1984 Claud Butler Super Dalesman Tourer: a decade-long project

I'd say rust is detrimental and patina is an improvement. Where to draw the line is personal :)

https://www.condorcycles.com/blogs/journal/39615937-how-to-wrap-bar-tape-perfectly

Used the GCN video that explains this too - I guess after the stress-inducing lever-wrapping stage I mentally check out during the last bit!

great looking bike

That's all patina

This^

Very nice work and a good read. I too learned about the all-steel M5100 11-42 cassette after it was too late (after I bought two M8000 cassettes, so I'm very much committed to two-tone now).

Something to think about the next time you work on the cables is putting a short length of PTFE tube inside the metal cable guide at the bottom bracket and then running the inner cable through that. It'll reduce shifting friction and wear on the cable guide.

Finally, did you by any chance buy the YBN chain from AliExpress? If so, do you have a seller recommendation? I'm in the market for another SLA110 but there are so many sellers and it's hard to know which ones are good.

@Five-Hats @kjlem Appreciate it and generally agree, just unsure about that ring around the BB shell, how long I can realistically leave it before it comes an issue. But maybe forever if well looked after...

@Fibreglass thanks! I am still glad to have that 46t cog tbh - originally had decided 42t but I will come to appreciate those extra teeth until my fitness improves significantly beyond current levels - my max aerobic intervals today tell me I have a ways to go. Thanks for the PTFE tip - will give it a go next time. Wrt the YBN chain, I bought it on Amazon actually, £33: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07T4HQJQ2/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 ... Not a chain connoisseur by any means but seems to be doing a fine job so far, after stripping factory lube and waxing?

Dont think there is anything much to worry about with the patina on the frame looking at the pics. You could treat the bb in isolation, but not sure it needs it? Think I would be more worried about the inside of the frame tubes, apologies if missed comment that had dealt with by squirting in frame saver or such like.

I haven't treated the inside... Is there any use in using frame saver on an old frame? I got the impression that it was something you would only do when new, but would like to be proved wrong there. The BB shell cleaned up very nicely after some WD40 and brass brushing with minimal rust, but obviously impossible to know about the rest of the frame.

It's a bit late, but it can't do any harm.

Even the BB doesnt look bad at all, certainly not at respray level IMO,so that would suggest to me has been quite well cared for before you. I agree with Lolo, might be worth just having a look inside the BB when its next out and running your finger inside the tubes. I also think a drain hole cant do any harm. Plenty with better knowledge than me on here though.

My 1979 Holdsworth (owned from new - srs paper round money that) had very little rust inside when I had it resprayed by Argos in 2014 and that had been left out in all weathers during its life.

When we replaced the BB we were also retapping the bottle cage mounts and a lot of WD40 went through the downtube. All came out very orange and rusty... Certainly nothing feels to the extent of major/flaky rust though. It has been inside for the whole time I've owned it, I imagine that atmospheric moisture is enough to cause a thin coating of rust on the inner surface over 40 years (or thereabouts).

A coating of oil of some kind will probably go a long way - but it will also need time to cure/harden, which means leaving the bike completely disassembled for a while.
I wouldn't bother, unless you planning on a major strip down of the frame anyway.

I've started using Dinitrol anti-rust treatment spray on the inside of old steel frames; it's gloopy gunk that's meant for the inside of car doors but works a treat and cures quickly.

Just posting a picture of my all original Superdalesman, just put a set of SKS guards on to take out on the road, gotta cut down the stays, great bike and my 40year old trusty drinks bottle still going strong!

1 Attachment

Slight untruth, rear wheel non original, breaking surface wore out, easier to replace the whole wheel.

Wow this bike is so sweet. I have no style or taste and the black seatpost looked good to me. The big black cassette looks good to me. What can you do.

Fantastic - that's in great nick! Thanks for sharing, you see a lot of dalesmans around, but very few super dalesmans. Do you know what year yours is from?

Thanks - each to their own indeed.

Hi, I love what you've done with Claud. I recently bought the very same model in really nice condition. It has 27" wheels and Dia-Compe cantilevers. I am thinking of changing the wheelset to 700c. Did you have any problems doing this? I would like to keep the Dia-Compe canties but not sure if they would work with smaller diameter 700c wheels. I would really appreciate some advice.

Hello! Nice - would love to see some photos!!

Changing the wheels to 700c will cause you issues with the existing canti brake reach/angle, predictably, as the rim is now in a different place. You won't be able to get the pad surfaces parallel or toed in against the 700c rim, so your braking performance will suffer. That said, I rode Claud like this for quite a while before changing out the cantis to something that allowed better alignment. It was a bit scary at times, especially in the rain. It was also hard to find new cantis that worked for this configuration - I'd recommend going with the same ones if you do, mutsj spent a lot of time trying to find the right ones, so will give the credit to him.