New Carlton Thread
Posted by: George Fredrik on 06 December 2010
Well part of my increasingly contented life is assisted in its happiness in the process of creating a great mid-1980s cycles as it should have been fitted out had the English cycle making business not been in terminal decline apart from great almost cottage-industry scale production of bespoke cycles ...
In the summer I had rebuilt the old lady with a good selection of Campagnolo running gear. However certain parts eluded me at a reasonable price - and the price has to be reasonable.
But since my return from my Polish fortnight, I have been searching diligently for good parts to finish the job. NOS - British Standard Bottom Bracket, Headset, fine used brake levers [to compliment the fine calipers already fitted], and a mint rear derailleur - all from the Record group set between 1973 and 1985. Plus an amazing gift of later "C" Record gear levers [fitted and superb] ...
The only remaining thing to do is to build some wheels on Record hubs [already in the shed from the summer-time] with Ambrosio rims ... This will wait till New Year ...
I have ordered some Brooks bar tape to match, and Christmas week [vacation by order!] will see a significant amount of further fining down details and rebuilding.
I hope that this thread may live long enough to see some fine photos of a truly finalised set-up.
Something to gladden my heart in an innocent sort of way.
Dobranoc, all, from George
PS: The cycle is daily machine as well for fun, and it is no fair weather cycle, as a commuting machine. Really it is a biking parallel to an older Bentley [without the implied weight!] so really too nice to use that way, but a real pleasure in spite of being too nice to leave tied to a lamp post if I go into town. Fortunately only cyclists of certain [veteran] age recognise it for what it is. Otherwise it is simply old hat.
In the summer I had rebuilt the old lady with a good selection of Campagnolo running gear. However certain parts eluded me at a reasonable price - and the price has to be reasonable.
But since my return from my Polish fortnight, I have been searching diligently for good parts to finish the job. NOS - British Standard Bottom Bracket, Headset, fine used brake levers [to compliment the fine calipers already fitted], and a mint rear derailleur - all from the Record group set between 1973 and 1985. Plus an amazing gift of later "C" Record gear levers [fitted and superb] ...
The only remaining thing to do is to build some wheels on Record hubs [already in the shed from the summer-time] with Ambrosio rims ... This will wait till New Year ...
I have ordered some Brooks bar tape to match, and Christmas week [vacation by order!] will see a significant amount of further fining down details and rebuilding.
I hope that this thread may live long enough to see some fine photos of a truly finalised set-up.
Something to gladden my heart in an innocent sort of way.
Dobranoc, all, from George
PS: The cycle is daily machine as well for fun, and it is no fair weather cycle, as a commuting machine. Really it is a biking parallel to an older Bentley [without the implied weight!] so really too nice to use that way, but a real pleasure in spite of being too nice to leave tied to a lamp post if I go into town. Fortunately only cyclists of certain [veteran] age recognise it for what it is. Otherwise it is simply old hat.
Dear Winki,
It is verging on too big, but is perfectly manageable in traffic and at the lights. No I cannot reach the floor if I am on the saddle, but I never have done that even with the Dawes [Hybrid - 1993 -1995], which did fit me well. The saddle was a very long way up! The thing is that the Carlton has rock solid handling. No bike I have ever ridden comes close to its stability at sometimes crazy fast speeds, and that is why I am in no rush to look for a different frame. I even have a larger crank [172.5mm] than the 170 mm standard, which is counter-intuitive when I am no Titan, but I found it gives more ease at speed with no downside.
Of course if I could find [or afford to have made] a frame that had the stability of the Carlton, and its fantastic ability to convert effort into rapid progress even on long journeys, then I would, but I expect I would eventually raise the saddle again, and be in the same state of having to stand on the crank before stopping! Left foot on the pedal and right ready to steady me …
I would love to talk to an expert about this and see why I find a high saddle so useful.
Of course the saddle looks low on the Carlton because the crossbar is so high! The bar stem is out of the steering tube by only a quarter of an inch …
On stability, it is easy to manage 40 mph going downhill, even on rough rural lanes, where the bumps can lead to oscillation in the steering wheel. This has never happened on the Carlton. The Dawes was bad, and my second bike - a Peugeot - is very twitchy even though it looks similar to the Carlton in geometry. Both are in 501 Reynolds tubing. It is odd, because sometimes something that is intuitively wrong can be right.
