What have I bought?

[Guzzi]

My 16 year old son has been borrowing my Vitus and as he is off school for 5 months I've bought him a project. The idea is it will be a stealth commuter for when he starts 6th form. Nice to ride but unapealling to South London Bike Thieves.

So I'm sort of sure it's not a Claud Butler! I can only find one bike with those lugs and I would love it to be that.

The frame has been thickly painted it actually feels like powdercoat I cant find a frame number.

Campag headset and some Dura Ace bits so someone loved it once.

 

[woodbutcher]

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My 16 year old son has been borrowing my Vitus and as he is off school for 5 months I've bought him a project. The idea is it will be a stealth commuter for when he starts 6th form. Nice to ride but unapealling to South London Bike Thieves.

So I'm sort of sure it's not a Claud Butler! I can only find one bike with those lugs and I would love it to be that.

The frame has been thickly painted it actually feels like powdercoat I cant find a frame number.

Campag headset and some Dura Ace bits so someone loved it once.

Im no expert but l used to have something similar ....Raleigh Carlton. there will be lots of folk on here who will know exactly what the bike is l am sure.
This was mine....

 

[roley poley]

my old blown frame has the same lugs and cants 531c eclipse countryman '87 from two wheels good made by orbit

 

[southcoast]

Looks a bit like a Nigel Dean tourer?

 

[Guzzi]

I would love it to be one of these for two reasons....my first "Racer" was a Raleigh Europa in TI colours and I was born in Ilkeston.

 

[Cycleops]

Certainly a tourer of some sort but which I don't know.

 

[Bonefish Blues]

Nobody would build a tourer from 531 Comp, would they? Unless random transfer application, which is more than possible.

 

[Cycleops]

My Mercian was 531c which was a tourer/audax type. I was looking at the geometry which seemed to suggest it was a tourer.

 

[Guzzi]

My Mercian was 531c which was a tourer/audax type. I was looking at the geometry which seemed to suggest it was a tourer.

It's got 3 bottle cage mounts and no provision for a front rack which made me think Audax , mind you the forks might not be original.

 

[roley poley]

the eclipse countryman was called a fast tourer for whatever that means it came with a rear rack. The Reynolds transfers look like a replacement bought after its powder coat .Put it in bike radar to read an old post of them if you choose to.

 

[mjr]

I wondered if it was a Falcon or related because of the seat cluster and fluted post, but the 531 stickers put me off as I thought they used Columbus tubing. Is it @midlife that recognises lots of those?

 

[avecReynolds531]

Nice find & welcome to CC. I like the lugs and seat tube cluster a lot.

The wheelbase, fork rake, chainset inner ring, cassette range, and the spoke count in the rear wheel, to me, don't suggest a touring bike. Maybe more like a 'clubman' as used to be said back in the day, or audax bike, as noted previously. That would explain the 531C frame tubes.

I could be totally wrong, because the rack eyes on the seat stays don't go with 531C.

My older 531db John Perks is a light frame, but does have wide range gearing and a geometry that suggests slow and relaxed. In reality, it handles beautifully and is rapid.

All the best with the project.

 

[midlife]

Does look very Nigel Dean, Demi- Course

 

[Gravity Aided]

Certainly a tourer of some sort but which I don't know.

Nobody would build a tourer from 531 Comp, would they? Unless random transfer application, which is more than possible.

the eclipse countryman was called a fast tourer for whatever that means it came with a rear rack. The Reynolds transfers look like a replacement bought after its powder coat .Put it in bike radar to read an old post of them if you choose to.

It appears to be what we would call a "Sports Tourer" here in the States. Trek built a few in their 600 series in the mid 1980's, also with Reynolds 531. i have also seen Columbus and True-Temper used on such bicycles. Maybe for ride quality over lightness.

 

[Guzzi]

After a lot of Googeling this is the nearest I can find to the seat stays and lugs so I'm thinking some kind of Carlton?

It's not very original , the wheels are Giant for example, so possibly it gained some braze ons and was repainted.


The bottom bracket is 68mm shell 124mm axle.