How to “age a Claud Butler Enduro MTB”?

[Brummie53]

Apologies if I’m not in the right area here but looking for some advice on the above bike which my son has bought. I can’t see a frame number under the bottom bracket but just above that near the bottom of the seat tube there is a sticker which says Special select CR-MO and a number HO33550. Would this be the frame number? If it is are there any sites etc where I could date the bike?

 

[SkipdiverJohn]

Post some pictures. The general appearance plus the kit that's fitted to it will usually give a pretty good indication of when it was made. Some mechanicals were only in production for a year or two, which can narrow things down a lot, so long as the bike isn't a mongrel built from loads of random parts from other bikes.

 

[Cycleops]

This may have been one of the Falcon made bikes just before they moved production to Taiwan. If you can’t find a frame number there may be one on the steerer tube, but you’ll need to remove the fork to check. Might not even be a frame number. Should be here but may have removed. Date will be around mid nineties but a pic would be helpful.

 

[Illaveago]

I was going to say leave it out in the rain for a couple of years , but you don't want to age it that way .

Pictures will help identify which bike it is and also help in finding what year it was made .

 

[Brummie53]

Thanks for your help folks. The rain here has been lashing it down for the last couple of hours so when it eases off a bit I will post some pictures ! Many thanks

 

[sheddy]

Dip it in cold tea.

 

[Brummie53]

Good morning all. Pictures attached as requested. I can now see that the frame number is HO33550. The bike needs a good clean and lubrication for starters. Is soapy water and elbow grease the best method or are there any decent cleaners specifically for bikes? What lubrication would you advise for chain, cranks etc?

 

[SkipdiverJohn]

My gut feeling is this is a turn of the century vintage rather than a 1990's job. CB used to make some nice Reynolds framed MTB's in the early 90's but these were lugged & brazed not welded.

 

[Drago]

Late 90's, c.1998. Could be early 00's, but my gut call with that long stem is late 90's, as they started to get shorter within a few years. The altus chainset dates it from that era as well, look on the rear of the cranks and there will probably be a Shimano date code.

Probably worth 30-50 quid in that condition. Not an utter boat anchor, probably quite usable in good order, but not an especially desirable model or spec. In addition, its later than the classic MTB aficionados like to go for, but earlier than the modern stuff that started to see the MTB evolving from its earlier form to that which we see today - in terms of interest to MTB archaeolgists its from a no-mans-land of off road history.

 

[Cycleops]

Thanks for the pics. I think it’ll need more than a good clean to get it into a safe roadworthy condition. I should remove everything, clean all the parts and lube them including the V brake bosses which will need grease. The chain will need replacing so you’ll need a chain tool, plus a few basic tools for the rest. Make sure you can turn the seat post and stem.
i presume the LH crank is not present. You can either buy a used one from eBay or a complete set for little money, pedals likewise. If you want to replace the whole thing and don’t have a crank extractor you can drift it off with a hammer and length of wood. Remember the thread for the LH pedal is reversed and pedals are marked R & L. You’ll need to replace all the cables, inners and outers plus maybe the brake blocks. Check the spokes for tightness and the rims run true, if not there are useful videos on YouTub, you'll need a spoke key. RJ The Bike Guy has some good videos on servicing older mountain bikes.


View: https://youtu.be/bxy6hdUOrlc


With a bit of work it’ll turn into a very usable bike for years to come. The bars look quite narrow but if you find the steering too twitchy it’s easy to change.
Good luck, anything else you need to know just ask. 👍

 

[Brummie53]

Many thanks folks for your help. I’ve got the crank complete with pedal so will need to re attach. Is there any particular oil or grease I should use for lubrication?

 

[Cycleops]

Grease for the V bosses and inner cables, any general purpose oil even engine oil for the chain and elsewhere.

 

[Drago]

Many thanks folks for your help. I’ve got the crank complete with pedal so will need to re attach. Is there any particular oil or grease I should use for lubrication?

Is there a date code on the rear of the crank? You've got us all curious.

 

[Cycleops]

If the saddle has a moulded plastic base there is often a date stamp there.

 

[Brummie53]

Good morning, I couldn’t see any date stamp on either the crank or underneath the saddle. I’ve attached some photos in case you can see anything I’ve missed