If I had a frame made I would get a Rohloff hub and do without twin front chainwheels and derailleur, but keep the North road style of handlebar. Strange as it may sound, I am almost foreshadowing the possibility in that I have got another steel North Road bar [for next to nothing but nice] which will go on a another bike one day. But a frame is about £1000 in 531 tubing, properly lugged, and Rohloff is about as much again. Then add in a brake set and it is getting into the realms of fantasy for me.
I suppose the Carlton still stands me at £450 for parts and re-enamel, and at that over six months or more. I can afford that especially considering that I no longer am running a car.
The Volvo of course was not expensive to run except that I used it so little that the fixed costs of annual road safety test [MOT], car road fund tax, and insurance meant that my actual costs per mile were rather high. But take these fixed costs out, and I can perfect the Carlton, and enjoy the splendid results.
You are in Canada, so you will never ride out on a bike with me, but you would be surprised.
In my working togs, or at the weekend only slightly smarter, riding what looks for all the world to the untutored eye like a 1950s Raleigh Roadster [very good solid bike, but slow and very heavy and I chose the colour as camoflage!], I have often startled guys and gals riding out on the latest machines in their cycling togs, looking like real competitive cyclists. They cannot keep with me. I have been caught once. And the guy said he had been gaining for quarter of an hour since he first saw me! I said that I was doing my normal speed, which I can do for hours. He was very red when he caught me, and while we were stopped and chatting I fired up a roll-up, which astounded him! We rode together at my speed for a few miles then, and I think he enjoyed my pace more than catching up!
No that old bike would cost a lot to better. Good older frames don't appear all that often, and not every fine frame suits everyone even when it should ...
So I guess the Carlton will stay with me for the duration. I am 49, so that when I get feeble I can turn the North Road bar over and turn it into a sit-up-and-beg without spoiling it for someone else!
ATB from George
The stem is lower than in this picture now:
It is verging on too big, but is perfectly manageable in traffic and at the lights. No I cannot reach the floor if I am on the saddle, but I never have done that even with the Dawes [Hybrid - 1993 -1995], which did fit me well. The saddle was a very long way up! The thing is that the Carlton has rock solid handling. No bike I have ever ridden comes close to its stability at sometimes crazy fast speeds, and that is why I am in no rush to look for a different frame. I even have a larger crank [172.5mm] than the 170 mm standard, which is counter-intuitive when I am no Titan, but I found it gives more ease at speed with no downside.
Of course if I could find [or afford to have made] a frame that had the stability of the Carlton, and its fantastic ability to convert effort into rapid progress even on long journeys, then I would, but I expect I would eventually raise the saddle again, and be in the same state of having to stand on the crank before stopping! Left foot on the pedal and right ready to steady me …
I would love to talk to an expert about this and see why I find a high saddle so useful.
Of course the saddle looks low on the Carlton because the crossbar is so high! The bar stem is out of the steering tube by only a quarter of an inch …
On stability, it is easy to manage 40 mph going downhill, even on rough rural lanes, where the bumps can lead to oscillation in the steering wheel. This has never happened on the Carlton. The Dawes was bad, and my second bike - a Peugeot - is very twitchy even though it looks similar to the Carlton in geometry. Both are in 501 Reynolds tubing. It is odd, because sometimes something that is intuitively wrong can be right.
If I had a frame made I would get a Rohloff hub and do without twin front chainwheels and derailleur, but keep the North road style of handlebar. Strange as it may sound, I am almost foreshadowing the possibility in that I have got another steel North Road bar [for next to nothing but nice] which will go on a another bike one day. But a frame is about £1000 in 531 tubing, properly lugged, and Rohloff is about as much again. Then add in a brake set and it is getting into the realms of fantasy for me.
I suppose the Carlton still stands me at £450 for parts and re-enamel, and at that over six months or more. I can afford that especially considering that I no longer am running a car.
The Volvo of course was not expensive to run except that I used it so little that the fixed costs of annual road safety test [MOT], car road fund tax, and insurance meant that my actual costs per mile were rather high. But take these fixed costs out, and I can perfect the Carlton, and enjoy the splendid results.
You are in Canada, so you will never ride out on a bike with me, but you would be surprised.
In my working togs, or at the weekend only slightly smarter, riding what looks for all the world to the untutored eye like a 1950s Raleigh Roadster [very good solid bike, but slow and very heavy and I chose the colour as camoflage!], I have often startled guys and gals riding out on the latest machines in their cycling togs, looking like real competitive cyclists. They cannot keep with me. I have been caught once. And the guy said he had been gaining for quarter of an hour since he first saw me! I said that I was doing my normal speed, which I can do for hours. He was very red when he caught me, and while we were stopped and chatting I fired up a roll-up, which astounded him! We rode together at my speed for a few miles then, and I think he enjoyed my pace more than catching up!
