maybe?

 

[Ghaben1]

Feeling a bit excited.... :shock:
I had spied a proper Claud with bi-lams on ebay and was particularly interested as the seller stated it was 24’5” which I can tell you is a rare size in old Clauds…
First I thought it might be a Sport Anglais, but if the number had been read correctly it was definitely a Feb 1948….. but something was bugging me, apart from that being a very early frame build date for a model not sold till the next year, but some of the kit didn’t match up…. this was when I started hoping beyond hope it might just be one of the extra ordinarily rare 1947-48 first type of Avant Coureur, its got the head tube, the continental drop-out without mudguard eyes and the all important fluted seat stay tops…..
Now I’ve just got to sweat it out praying the courier doesn’t damage it!!!! :|

You and I are both very lucky that the frame is 24.5 and not a half inch smaller...
Otherwise this auction on ebay could have easily ended up in a bad fight!

Congrats on the purchase, though, looking forward to watching your progress with the restoration!

 

[Peachy!]

You and I are both very lucky that the frame is 24.5 and not a half inch smaller...
Otherwise this auction on ebay could have easily ended up in a bad fight!

Congrats on the purchase, though, looking forward to watching your progress with the restoration!

LOL! That’s cool, and yes, it is a proper 24.5” i.e. centre of B.B. to top of where the top tube meets the seat tube, as the actual seat tube does extend a further half inch and I was worried the seller may have measured to the very top. :|

Full strip complete now, well almost, just need to remove the headset races then I’ll weigh it. It’s had a whack on the drive side seat stay, but nothing I can’t deal with.

Kit harvested and just for fun, approx. value (no way am I selling them)

Keepers;
Lytaloy No.1 Headset in near mint condition!!!!!!!!!!! Definitely keep, est £120
GB Hiduminium brakes, definitely keep, est £90
GB Hiduminium early levers with the proper brass adjusters!!!!!!!!!!!!! Definitely keep, est £80
Chater Lea Racing Rat Trap (or Tommy bar) pedals, definitely keep, est £70
Bayliss-Wiley B.B. Definitely keep, est £20
Birmalux seat post. Definitely keep, est £20
Steel saddle rail clamp, Definitely keep, est £15
CB bronze seat clamp, est £15
Harden high flange track hub (front), will keep if I can find a rear, est £40

Destined for the spares box;
Dunlop Special lightweight 27” rim, nice, but not for this build, est £30
Dunlop Aluminium 27” rim….. probably push on
Lucas ‘King of the road’ bell, nice, but not for this build, est £20
Brooks B17 hand cut Champion Special, nice, but not for this build, est £60
Excellent condition Williams C1000 crankset, nice, but not for this build, est £50
1949 4 speed Sturmey-Archer hub with working cable kit/fittings/trigger, nice, but not for this build, est £60
Un-branded steel drops and short steel stem….. probably push on

What I’m going to add;
Clement Albione 27” Aluminium rims
Cinelli No.1 steel stem with badge
Chater Lea crank set
Cyclo-Benelux 4 speed derailleur
T.D.C. Continental freewheel
Bars – undecided
Hubs, BH Airlight Continentals if I can’t find a Harden rear

 

[allenh]

Nice work

I do like a pink on a bike so it definitely needs to go back to original colour wise in my opinion and I suspect the box lining was gold and if it's faded that far then the bike itself was pinker than you think, is there any overspray inside the frame to guide you on colour?

And all the bits look in very nice and cleanable condition so lots of cleaning and polishing to come I feel.

 

[Peachy!]

Nice work

I do like a pink on a bike so it definitely needs to go back to original colour wise in my opinion and I suspect the box lining was gold and if it's faded that far then the bike itself was pinker than you think, is there any overspray inside the frame to guide you on colour?

And all the bits look in very nice and cleanable condition so lots of cleaning and polishing to come I feel.

Yeah I’m of the same thinking Allen, I was assuming a metallic box lining might be something that leaves a white “Ghost box lining” and yes gold would most likely look better with pink.
As for overspray none in pink I’m afraid, head tube & fork is white, seat post has done for any in the seat tube and likewise the B.B. only reference I have is the straps masks from the 1949 Sturmey Archer rig, as per the pictures.

