"Nice Bike" - Photos and Stories about our bicycles

Great pictures! Looks like an excellent trip. Did you do this solo?

How was the aluminum frame for touring? Curious about the tire size too.

Regards,
Pat

A lovely looking tourer. I love Cannondale's aluminium bikes. I commute on one and it's amazingly comfortable for such a stiff alu frame even with 23's on it.

That would be a great trip as well Winky...one of my favourite places on the planet (and no bears )

Thanks guys. Yes the trip was solo. 2600km with no flats, crashes or mechanicals. I camped most nights - just a few cheating nights in hostels.

Tyres are Schwalbe Marathons and 32mm, I think. Very comfy especially when fully loaded. I think the extra mass of the loaded bike forces the tyres to do their job and effectively dampens and reduces the shocks through to the rider. The stiffness of the frame meant that it handled perfectly, no matter what the load. For me it is the perfect touring bike. I just loved it. I commute on it (and a couple of others) as well.

quote:

Originally posted by winkyincanada:
Thanks guys. Yes the trip was solo. 2600km with no flats, crashes or mechanicals. I camped most nights - just a few cheating nights in hostels.

Winky,

All those pouches.. I don't think that you could carry more even if you were riding a camel.

I admire you for taking such a long trip just on your own. Couldn't you bring the dogs with you? Now, a Ridgeback would have no problem keeping up with you.

quote:

Originally posted by Haim Ronen:

quote:

Originally posted by winkyincanada:
Thanks guys. Yes the trip was solo. 2600km with no flats, crashes or mechanicals. I camped most nights - just a few cheating nights in hostels.

Winky,

All those pouches.. I don't think that you could carry more even if you were riding a camel.

I admire you for taking such a long trip just on your own. Couldn't you bring the dogs with you? Now, a Ridgeback would have no problem keeping up with you.

I was actually travelling fairly light, considering I was camping. You see people with a LOT more stuff.

Must have been a gas!

A very big envious smile from me there PC...lovely. Aren't they made locally?

Wound up forks? What tubing is that?

You have an amazing number of great framebuilders in Oregon.

mat,

Thanks my friend.

The forks are actually carbon fiber, painted with the frame obviously... as well as the Zefal frame pump.

yes they are made down in Medford, OR. And yes there are countless great framebuilders here. I've always wondered why???


The bike is very strange. Not quite full "tri" geometry, but it does have 650 wheels and a tight wheelbase. Regardless of the wheelbase and straight forks it is not sketchy in the least. It is super nimble.

Extremely fast turnover, and I cannot notice any lag once up to speed with the 650s.

The bike has a full Ultegra compliment save the pedals which i will replace very soon. The wheelset is next although I will probably hve to have them built for me around the hubs, since 650s are hard to find. Typically they are carbon fiber discs and what not, and more expensive than my entire ride.

I will see if I can get some better shots of the paint job. As on all Landsharks it is stunning, one-off, fully custom. There aren't any others out there like this. The chain stays are exquisite.

Thanks again for the love.

Patrick

Would love to see more of the paintwork Patrick...matching pump as well! Quality.

For some reason framebuilders tend to 'cluster', no idea why? They always seem to pick nice places as well.

I'm sure there are lot's of folk for you locally who could build up some nice wheels on 650 hoops.

My two bikes, now I have fixed up the winter machine, to save the Carlton having to work in the dirt more than can be avoided.

Carlton in June.


Carlton with Raleigh today.


Vietnamese manufactured Raleigh badged bike, fixed up ready for the winter.


One lovely and the other simply usable.

ATB from George

Dear Frank,

It isn't though.

It feels broken backed after the Carlton, and the highest cog is about the same as the highest back cog driven off the smaller of the two on the front of the old bike, so it it is also a snail, but it has mudguards, panier carriers, and is not so lovely as to worry about ploughing around in the rain and salt!

Good afternnon's work though fixing it up. Very useful ...

ATB from George

The strange thing is the Carlton feels a quite large frame, though very precise, whereas the Raleigh actually feels a bit smaller [and is distinctly woolly in feel], but as can be seen the Raleigh is actually higher at the crank, and is about two inches longer, axle to axle.

But the Carlton is perhaps three inches further from saddlepost to handlebar, and the hadlebar, even at its highests, is a lot lower than the lowest adjustment possible on the Raleigh.

