Carlton Pro Am

[ozboz]

Hiya , are these Carlton's ok ? , saw one today looked in good shape and original , could be worth resto if it's worth doing

 

[midlife]

Nice bikes, launched at the 1978 Harrogate bike show alongside its touring stablemate the Corsair.

Nice geometry so nice to ride despite not being a featherweight. became the Pro-Am 12 when it got 12 gears.

Shaun

 

[ozboz]

Cheers Shaun , I'll get some more info on it

 

[midlife]

Here's the 12 version

Shaun

 

[biggs682]

@Spokesmann is our resident Carlton man

like @midlife said they are nice bikes

 

[Spokesmann]

I have a Pro-Am 12, a 25" gate that is rarely ridden, good, solid and quick bike.

 

[pubrunner]

Nice geometry so nice to ride despite not being a featherweight. became the Pro-Am 12 when it got 12 gears.

Shaun

I can only echo Shaun's comments, I had one of these and it was very nice indeed to ride. Yes, lighter bikes exist nowadays, but that doesn't always mean better.

I've a few bikes at home, but I'm finding that the most reliable and comfortable ones, are the older ones with the 531 frames . . . Bikes just like the Carlton Pro Am. Yes, I've lighter and faster bikes - but I worry about damaging/denting them; bikes like the Carlton Pro Am seem bullet-proof - in my experience. If one falls over, I just pick it up and know it will be okay - not necessarily the same with carbon fibre.

I'm soon going to be selling some of my bikes; but the ones that I'll be keeping, are the ones with 531 frames. So far as my cycling goes, I'm simply not accomplished enough a rider to need anything better.

 

[Flick of the Elbow]

Funny how what was then run of the mill mass produced nothing special is now seen as some sort of classic. The giveaway is the parallel geometry, literally a corner cut in the design to make the build cheaper at the expense of the ride.

 

[pubrunner]

Funny how what was then run of the mill mass produced nothing special is now seen as some sort of classic.

I don't think that it is a 'run of the mill' frame - that's the sort of label that I'd put on an ordinary 'hi-tensile' steel frame. 531 tubing is rather better - in my experience.

The giveaway is the parallel geometry, literally a corner cut in the design to make the build cheaper at the expense of the ride.

Have you actually tried the bike in question ? I owned one for years and it was very comfortable. On the few CChat rides that I've done, I've always ridden bikes with 531 frames, except on one occasion when it was 753 (I prefer 531); the bikes have never let me down and I've never felt at any disadvantage by comparison with those who had more expensive aluminium and carbon fibre steeds.

Unless the OP is a top-level cyclist, the Carlton Pro-Am should be more than appropriate for his needs - assuming that is, that the frame is the appropriate size.

 

[Spokesmann]

Funny how what was then run of the mill mass produced nothing special is now seen as some sort of classic. The giveaway is the parallel geometry, literally a corner cut in the design to make the build cheaper at the expense of the ride.

Would a non-parallel frameset be better? shorter wheel base and so forth? I think the differences would be negligible, unless the rider is some sort of pro.

 

[Spokesmann]

Here's my gate...

I rebuilt this one about a year ago.

As has been said, solid, reliable and reasonably light and quick.

 

[ozboz]

Hiya , it is a bike that I saw in a second hand shop , I was paying more attention to parts for my '28 frame project , I'll be going back there tomorrow and check out size , if it fits I'll put a bid on on it , any ideas what it could be worth ? , it is in fair to less cond'n , I did see a nice CB before Xmas , but alas way to large ,( to be fair , I would like to own a Pennine Richmond , I had one as a hand me down in the late 60's , but they attract to much of a price , ) a bike like this would almost complete my little stable of spoked wheeled steeds ! ,
At present ; MTB, Tourer ,and Vintage up to now , 531 steel racer and a modern Cyclo Cross before 2017 would make me very happy !
And to answer @pubrunner's Q ;
Nah ! at 63 I think I've gone past my ' use by date' for racing !
But I do wear a hi viz Yellow Jersey !

 

[midlife]

Funny how what was then run of the mill mass produced nothing special is now seen as some sort of classic. The giveaway is the parallel geometry, literally a corner cut in the design to make the build cheaper at the expense of the ride.

The 75 degree parallel Holdsworth Pro I rode in the 70's was a bit twitchy but I don't think it would come into the "cheap" category.

Shaun

 

[Flick of the Elbow]

A genuinely good quality frame has the angles in proportion to the size of the frame, eg. a steeper seat tube for a smaller frame. A smaller frame may also require an adjustment to the head tube angle and/or trail in order to give toe clip clearance. But varying angles means more work to build. Using the same angles for every size of frame is a cost cutting measure that you'd only expect to see on the less expensive models.
Pubrunner, frame material is no guarantee of quality, back in the day loads of really cheap and nasty 531 frames were made, be they massed produced in factories or built in people's sheds.
Shaun, nothing wrong with parallel angles as such. If 75 parallel suited the rest of the dimensions of the frame then that's fine. My point is about when they use the same angles irrespective of the other dimensions.

 

[midlife]

A genuinely good quality frame has the angles in proportion to the size of the frame, eg. a steeper seat tube for a smaller frame. A smaller frame may also require an adjustment to the head tube angle and/or trail in order to give toe clip clearance. But varying angles means more work to build. Using the same angles for every size of frame is a cost cutting measure that you'd only expect to see on the less expensive models.
Pubrunner, frame material is no guarantee of quality, back in the day loads of really cheap and nasty 531 frames were made, be they massed produced in factories or built in people's sheds.
Shaun, nothing wrong with parallel angles as such. If 75 parallel suited the rest of the dimensions of the frame then that's fine. My point is about when they use the same angles irrespective of the other dimensions.

Dave Moulton fan I guess

Shaun