Claud Butler family heirloom

DutchIron

Retro Newbie
I was very pleased with the answers concerning my "new" Falcon, so now I'd like to find out more about one of my other bikes. This Claud Butler tourer belonged to my late father. He bought it after leaving the RAF, probably in 1948, although he was no longer 100% sure about the date. In the following eight or nine years, until he met my mother and my brother and I came along, he rode it to all corners of Britain. About ten years ago the bike was entrusted to me and I set about getting it working again. Unfortunately 40-plus years in a damp shed had left the paintwork in very bad state (see photos). With the help of some childhood memories it was just about possible to make out the original colour and the transfers. I had the frame restored by a Dutch company called Unlimited Colors. All the components except for the saddle and tyres are either original or well over 60 years old. I have fitted the Simplex "Tour de France" three speed gear changer and it works quite well, although my father once told me he preferred to use a single speed because the gears were too much "mucking about".
Does anyone know what this model might have called, or have any other interesting information? By the way, the frame number is 82695. 20190629_115504.jpg bikebefore.JPG IMG_0927.JPG 20240225_110849.jpg 20240225_110937.jpg
 
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Very nice! I’m not an expert on those Simplex TdF mechs, but is that chain routing correct?
 
Now then…..
1948 “8” February “2” frame count “695”
“International Club”
What a stunner! Those Claud Butler branded brakes are super rare.. great to see it sympathetically restored and welcome to RetroBike
 
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It is correct. The chain is too long, and it could use some top and bottom tension adjustment, all pretty easy and obvious.
Keith
Thanks for the tips, Keith. I thought Jonny69 had a good point. It took me a lot of experimentation and consulting Classic Lightweights UK to arrive at this chain routing. Last year I saw the same arrangement on a 1948 Wilier bike at an exhibition in Switzerland.
 

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Now then…..
1948 “8” February “2” frame count “695”
“International Club”
What a stunner! Those Claud Butler branded brakes are super rare.. great to see it sympathetically restored and welcome to RetroBike
Thanks, my old dad would be very proud!
 
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