Carlton 2016

That CB is pretty sweet. And the Carlton is still too big for you.

Dear Winki,

As I get smaller with old age [and general decrepitude] this too bigness is actually only going to get worse! But I still find it the most comfortable bike that I have ever ridden, so the theory is if not disproved entirely at least shown to be capable of accepting a little exception to the theoretical rule.

I really like my friend’s [more my size] Butler, but though he is the size for my Carlton, neither of us would be prepared to swap!

Best wishes from George

PS: I fitted my almost mint condition gipiemme crankset on the Butler. Fits right in rather than the scruffy aftermarket thing that was on there! So its top gear is now fifty-three over fifteen, so still not quite as long legged as the Carlton on top - fifty-three over thirteen. However I find the next gear [same as his top] a very useful fast level road gear for good progress. My top gear is helping downhill only these days!

My friend also reports that the Butler is hopelessly unstable at really slow pace, while the Carlton remains a lamb at a slow walking pace, and retains its composure at crazy speeds such as forty going downhill, but heaven forfend that you come off at that speed! No crash hat is going to help in those circumstances!

ATB from George

Nice to see my old 1982 Super Record still in use...

Current fav steed...

One whole gear of fun.

Joff

That is one sexy looking bike! There is one at the former Mycycle bike shop towards the Link in Malvern [now a cycle shop-cum-cafe], and it shares the colour scheme of my much older Carlton!

There are still good British steel cycles made in the traditional steel, and these are not necessarily heavy or unresponsive!

Your deraileur is in good company with a Carlton of two years younger! And shifts are silky as they should be!

ATB from George

George Fredrik Fiske posted:

That is one sexy looking bike!

George, Steady the Buffs.

C.

Chris!

I laughed out loud at that! Just got on after a splendid sprint up the river path, which is mostly very smooth and lethal when icy!

Nothing like it pushing myself on a machine that is capable of more than me these days! Nice crisp cold sunny evening. Lovely!!!!

The Carlton has one disadvantage. It is so close to silent that pedestrians do not hear me coming!

ATB from George

Good stuff George.

I had a sunny spin around the Common here this afternoon, on my Pearson . Dropped the saddle a bit using 0.883 x inseam measurement (crotch to floor, in bare feet) for the height of top of saddle along the line of the seat tube to centre of the bottom bracket. Much more comfortable. No chafing  :-)

Um, how about a bell?

C.

Dear Chris,

If you look closely you will see my perfectly formed but very small bell [pinger-type] on the left side of the bar. 

Though it is very small it really does make a noise when needed. 

I used to have lovely Lucas King Of The Road bell, but unfortunately, being the antique that it was, the spring eventually broke So that was the end of my big bell days. These days I stick to pinging!

Best wishes from George

George Fredrik Fiske posted:

That is one sexy looking bike!       

ATB from George

George,  you need to broaden your horizons.

Describing a Naim black box as 'sexy'... this I can understand,  ....but a bike, sexy ?? 

At least you have a physical interaction with a bike!

With a Black box, I rather suspect that the only physical interaction will be lifting it into place!

Best wishes from George

George, I've a pinger too.

Aren't you interested in my 0.883 x inseam measurement for saddle height?

C.

Not really worried about three places of decimals for a setting a saddle height! I set mine by what is comfortable by trial and error.

Good enough for Jazz, anyway!

I find the Brooks B17 to be a wonderful way of avoiding saddle-produced chaffing and sores. Not least because being leather it breathes and you do not get sweaty in the nether regions!

Best wishes, G

Fair enough. Mine came out as somewhere between 67 and 68cm (yes, I'm a small guy). It's just that it was out by 1.5cm.

C.

Christopher_M posted:

Good stuff George.

I had a sunny spin around the Common here this afternoon, on my Pearson . Dropped the saddle a bit using 0.883 x inseam measurement (crotch to floor, in bare feet) for the height of top of saddle along the line of the seat tube to centre of the bottom bracket. Much more comfortable. No chafing  :-)

Um, how about a bell?

C.

Interesting that your saddle dropped when you went for 0.883 X inseam method. That method, popularised in the late 70s and early 80s by Cyril Guimard (Greg Lemond's coach) is now generally regarded as resulting in a saddle that is actually a bit high.

Christopher_M posted:

Fair enough. Mine came out as somewhere between 67 and 68cm (yes, I'm a small guy). It's just that it was out by 1.5cm.

C.