No that old bike would cost a lot to better. Good older frames don't appear all that often, and not every fine frame suits everyone even when it should ...
So I guess the Carlton will stay with me for the duration. I am 49, so that when I get feeble I can turn the North Road bar over and turn it into a sit-up-and-beg without spoiling it for someone else!
ATB from George
The stem is lower than in this picture now:
The Brooks tape looks very neat on the North Road bar, I think!
Over the top!
... , and strangely a gradual process of experimentation with set up has led to something similar but different in brake lever position compared to the Pashley Guv'nor posted above!
I was not ready to maul with the headset yesterday, so that can wait till Christmas week, but I did replace the brake lever housing that had a tiny crack in it, so the handle bars are now finished in every detail ...
ATB from George
Over the top!
... , and strangely a gradual process of experimentation with set up has led to something similar but different in brake lever position compared to the Pashley Guv'nor posted above!
I was not ready to maul with the headset yesterday, so that can wait till Christmas week, but I did replace the brake lever housing that had a tiny crack in it, so the handle bars are now finished in every detail ...
ATB from George
George,
it's should be the same as a motorbike in that the front brake should be on the right hand side, or if you insist on having the brake levers reversed don't for heaven sake let anyone else ride it or they may end up in hospital...
(very almost happened to me on an occasion when i test rode my friends kack-handed brake-nasty 753 Peugeot
)
BUT... Almost of equal importance: being used on British roads it should have MUDGUARDS!
nice colour though, i like green : )
Debs
it's should be the same as a motorbike in that the front brake should be on the right hand side, or if you insist on having the brake levers reversed don't for heaven sake let anyone else ride it or they may end up in hospital...
(very almost happened to me on an occasion when i test rode my friends kack-handed brake-nasty 753 Peugeot
)BUT... Almost of equal importance: being used on British roads it should have MUDGUARDS!
nice colour though, i like green : )
Debs
quote:Originally posted by fatcat:
One small point. Being a British bike, the rear brake lever should be on the left hand side.
Funnily enough, whilst I adjusted quite quickly to driving on the "wrong" side of the road in continental Europe, I still can't come to terms with the braking on my Italian bike
quote:Originally posted by naim_nymph:
George,
it's should be the same as a motorbike in that the front brake should be on the right hand side, or if you insist on having the brake levers reversed don't for heaven sake let anyone else ride it or they may end up in hospital...
(very almost happened to me on an occasion when i test rode my friends kack-handed brake-nasty 753 Peugeot
BUT... Almost of equal importance: being used on British roads it should have MUDGUARDS!
nice colour though, i like green : )
Debs
Dear Debs,
My last bike, apart from the Eagle of Brigg, was a 1941 Royal Enfield "CO" 350 cc single, and the gear was on the right foot and the rear brake on the left foot. This suited me, but would fox most modern riders. However the front brake definately was on the handle bar on the right and the clutch on the left! I will try too find a photo tomorrow of this venerable beast - all black except for gold trademarks in its 1946 civilian guise!
I do like Mid-Brunswick Green though as the colour of the old WD staff cars!
ATB from George
PS: Hugh, I always hated the [English] front brake on a push-bike being on the right, and found a happy situation in Norway with it on the left! In Norway the back brake always involved back pedalling ...
There it is!
The view is of the Malvern Hill from Crown East about two miles west of Worcester ...
ATB from George
Hi George,
i thought you may be sore this morning, but sounds like you need an x-ray on that thumb!
Just a thought but if you have a "home insurance policy", it usually includes a dependable (and completely free of charge) scheme for providing a litigation company that's better than the average no win no fee crowd.
Where there's blame there's a claim ...it's well worth you claiming all you can get, takes a long time is all.
Good luck at the Radiology Department!
Debs
i thought you may be sore this morning, but sounds like you need an x-ray on that thumb!
Just a thought but if you have a "home insurance policy", it usually includes a dependable (and completely free of charge) scheme for providing a litigation company that's better than the average no win no fee crowd.
Where there's blame there's a claim ...it's well worth you claiming all you can get, takes a long time is all.
Good luck at the Radiology Department!
Debs