The Raleigh is essentially a sit up and beg style machine really!

ATB from George

Thanks Winky, Patrick, and George. I have no photos but I uused to own a Dawes Galaxy that I cycled from the UK [ferry to Calais] to Spain twice. Lovely bike and wonderful trips. The bike got stolen tho' in Machester. I replaced it with a Raleigh which I can't love

Chaps

Why don't you fit mudguards ?

Regards

Mick

Why don't you fit mudguards ?

Dear Mick,

That is why I have fixed up the heavy-weight Raleigh. It has quite competent mudguards. I want to keep the Carlton as a greyhound! A proper skinny-ribs that goes like the wind as the occasion allows.

The Raleigh can help keep my drier going to work on vile rainy winter days!

I seriously examined the Pashley machines, and given the necessary pennies would have prefered a Pashley Sovreign to run beside the Carlton, but there it is!

Best wishes from George

PS: Stephenjohn, I once had a very nice Dawes Hybrid, which ran on quite free-running narrow wheels, and it was lovely bike only hampered by a rather short legged gearing regime. I was once followed for miles by a serious touring cyclist and he congratulated me on keeping such a speed up on such a short geared bike. In fact we shared a five minute chat while he caught his breath again! I would hate to have the Carlton pinched even it is worth exactly nothing to sell.

Hi George

A pair of mudguards probably weighs a couple of ounces at the most and yet fitting them will keep everything so much cleaner. I just cannot see any reason not to fit them.

I have a Pashley Paramount and the mudgards are a godsend.

http://www.pashley.co.uk/products/paramount.html

Regards

Mick

Agreed Mick...I have a long commute on dirty country lanes and mudguards cut down massively on maintenance as well as keeping me a lot dryer.

I also use a lot of reflective tape on my commuter...it's not cheap, but it's excellent quality and provides for massively enhanced visibility.

I've got a few snaps...I'll upload them later.

Mudgards (or "fenders" as they call 'em here) certainly do have their place. I have them on my "commuter", which I ride through the winter, but would NEVER contemplate them on my road bike which I use in the summer.

They are a bit of a PITA in the way that the tires pick up leaves and jam them under the guards. No matter how often it happens, the noise always startles me and makes me think something is busted - but just for a split second.

Arh the two things I love bikes and Hi-Fi.



Derosa

Agree with W and JJ here:

1) No place for fenders on a 'best' bike; and
2) Bikes...lovely things.

I've long hankered after these...maybe the time has come. An italian artisan building lovely steel masterpieces.
Pegoretti - The Master

Dear Mick,

I agree with Matt in his two points above, and the Carlton simply has no fixing places for mudguards, except for the middle where the brake calipers attach. GML's Carlton is the same as mine and has them fixed by adjustable brackets on the tubing of the forks and so on, which happens to look respectable, but I'd rather keep the old bike for use in the nicer conditions, and without anything extra at all.

Even the Carlton's very narrow almost grip-free tyres are fairly useless in the wet, especially on those black engineering bricks. Easy to come a cropper on those if they are wet ...

So now I have a choice. The Carlton for best [in practice this is going to be any time when it is not actually wet] or the Raleigh for slogging around in the wet and salt of the winter. For snow I'll walk. That would still only take three quarters of an hour each way!

I like the Pashley Paramount, and had a look at one earlier in the year. It is a much better bike than the Raleigh for sure. I prefered the Sovreign, and had a ride out on one of them ... a sort of bike dem! I fancied a go on the Guv'nor, but there was not one to try!

ATB from George

Dear George,

I have your very picture in my PC, but much prefered that you should post it.

I am so loving the old Carlton that the Raleigh is a sort of pennance after it! Heavy, soggy and strange in corners - probably because the forks have a dubious suspension idea which seems to rock sideways a bit.

I am definately going to get the Carlton expertly repainted this winter, but have concluded that nothing could be nicer than the original colour scheme even if all the transfers may no longer be had.

And I am going to see if i can get a "Great North Road" style handlebar, which is the really old style of racing bar, which does not lower the rider so much as a modern drop handlebar. The straight bar is quite strange on the wrists on a long ride. Not a natural position at all, though good for short runs in traffic.

I cannot cope with looking over my glasses, which the low [dropped bar] position leads to.

ATB from George

Can't find a pic of mine except this:

http://www.derekbphotography.co.uk/photo2932969.html