Dear Chris,

You and me both. I buy trousers with a 29 inch leg. They don’t drag in the mud! But the science of setting up such things as saddle height is subject to many variables - such as how high the Bottom Bracket is off the ground, and this varies with cycle geometry. 

I find that saddle height is very important and though the Carlton is sorted in this respect, it was the result of experimentation. 

For Winki, who rightly points out that no bike shop would sell me the Carlton as a new purchase, though it is too high on the horizontal cross-bar, I can stand over it with both booted heels planted firmly on the floor! Of course there should remain a clearance between the rider and the cross-bar, [and there is not] it does not seem to spoil the ability to cope! And though I have short legs, I do have very long arms. Perhaps I should have taken up boxing instead of being an amateur on a good bike!

ATB from George

winkyincanada posted:

Interesting that your saddle dropped when you went for 0.883 X inseam method. That method, popularised in the late 70s and early 80s by Cyril Guimard (Greg Lemond's coach) is now generally regarded as resulting in a saddle that is actually a bit high.

Thanks Winky, I hoped you might chime in. Quite right, Greg Lemond was mentioned in the web article I found. Which was followed by this: "Grant Petersen at Rivendell uses the same measurement but determined that subtracting 10 centimeters from the inseam measurement results in very close to the same saddle height number. There is some leeway with either one of these methods because there are other variables, such as foot length, what type of pedals and shoes you will use when riding and where your foot is on the pedal (on the ball, arch, or somewhere in between), and crank arm length."

Basically Lemond gave me 68cm and Petersen 67cm. These are starting points for me. I'll play with my saddle height using them as guides.

George, your high crossbar may not spoil your ability to cope but it has the capacity to spoil at least one other.

Cheers, Chris

Dear Chris,

After a while every cyclist lands, uncontrolled, on the cross-bar. As we get older we get better at avoiding this painful experience. 

More of a risk in my view is being bumped by a metric tonne of motor car or worse!

My worst cross-bar incident was when a Sturmey-Archer three speed hub went from top to false neutral under pressure! Amazingly I remained upright, but was riding in pain for a good fortnight afterwards!

ATB from George

I think we might both be happier on a Moulton.

C.

I think we would both hate the experience!

The lovely Claud Butler that my friend brought round at the weekend, and I sorted out the Bb on, is going to accompany me on the Carlton on some good summer rambles. I am sure that we shall set no records, but there are some wonderful places to visit round here.

Not the least being the Talbot at Knightwick!

All uphill back from there though!

Best wishes from George

No, Moulton's are decent IMO. I've had two, an AM7 and a 60s F-frame.

As for your friend's Claud, I think it was the forerunner to the Claud Butler 'Majestic' I owned in the mid 80s, a very decent bike. Same groupset, same Wolber rims.

Go easy on the lotion at the 'Talbot'.

C.

There is nothing like sitting on the River Bank - The Teme - with a pint of This, That or T’other - the in house beers with a rolly in hand!

Simple pleasures!

May shorten a life, but certainly do not spoil the pleasure as it goes along!

Best wishes, G

Under the watchful eyes of dragons, on a wet Tuesday afternoon, just a couple of adjustments...

Dear Debs,

This looks very up to the minute!

Disc brakes on a road bike! I guess that it will move this way now, though hardly appropriate for me with old skool machines ...

Very best wishes from George

Dear George,

it's good to see you having fun with your classic machinery : )

Although i have some genuine regret for leaving my 531c Reynolds frame bikes behind in the last century, i feel it maybe rose tinted Oakley's for all i know. Modern bikes can feel very much lighter and a delight to ride with far easier STI gear levers, and i'm surprised you haven't progressed to clipless pedals by now, those old type pedal foot death-trap things with the leather pull were an awful faff in the day. There's noting wrong with putting a clipless like Shimano SPD on an older bike for safety sake and far more easier peddling control. You can buy cycle shoes with a recessed clip to allow walking on the terra firma but also be able to lock onto the peddle when required, a damn fine invention if you ask me.

The disc brakes on my new Synapse will come in handy for my local terrain, i've had far too many occasion of getting mud clogged up in the callipers and needing to stop and find a twig to clear it out, however, i still say callipers are fine for most roads that are generally a lot cleaner than around here. This Synapse model of bike is also reputed to being more comfy and capable of riding over rougher roads so again will suit my rides well. I have some half size mudguards [XL Raceblades] to go on soon, just for winter months, they easily detach for cleaning sessions. Dunno what they're like yet but will see...

Take care on your rides!

If you were a cat you wouldn't have many lives left! : D

Debs