Anyone identify this old tandem... Edit- USWB Claud Butler

[stewie griffin]

Picked it up today at a car boot sale, obviously old but no identifying marks.

I know it isn't a great image so I'll upload more soon I just wondered if the slightly unusual frame might narrow it down. Thanks.

 

[biggs682]

Looks very much like a SWB or ultra swb Claud Butler with that rear tube
Nice find as well @stewie griffin

 

[stewie griffin]

Looks very much like a SWB or ultra swb Claud Butler with that rear tube
Nice find as well @stewie griffin

Thank you very much, after looking at images of SWB Claude Butler's it appears to be a 1938-46 model so to you.

Found a very faint Claude Butler cast into the rear BB lug/shell. It's pretty much complete except for missing the derailleur for the three speed freewheel. It has a three speed (I think) hub with brake and some crazy looking cantilevers!

Fancied a tandem for years and looking forward to me and my lady giving it a go when I get some new tyres on it! The old Michelin's are still holding air despite massive perishing but look like they will explore any moment!

 

[Ian H]

Yes, an USWB Claud. Resilion cantilevers. Brampton headset. The bottom brackets will be oversized as well. The Tandem Club will be able to help with spares and repairs.

 

[stewie griffin]

Yes, an USWB Claud. Resilion cantilevers. Brampton headset. The bottom brackets will be oversized as well. The Tandem Club will be able to help with spares and repairs.

Thank you.

 

[wisdom]

It's a nice find.Keep us posted.

 

[biggs682]

Thank you very much, after looking at images of SWB Claude Butler's it appears to be a 1938-46 model so to you.

Found a very faint Claude Butler cast into the rear BB lug/shell. It's pretty much complete except for missing the derailleur for the three speed freewheel. It has a three speed (I think) hub with brake and some crazy looking cantilevers!

Fancied a tandem for years and looking forward to me and my lady giving it a go when I get some new tyres on it! The old Michelin's are still holding air despite massive perishing but look like they will explore any moment!

Got offered one of these about 5 years ago for £25 , by the time I thought about It , it was sold

 

[stewie griffin]

A few more pics for anyone interested.

Got a couple of 32-597 Kenda tyres coming for it & will put new chains on as the chain wheels are pretty good. Haven't checked the hub gears function yet, I hope it's OK so will at least have three gears, brakes might work with some fetling, missing the bar the cable end goes into on one side rear..........

All in all Im pretty chuffed with it, it's obviously had paint sometime in it's not too distant past & looks like it hasn't seen too much use in it 70-80? years.

 

[wisdom]

Those brakes are truly amazing.As is the engineering on it.Now that's a bike that was built to last.

 

[stewie griffin]

The frame number on the bottom bracket isn't easy to read, however this one on the stem is!

8123662, after much interwebbing I'm lead to believe the first number is the year so 38 or 48, second number being month so January or maybe 12 for December? Not so much fussed about month but anyone care to shed light on the year?
The head race is a bit indexed but is going to go back together as I've seen worse!

Worn blocks sorted with a bit of bodging..... Bottom brackets are silky smooth but coming apart for a clean & grease. I'll need to make some new brake cables which I think is going to be very challenging with the spring splitter Resilion set up.... Watch this space.

Apologies for crappy pics.

 

[biggs682]

Thanks for the extra pics and it looks like fun times ahead
There's a good thread on Retrobike re Claud Butler frame numbers if i remember rightly might pay to have a gander
I wonder what the R stands for on the stem ?

 

[stewie griffin]

Thanks @biggs682, I have read the Retrobike thread, that is one of the places that says the first number is the year so having also found catalogues here - http://www.nkilgariff.com/ClaudButler.htm you would think it would be easy to date to 38 or 48 but both years show the same frame in not much detail plus a SWB with different added strengthening tubes...... add to that the fact they were built to order/customisable & it gets difficult, for me anyway....

The Sturmey Archer AB hub has no date stamp & as yet I have found no others.

R is before the same BB stamped frame number are well, maybe R for Racing.....haha

 

[stewie griffin]

I found an AA mark on the back of a chainwheel which according to this http://www.classiclightweights.co.uk/williamsdating.html makes it 1938, corresponding to the frame number as 1938.

 

[mickle]

In about 1985 had a 1952 CB Shortbase with a three speed cyclo Disraeli. It ranks very high on the 'List of Bikes I wish I'd Never Sold'

 

[biggs682]

In about 1985 had a 1952 CB Shortbase with a three speed cyclo Disraeli. It ranks very high on the 'List of Bikes I wish I'd Never Sold'

Those wish i hadn't sold bikes can be painful ones