1960's Catalina frame

[DCLane]

This is the Carlton collected yesterday - looks like the serial number is E5888 - would that make it 1956/7 rather than 1960's? It's about a 21½" frame.

 

[ColinJ]

Good dropouts for singlespeed/fixed!

 

[biggs682]

Looks more like a 22" plus frame to my ol' eyes.
Should scrub up nicely @DCLane

 

[Ponterob]

This is the Carlton collected yesterday - looks like the serial number is E5888 - would that make it 1956/7 rather than 1960's? It's about a 21½" frame.

View attachment 717394

View attachment 717395

View attachment 717396

The saddlebag and dynamo were original with the bike when bought - my eldest brother bought it, very proud was he, and I must have been six or seven at the time. He kept it on the upstairs landing outside our bedrooms!!! It passed to my elder brother then me, and I used it for cycling to Gateway school in Leicester city until I got my Bantam 175. The original derailleur was Simplex, but that fell apart over a drain and was replaced with the Campagnolo.

 

[DCLane]

@biggs682 - you're right. Note to self: don't guess. I've measured the frame and it comes out at 23". I'll have been quite nicely specced originally noting the above comment that the current Campag 5-speed set-up isn't original. Not as nice as the 10-speed set-up on the Carlton Franco-Suisse I picked up last month but well above the basic level. If you'd like the frameset let me know and I'm sure we can arrange a hand-over; I'll be travelling to my Dad's at Bottesford in the Vale of Belvoir a lot over the next few months so that might make the hand-over easier.

This evening I've gone through the bag of parts supplied by @Ponterob for me and cleaned up the Campag Gran Sport rear mech, with the shifter currently un-stickying in my parts washer. It's a much better design than the Benelux one on the Franco-Suisse so I might borrow it, or use a Nuovo Gran Sport I now have spare.

 

[biggs682]

@DCLane ok re size.
Ok let me have a think about it and get back to you if anyone else shows an interest before me that's fine.

 

[biggs682]

@DCLane I am going to pass on the frame as I still have 4 frames in the queue awaiting build

 

[Illaveago]

My brother had one in black with metallic blue banding and half chrome forks , Capella lugs and blue anodised Weinmann brake levers. It looked quite smart in that colour scheme.

 

[DCLane]

Forgot to add an update: the frameset has gone to a vintage bike collector near Newark who'll be restoring it. They've already got some very nice vintage bikes but I hope to see this restored at one of the Lincoln or Belvoir retro rides.

 

[Illaveago]

Looks more like a 22" plus frame to my ol' eyes.
Should scrub up nicely @DCLane

I agree. The head tube looks pretty tall.