Hi...fairly new on here, and really enjoying the site. Recently got back into cycling, got a 2007 Trek Fuel EX7 MTB but I was hankering after a road bike (MTBs seem RUBBISH on road if you've ever ridden skinny tyres!) so I decided to dig my old 1980s Claud Butler Dalesman out of my mum's garage where it had sat for about 15 years, I had it as a teenager.
OK so it's questionable whether it's worth it financially but I hate seeing nice engineering going in the skip, and finding this site made me realise that "I'm not alone" so I decided to go for it. The plan is to make a useable retro everyday hack rather than a faithful restoration.
The old groupset was a right mish-mash of non-index Shimano Golden Arrow and other bits, but a cycling friend gave me a newer (but still retro) pair of 105 dual pivot calipers, levers and rear mech. eBay turned up the matching front mech for under a tenner, as well as NOS index levers, and some new MTB M540 SPDs also all for under a tenner (saves me buying road shoes too!), and SCS were able to find me some 27" blackwall tyres as the old Michelins had turned to powder.
Worst thing so far has been the 6 speed freewheel which turned both ways and no amount of GT85 and fiddling with it would sort it, as unfortunatly it had totally welded itself to the old-school Maillard wide-flange hubs. No LBS could shift it, nor could a cold chisel, so out came the grinder and you've guessed it it started to work as soon as the first fatal cut was made! Still, a good excuse for a new 7 speed one, again under a tenner from eBay.
Bar the tyres the most expensive bit has been the brown Charge Spoon saddle, that's right I'm afraid the colour scheme is a rather blatant copy of the Charge Plug but as it works so well who cares, and at least this bike is genuine retro if that makes sense.
Anyway, finished the respray now and I have to say I am really chuffed with it, bearing in mind it was Halfords spray cans, done outside, with the bike dangling from the washing line! It's really shiny in the flesh and the 531 stickers (eBay again) and custom graphics set it off niceley.
Anyway, if anyone is interested I'll post more as I finish it...apologies to the purists if it's not quite right but I'm really inspired to finish it and ride it and I guess that's half the idea!
Oh...and looking at those kinda horizontal Campag dropouts I might go fixed at some point too...
Not in great condition...
Bike stripped down...
Lots of Nitromors and sanding later, but still more to go...
Zinc primed, painted and lacquered...
OK so it's questionable whether it's worth it financially but I hate seeing nice engineering going in the skip, and finding this site made me realise that "I'm not alone" so I decided to go for it. The plan is to make a useable retro everyday hack rather than a faithful restoration.
The old groupset was a right mish-mash of non-index Shimano Golden Arrow and other bits, but a cycling friend gave me a newer (but still retro) pair of 105 dual pivot calipers, levers and rear mech. eBay turned up the matching front mech for under a tenner, as well as NOS index levers, and some new MTB M540 SPDs also all for under a tenner (saves me buying road shoes too!), and SCS were able to find me some 27" blackwall tyres as the old Michelins had turned to powder.
Worst thing so far has been the 6 speed freewheel which turned both ways and no amount of GT85 and fiddling with it would sort it, as unfortunatly it had totally welded itself to the old-school Maillard wide-flange hubs. No LBS could shift it, nor could a cold chisel, so out came the grinder and you've guessed it it started to work as soon as the first fatal cut was made! Still, a good excuse for a new 7 speed one, again under a tenner from eBay.
Bar the tyres the most expensive bit has been the brown Charge Spoon saddle, that's right I'm afraid the colour scheme is a rather blatant copy of the Charge Plug but as it works so well who cares, and at least this bike is genuine retro if that makes sense.
Anyway, finished the respray now and I have to say I am really chuffed with it, bearing in mind it was Halfords spray cans, done outside, with the bike dangling from the washing line! It's really shiny in the flesh and the 531 stickers (eBay again) and custom graphics set it off niceley.
Anyway, if anyone is interested I'll post more as I finish it...apologies to the purists if it's not quite right but I'm really inspired to finish it and ride it and I guess that's half the idea!
Oh...and looking at those kinda horizontal Campag dropouts I might go fixed at some point too...
Not in great condition...
Bike stripped down...
Lots of Nitromors and sanding later, but still more to go...
Zinc primed, painted and lacquered...
