'81 Claud Butler Colstar Yumeya/DuraAce #035210 FINISHED p16

[Peachy!]

*** It Won RBotM June 2021***
I’ve been building something a little more racy for the lad recently (’89 Condore Astore) and it’s got me thinking I might need something with a little more get up and go than my serene Majestic tourer to keep up with him.. :|

Had a little look through “the queue” and my eyes settled on a 1981 Claud Butler Colstar… Last “racer” that came out of the Holdsworthy Claud stable… after that they were all touring bikes.


Spec was reasonable for it’s day with butted 531 throughout, basically the same frame as a Holdsworth Special with a smattering of Campagnolo.


Top of the 1981 range retailing at £395 so double the price of a Majestic! Can you imagine the look on my spoilt cousins face when he received his Majestic on his birthday (something I was extremely jealous of) and not a Colstar? Apparently, the shop advised my Aunt that my cousin wouldn’t see any difference!
Anyway, this one I picked up cheep a while back with a mix of original kit and some not so original. I’m thinking a Campag upgrade and maybe a rattle can re-spray as I’ve always wanted a Gold Claud…but then I don't own a finished silver one.....

 

[Peachy!]

Re: 1981 Claud Butler Colstar #035210

Had a look over it this morning and I think I will leave it in its original state and just try to clean up the rough spots.... so that Gold Claud will have to wait... :|

I'm going to add Campagnolo bar end friction shifters though and route them with the help of a Campag clamp-on down tube double stop. (going to need some detailing though) :roll:

 

[allenh]

Re: 1981 Claud Butler Colstar #035210

Ah now I get the fascination with me doing my Buccaneer in its original gold, you're inner magpie is showing

Anyway why don't you do a modern upgrade on this one with brifters and the like? It would certainly make it more usable and help with keeping up with Jimmy on his shiny rocket.

 

[legrandefromage]

Re: 1981 Claud Butler Colstar #035210

I'll echo the above - I had a super nice Raleigh Record Ace from around 1984 and it was a pig to keep running.

27" wheels with the concave Weinmanns, tired and practically welded freewheel and no braze-ons plus the mediocre Weinmann brakes

Whereas the Elswick was just missing the downtube braze-ons and made for an elegant restomod with its recessed brake mounts, 700c wheel size etc

9 spd with 1986 mechs

Personally, I love 'modern' indexed shifting (modern as in its now some 35 years old!) and find the clack clack clack of old freehubs, old chains and friction levers just too archaic to enjoy anymore

Barend shifters are great because they often work very well with original mechs leaving tradition brakes and levers, chainset etc etc.

10spd indexed to 1987 MT-60 Deore mechs

 

[Peachy!]

Re: 1981 Claud Butler Colstar #035210

I’m agree with both of you.... but that means buying more stuff & I’m currently a freelancer out of work with no furlough or benefits.
So with Jimmy seemingly growing about an inch per month, he’s going to outgrow the Concorde in no time. When he does, the plan is;
I’ll re-spray this frame Gold and transfer the Campagnolo indexed stuff off of the Astore.

Until then, this will do fine.

 

[Peachy!]

Re: 1981 Claud Butler Colstar #035210

After a complete strip down the Colstar is currently having a special rust treatment spa day, more on that later.

Last night I gave the few bits I’m not using a wipe over and popped them into the “Ebay box”, I thought the "Stronglight 99 drilled" crank set along with its BB axle & cups might be worth a few beer tokens….

This morning I found Our Jimmy had removed the SR set from his touring Cavalier and was busying himself trying to work out the chain line with the Stronglight the cheeky scamp! :shock:

I couldn’t be cross with him and a frustrating hour later playing Goldilocks with my BB spares box, we managed to get it sorted with a Shimano sealed jobby and a ring spacer…. One happy lad.

 

[Peachy!]

Re: 1981 Claud Butler Colstar #035210

Right, back to the Colstar…
Now, I do like to muck about with different ideas for cleaning and restoring, and although I’m not known for being too precious with regard to original paint and transfers etc (and I hate “patina”)
I do have a rather nice 1965 Claud Butler Torino that I’m thinking of keeping as original as possible (well at least the frame)
I’ve been on the look out for a less aggressive way of having a go at surface rust whilst not damaging lacquered decals. So, although the Colstar is going to have a re-spray if I find I like and can physically cope with the more aggressive frame geometry, I thought this might be a good Guiney pig.

I’d read that Oxalic acid might be the way to go so I started thinking about a suitable container to receive a frame and ways of reducing the area so as to reduce how much acid I needed.


Then I had an idea! How about a vac bag? You know, one of those things you can store duvets in…


I made up 10 Litres of acid from a 500g tub off of e-bay and then mummified the frame and forks in B&Q blue roll (dipped in the acid first) to make sure of a good contact with the frame and also to prevent the bag bursting.
Left it on an old dog mat overnight.


Then flipped it in the morning.


Quick blast with the jet washer and a rub down and first impressions are ok, its not as aggressive naturally as Evaporust etc, but it did soften/visibly work on the surface rust without touching the old paint or decals.


I spent the rest of that afternoon touching up the scratches and converted rust patches with some silver enamel paint and fitted the Campagnolo headset today.


Conclusion? Not sure…ok if you only want to do one frame, but the bag obviously doesn’t survive and the acid is wasted, so maybe something like an old fibreglass fishpond might work as a bath?
Oh and it stinks like old lobsterpots that have spent their life in the dampest, darkest corner of the harbour (Our Jimmy’s description… he goes potting with his Grandpa in Bridlington Bay)

 

[Peachy!]

Re: 1981 Claud Butler Colstar #035210

Right.... better start chucking some kit on it!
After the faff I’m having on my sons Concorde Astore, I’m definitely going down the indexed Shimano route, I’ve pretty much got a full set made up from predominantly early 105 (7 speed) with down tube shifters, crankset mechs and pedals.
Gutted I won’t be able to use either the 105 or 600 brakes I have as the fork measurement between the axle centreline and brake drilling is approximately 370mm, (as apposed to either 380 on my touring Clauds and 360 on my sprints/paths) a sort of halfway house between being just enough space for 27” without mud guards or 700’s with guards....something mentioned in the catalogue that I hadn’t noticed.
Anyway, the Shimano brakes just can’t quite reach, so I’ll use the Weinmann 500’s that it came with.

 

[legrandefromage]

Re: 1981 Claud Butler Colstar #035210

so I’ll use the Weinmann 500’s that it came with.

So no braking at all then? :mrgreen:

Tektro do some very shiny longer drop dual pivots that shouldnt look too out of place

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Tektro-R359- ... XQCgpRqdFv

Nutted version

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Tektro-R559- ... Swj0NUmYwM

 

[Peachy!]

Re: 1981 Claud Butler Colstar #035210

so I’ll use the Weinmann 500’s that it came with.

So no braking at all then? :mrgreen:

Tektro do some very shiny longer drop dual pivots that shouldnt look too out of place

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Tektro-R359- ... XQCgpRqdFv

Nutted version

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Tektro-R559- ... Swj0NUmYwM

Yeah I’ve got some similar long drop dual pivots although I’m not sure if they are Tektro.
I do like the look of the 500’s though... nice bit of 80’s plastic on these last versions of such a long running model. (These are stamped August’85)

I’ll clean them both and make up my mind at the end.
But no more buying on this job, not until I decide if I want to keep it.