Claude Butler Randonneur - BRAZEN BICYCLES

Claude Butler Dalesman

This frame was produced in the mid 80's (I'd say '86), when the Claude Butler name was held by the Holdsworth Bicycle Company. They produced their own handmade frames under the Butler name, which had significant market value at the time. Claude Butler himself was a flamboyant frame-maker and bicycle entrepreneur whose cycle company flourished during the time between WWI and WWII, eventually failing after the second war. It's easy to tell that this frame was produced by the Holdsworth hand; typical Reynolds 531 butted tubing with Campy dropouts, beautifully under-stated lugwork, and typography that mimics Holdsworth's own logo. This is one of the few frames that was produced specifically for randonneuring or light touring. A loaded tourer would have much wider clearances with more eyelets all around, along with some heavier tubing. This frame was built to accept fenders and wider tires, but is still light and fast, and tracks unbelievably well with a front handlebar bag, an absolute pleasure to roll on.

A rare frame to find for so cheap ($220 shipped), this build was afforded some major quality in other areas. I build the front wheel by hand, using the best dynamo hub on the market, the Schmidt SON hub. It's laced to one of my favorite rims, the Sun CR18, which is nicely polished and classic-looking, but also light and durable. The rear wheel was also hand-built, using a vintage Deore XT hub, laced to a similar Sun rim, the Rhyno Lite. The SON dynamo is wired to a matching SON Halogen headlamp, which provides plenty of illumination on dark country roads. It's mounted on the mid fork eyelet, which is not typical for a classic randonneur, but highly functional and still aesthetically pleasing. The tires are SOMA Everwears, which are simply re-branded Panaracer Tourguards, produced in a variety of colors. The adobe mud color is a nice contrast with the brilliant blue frame, and is accented by tan gum sidewalls, another classic look.

An all silver component group creates a very polished, but vintage feel to a thoroughly British frame wearing a decidedly French-style getup. The cockpit is especially beautiful; a Nitto Technomic Deluxe shines with luster, and provides a higher bar height for more comfort. The heat-treated Nitto Noodle bars have ample width for clearance of the Velo-Orange handlebar bag, and the silver Shimano aero levers are my lever of choice for many applications. The Silver friction bar end levers are also some of my favorites; they are gorgeous, and work perfectly with an excellent micro-ratchet friction system. Last of all, the bars are padded with high density foam, wrapped with Newbaums cotton bar tape, and twined at the ends, with shellac to finish. The honey shellac coloring matches the dignified Brooks B17 Imperial, which sports a cutout for undercarriage ventilation, along with steel rails and holes for lacing to prolong the life of the saddle. The Velo Orange racks in the front and rear provide plenty of support for supplies on a weekend camping trip, and are fillet brazed with a beautiful polished finish.