Carlton Corsair

[lanternerouge]

Bonsoir tout le monde

The old man has just plumped for a rather vintage-looking Carlton Corsair on eBay. Looks like it has had a LOT of garage time (since the 1970s??) and not a lot of use. He got it for £90. It's off to the bike shop on Thursday to see what needs doing. We would both love to know more about these bikes - anyone know when it was made exactly, or tell us more about them? Did he get a bargain or pay too much? Any advice on what to do to get it up to scratch? How can you get hold of period parts? etc etc

In at the deep end with this kind of thing but it could be fun!

Cheers

LR

Here is a link to the Flickr set: http://flic.kr/s/aHsjBVn3Fu

 

[HovR]

The bike seems to be in good condition. I'm willing to bet that not many parts will need replacing, only the consumables such as cables/brake blocks/tubes/chain etc. Everything else should be fine with a good cleanup and lubrication where it's needed (brake pivots, wheel hubs, headset, BB).

I think I can just about see a Reynolds steel sticker on the seat tube (although I can't work out what grade of Reynolds steel it is - Would be interested to find out if you don't mind!) in which case, along with the fairly good condition of the bike, I reckon you got a good deal.

With Weinmann brakes (like this bike has), you can normally find out the date the brakes (and thus the bike) were produced by looking for a date stamp such as this on the calipers - Assuming of course that the brake calipers haven't been changed, although they look stock.

 

[lanternerouge]

Thanks HovR, will investigate!

 

[lanternerouge]

Just checked and it says Reynolds 531 Frame Tubing on the seat tube sticker - does that help?

 

[HovR]

Just checked and it says Reynolds 531 Frame Tubing on the seat tube sticker - does that help?

It doesn't help me date the bike, however I can tell you that Reynolds 531 is good quality frame steel. It's relatively light (for steel) and gives a comfortable ride. If it says anything along the lines of "Butted" or "Double Butted" on the sticker, then that's better still.

 

[lanternerouge]

OK thanks! Dad wants to know if the gears are any good? Seems a bit crazy having the brake levers on the frame still but if it's period I guess they should remain...

 

[HovR]

From what I can tell, the gears appear to be nothing too special, but will shift well if set up correctly. On my '78 Dawes the shifting was OK after I'd lubricated the old cables, better still with new cables, and extremely precise and quiet when I upgraded the rear derailleur to a more modern Shimano Alivio model.

Setting the amount of friction on the shifters correctly is also important for precise shifting. It would be possible to update the shifters to more modern on-bar indexed shifter, however this could turn out costly - Possibly needing you to respace the frame to allow you to fit more gears to be compatible with a modern shifter.

 

[biggs682]

it will be from late 70's or early 80's best way of telling is to check wheel hubs which will have 2 blocks of 2 digits ie 12 81 which will mean 12 th week of year 81 . also on the rear of both brake caliper castings should be a round date stamping , normally find all within 6 months of each other .
should be 531 main tubes only , my last one was great to ride . thats a good price and should be a safe bet .

enjoy it

 

[David Garside]

I've got one of these bikes. Mine's dated 1979....on a sticker. It's a little too big for me but when i'm on it it's ok. It's only when I stop I have to move forward off the saddle to reach the floor.
I've ridden it a few times now and it's really quite nice.
Not sure if i'll keep it though...just bought a new hybrid and space is possibly going to be a problem.

 

[Secondtime]

I guess I'd better reveal myself as lanternrouge's old man. The Corsair turned out to be a July 1978 model, and its currently the ride of choice. Starting again after some 40 years has come as quite a shock to the system - the legs are finally responding to the brain's request to press down on the pedals, as long as its not too often!!. Anyway since the advent of the Corsair, I was offered a 1980 Carlton Criterium for an inexpensive price. How could I resist? All it needed was an inner tube, and its turned out very well. It'll need one or two bits to restore it to its former glory, but I don't think anything too expensive. And recently what I'd been waiting for turned up on ebay - a Carlton Corsa Strada from 1967, almost identical to the bike I owned from new as a teenager in Middlesex. Not seen it yet, waiting for pickup instructions from the seller, but am pretty excited. This one will be restored to its original spec, even if I have to shell out a bit for that. Can't wait.

 

[Spokesmann]

Great bikes. £90 well spent.

 

[David Garside]

I agree it's a great bike but mine is a little large for me to ride on a regular basis and it's really taking up too much space so I would sell it for £70.00 if anyone wants it. It has a new tyre on the front but it is well used and has scratches etc, the decals are a bit rough too but it would be a great basis for a restoration...or can be ridden as is with loads of patina.
I live in Andover Hants and it would have to be collected.
David.

 

[Secondtime]

Interested to find out the the Corsa Strada only appears to have been made for two years, introduced in 1964 and discontinued in 1966. Picked mine up today and have already been racing grandson on it - he won of course! But am really happy with it, a great blast of nostalgia.

 

[Spokesmann]

Im sure the Corsa Strada appeared again, albeit briefly in the early 70s. Lagoon blue seems to spring to mind.