An old bike at Tiree

[Grandad]

This is a photo in an article about Tiree in the current Scots Magazine

It's either a very old picture or a recent one of a well preserved Claud Butler mixte from the 1950s.

Brings back a memory from then of a teenage girl in the club who wanted a "proper" bike to replace her roadster. Her parents thought a man's bike, as diamond frames were considered to be, was not suitable for her and compromised with a mixte.

[Paulatic]

It was taken May 2013.
Contributor: Robert Morris / Alamy Stock Photo
Image ID: E0406P File size: 40.6 MB (2.1 MB Compressed download) Dimensions: 3264 x 4352 px | 27.6 x 36.8 cm | 10.9 x 14.5 inches | 300dpi Releases: Model - no | Property - no Do I need a release?
Date taken: 30 May 2013 Location: Scarinish Harbour, Isle of Tiree, Inner Hebrides, Argyll and Bute, Scotland, UK

[colin54]

Nice scene, I think that's possibly a late '70's to early '80's CB Majestique, the mens model was the Majestic in a similar gold or light metallic blue colour, I had the mens version, I don't know what year they had the extra brake levers on though, mine didn't have them in 1982.
Edit with picture from that year
This from the 1982 catalogue on nkilgarrif site.
http://www.nkilgariff.com/CBcats/Cat_82 ... stique.jpg

[tatanab]

It's either a very old picture or a recent one of a well preserved Claud Butler mixte from the 1950s.

Add 30 years. I'd say it is a Sovereign Lady from about 1980. Giveaways are the 531 fork blades (but not frame) and the equipment. Nevertheless, still nice to see these pictures appearing in magazines.

Edit - Colin, I think you are right, a Majestique. Zooming in on Grandad's picture I can now see the 531 frame sticker.

[TrevA]

Nice scene, I think that's possibly a late '70's to early '80's CB Majestique, the mens model was the Majestic in a similar gold or light metallic blue colour, I had the mens version, I don't know what year they had the extra brake levers on though, mine didn't have them in 1982.
Edit with picture from that year
This from the 1982 catalogue on nkilgarrif site.
http://www.nkilgariff.com/CBcats/Cat_82 ... stique.jpg

I remember when these Majestic bikes came out, Claud Butler had footballer Trevor Francis and his wife Helen promoting these in an advert. For some reason, it’s always stuck in my mind.

[thirdcrank]

I've had to go online to check my memory. Claud Butler is reported to have gone bust around 1957 when the name was bought and sold by a series of different firms, each edging a bit further down market. CB himself died in 1978.

[Mike Sales]

I've had to go online to check my memory. Claud Butler is reported to have gone bust around 1957 when the name was bought and sold by a series of different firms, each edging a bit further down market. CB himself died in 1978.

His son used to be a member of the same Friends of the Earth local group as me, Mon ac Arfon. I was able to show his mother, Claud's widow, a swing ticket from an Falcon built Claud, bearing a facsimile of her husbands signature.

[Bice]

I had a Claude Butler mixte frame which was given to me by the car park security at work as it had been abandoned.

I used it as a commuter for a couple of years but broke the frame, but I liked it enough to replace with a Carlton mixte frame. They are both from the Seventies.

Very convenient for London commuting and shopping, as step-through is so much less effort than a cross bar. But the frame is flexy and I would not really trust it for a heavily laden tour. I broke the front fork of the Carlton in Parliament Square: still managed to ride home on it though. I use this bike must days.

I also managed to ride home on the Claude Butler, doing about four miles carefully with a very flexy bike. But it stayed together. Steel frames are so forgiving.



My Claude Butler:



And here is the break that did for it:

[Slowroad]

Brings back a memory from then of a teenage girl in the club who wanted a "proper" bike to replace her roadster. Her parents thought a man's bike, as diamond frames were considered to be, was not suitable for her and compromised with a mixte

In 1989 I was in the market for a tourer, having sold my Fiat Panda... I was recommended a 19 1/2 in 'man's' frame bike as structurally better than a 'ladies' bike - looking back now my cycling life would have been very different if I had been pointed towards a mixte frame which actually fitted... couldn't reach both brakes at the same time! Still rode it for 20 years with dropped bars, didn't know any better! Much better once I got flat bars about 12 years ago. Even better I have a teeny tourer which actually fits.