He gave me this frame after a ride one time along with a chainset, handlebars, Weinmann Vainqueur 999 brakes, a TDC bottom bracket etc. It was all a bit rough and needing some love which is how I like these frames and Dave being similar to me in size thought this would be my size. I had a few other things on the go so it just got partly dismantled and put away. With one thing and another it has just stayed up there covered and while not forgotten, just waiting for the right time, until recently.
Over the last year or so a gentleman and friend by the name of Chris from retrobike forum has restored his Claud Butler Electron 5 as a project for his son to help with. Chris is very well versed in all things Claud Butler and has a shed full of beautiful restorations to demonstrate his handy work. Chris had been helping update and compile the register of frame numbers and models from various sources to give a clearer picture to dating the vast array of machines made over the years.
He had asked me if I could get him the frame number from mine along with any other information and he would try and give me an accurate date and also log it. He had remembered from a good while back that I had mentioned it in the loft.
While I did try roughly to date it when I got it from the numbers and the catalogues available I thought it was a plain gauge frame with 531 forks from about 1969/1970. The decals made it hard as all that I could find had a white section on the downtube with the Claud Butler decals on this, whereas mine has the gold CB decals onto an unbanded downtube. The paint looks original, though very rough and scraped/chipped it is a very nice flamboyant blue but a lot of the smaller decals are barely legible. Mine has the frame # 69778 on both the frame and the fork.
So it was a very pleasant surprise to hear back from Chris with a specific date and description. Here is part of what Chris wrote
'Definitely and without any shadow of a doubt from the first half of 1976 probably May or June as the last 5 figure frame number we have found is 70712 and we believe they got to 71000 by the end of July 1976 before changing over to the 6 figure system that always started with at least one 0 for the rest of the production numbering for both CB & Holdsworth up until 1985.
What you have was the best/lightest Electron made, as although this 10-year-old design had been in the range from 1966, it was only produced using Reynolds for the first 7 months in 1976. and although 'only' 531 plain gauge, it was considerably lighter than the Prugnat used for the previous 9 years!
What also makes yours a little more unique is the decal scheme, it was only mid 1976 that they dropped the white panels (see Frame 66735 attached) and instead just applied two pairs of Olympic bands.
See spec below from a 1976 sales leaflet and also a Cresta in the post July 1976 -1979 livery style.
My opinion? Defiantly worth a respray and some decals from Steve at H.Lloyd Cycles.'
So while there are still no plans for it at this time it is good to know what it is, especially as it is full 531 and to have the dates for the right timeline as well. As it was given to me there has never been any plans to give it away or sell it as I have always had the plan to get to it one summer and maybe repaint it myself and who knows, maybe in a few years that could be a project for Caleb if he is still into helping me with that sort of thing .
Anyway I just thought I would put it up here and share.
Jamie
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