 

[Ghaben1]

Keepers;
Lytaloy No.1 Headset in near mint condition!!!!!!!!!!! Definitely keep, est £120
GB Hiduminium brakes, definitely keep, est £90
GB Hiduminium early levers with the proper brass adjusters!!!!!!!!!!!!! Definitely keep, est £80
Chater Lea Racing Rat Trap (or Tommy bar) pedals, definitely keep, est £70
Bayliss-Wiley B.B. Definitely keep, est £20
Birmalux seat post. Definitely keep, est £20
Steel saddle rail clamp, Definitely keep, est £15
CB bronze seat clamp, est £15
Harden high flange track hub (front), will keep if I can find a rear, est £40

I was very tempted though to enter into the auction for having assumed a similar calculation.

Only I would have had the bike shipped to Hungary (where I live) and I have too many Claud Butlers in my basement, already. One of them though, also is a 24.5" frame (1951 New Allrounder), so I know for sure that this size is not the ideal fit for me. I could tell by the picture that this 1948 AC you bought was larger than 24" yet, I had the seller measure seat tube length the proper way (hoping that my eyeballing was wrong ), but he confirmed size (i.e. 24.5"). I think it was after he amended the listing with additional info on size and other details.

 

[Peachy!]

Keepers;
Lytaloy No.1 Headset in near mint condition!!!!!!!!!!! Definitely keep, est £120
GB Hiduminium brakes, definitely keep, est £90
GB Hiduminium early levers with the proper brass adjusters!!!!!!!!!!!!! Definitely keep, est £80
Chater Lea Racing Rat Trap (or Tommy bar) pedals, definitely keep, est £70
Bayliss-Wiley B.B. Definitely keep, est £20
Birmalux seat post. Definitely keep, est £20
Steel saddle rail clamp, Definitely keep, est £15
CB bronze seat clamp, est £15
Harden high flange track hub (front), will keep if I can find a rear, est £40

I was very tempted though to enter into the auction for having assumed a similar calculation.

Only I would have had the bike shipped to Hungary (where I live) and I have too many Claud Butlers in my basement, already. One of them though, also is a 24.5" frame (1951 New Allrounder), so I know for sure that this size is not the ideal fit for me. I could tell by the picture that this 1948 AC you bought was larger than 24" yet, I had the seller measure seat tube length the proper way (hoping that my eyeballing was wrong ), but he confirmed size (i.e. 24.5"). I think it was after he amended the listing with additional info on size and other details.

Swapsies? PM on it's way

 

[Peachy!]

Bit more of a play today.
Had the completely stripped frame on the scales and it came in at 1950g or approx. 4lb 7oz :shock:
And completely stripped forks weighing in at 800g or approx. 1lb 12oz

So, I’m not overly keen on adding weight on a nice light (for it’s day) bike, so I tried my Cinelli #1 steel stem with a 1954 Bob Maitland branded alloy G.B. bar for size, it fits, but it doesn’t look right so I’ll use those bars on another build.

What I would really like are some steel Cinelli 17d bars…


There are some on ebay in France but are as rough as a badger’s arse and £312 ffs!

Ok so you get a rough Cinelli stamped stem (without badge) which could be pushed on for maybe £100 but still, out of my budget.
Why don’t I use what came with the bike? Well for one I don’t believe they are original, as they are a rough pair of steel track drops (22mm) with a rough slice of tubing to make them fit the very short reach but very tall steel stem, again, not one I recognise
As for the saddle, early days I know, but I’ve wanted to find a good home for this Blood red & cut, Selle Anatomica…. I might just go well with pink?

 

[Peachy!]

Popped the frame set over to Dave Allen at https://www.allenchrome.co.uk/ today, we possibly won’t see it now for a good few months, maybe not until after Christmas!
So to get the best price, it’s gone in as a “filler” with no particular finish date. :xmas-wink:
But there were a couple of quick jobs that needed my attention; namely the careful removal of the flat printed brass head badge & that trailing drive side seat stay....
Little bit of heat and some very careful massaging has got it to a place I’m happy with.....

Before.....


After.....