Long long ago

[lukesdad]

It's the sea air that does it!

Really ? Why doesn t it have the same effect on the otherside of the Bristol Channel

 

[compo]

My first "racer" was a Raleigh, purchased from Currys. It had 5 Huret gears, a single chainset with cotter pinned cranks. Once I had some money I had a double chainwheel fitted, though still cottered. People complain about downtube shifters. The shifter I had fitted had an integral rod that fastened on the seat tube and you reached down between your legs to rotate the rod which in turn operated the front mech. Eventually at the back I fitted Benelux P2 gears. They were sweet mechs for the time. They were a nylon bodied parallelogram mech which looked so much better than the Huret. Happy days.

 

[Davidc]

Really ? Why doesn t it have the same effect on the otherside of the Bristol Channel

'cos that's Wales!

On second thoughts though, could be the Radon.

 

[lukesdad]

'cos that's Wales!

On second thoughts though, could be the Radon.

 

[EYE-TYE-MAD]

In 1965 when I was 14 my parents bought me a Carlton Continental, now for me this was a big deal and I thought I was the muts nuts, my mates who had racers normally had the Raleighs which were then sold by Halfords although one of my mates had a Rory O'Brian (?) which everyone thought was awsome (first quick release wheels I had ever seen) If I remember right the tyres had to be glued on to ultra thin wheels.

My Carlton had fully chromed front forks which was a HUGE deal at our school. The bike had Benelux gears (do they still exist) which seemed to be the standard on all our bikes, seems silly now but looking back the things that gave your bike kudos at school were as follows:

Rubber hoods on your brakes (pocket money upgrade)
Twin chainwheel (known to us as a double clanger)
Centre pull brakes to replace the side pull normally fitted (birthday present fron my nan)
Water bottle (pocket money upgrade) which was normally fitted to the bars
Campage gears ( I bought a second hand set from a junk shop for 10/- (50p) but had to use the Benelux shifter.
Toe clips (pocket money upgrade)
And finally my favourite, shorty ali mug guards (about 12" long) are they still available ?.

Happy days.

I think many of of us made a start on a Carlton, my first was a Corsa, I got it for Christmas 1965, later graduated To a Carlton Giro, full Campag Record. The alloy shorty guards you had were probably Bluemels but the shorties Carlton used as stock were infact stainless steel & made by the swiss company Weinmann, I have a pair on a nice 1959 Horace Rogers that was my Dads, again made in Nottm. To my knowledge Weinmann packed up making them in the early 70s but I've seen them on ebay but they fetch a good price. The man for everything Carlton is undoubtedly Dave Marsh, the Universal cycle centre, Maltby. He worked at the old Carlton factory in Worksop, he knows everything Carlton as well as being very nice guy & runs a great shop, just like they used to be & well worth a visit. And yes, happy days indeed.