A hasty bid on
eBay was the mistake I made one July day
Seems as if Ill have to pay
It wasn’t a great deal anyway.
So about a week later the parcel arrived
it was packed in cardboard and quite a tidy size
When opening it up it was like Christmas again
When out popped a Claud Butler bicycle frame
It was red with white lettering which made it seem kind a canny
And er oh yer it was made of that 60-61 ally
I guess it wasn’t the frame you’d choose in the cold light of day
But strangely enough it oozed potential in a modest kind a way
So I sat for a while and began to wonder
if indeed this claud could steal the spesh’s thunder?
The answer to that question I really don’t know
It came with a bottom bracket but it was campagnalo
So I went to the garage to see what I could find
105 front and rear and that mega exo will do fine
Wheels by fulcrum with spokes made of wire
And as always continental gator skin tyres
A fake carbon seat post and a stem by 3T
A set of new cables and a saddle that says Ritchey
Now the bikes coming along its starting to look quite tasty
Im beginning to think that late night bid was not at all hasty
On go the handle bars and blue tape is applied
Wont be long now before its maiden ride
Pinched the dust caps of that old Raleigh grifter
Shame about the tiagra shifters
Now I did check the web site but I needed a bit more coherence
Id completely overlooked the existence of that there mud guard clearance
Which did present a problem cause the calipers didn’t reach
Unfortunately the build was halted to the sound a terrible screech.
Now theses things are sent to try us I suppose there sent to make you sorry
But I guess things are not so bad when cycling is your hobby
Ill just have to have a look see ----find some of those long reach jobbies.
It was a couple of clicks and a couple of days waiting before the caper was back on song
New callipers arrived they came wrapped in paper-- didn’t take long to put them on
The build is almost complete the bike is nicely cooked
One last thing to do-- twist on the pedals by look
The bike was then lowered from its hook
It was ready to be ridden and be bought to book.
It rides like a dream and it fits perfectly in size
It Feels like a cruiser-- I guess that’s the eight degree rise
With the shiny new paint job it doesn’t look at all unsightly
But up against the specialized--- I guess its not nearly so sprightly
So the answer to the question above is
NOT BLOODY LIKELY!!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
