Carlton Criterium Ressurection

Looks like I may have bought wheels that are a bit on the narrow side. They are 622-13. I hadn't realised the 13 was the rim width. Looks like I might get away with a 28-700c but might have to go with 25... Bugger

this build isn't about weight anyway, forget about race tires and get some proper cheap fatties in there to keep your ride well cushioned and puncturefree - example (35c with gumwall for retro look or 32 c black).

ooops, 13 is damn narrow ;) you'll be fne with 622-28 though, in that case http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/at/de/michelin-dynamic-classic-road-bike-tyre/rp-prod61961

Thanks - that's a good price for Michelin tyres

I'd still invest in puncture resistant tyres if I were you.

Just my two cents, but if the cranks on the bike aren't too worn, see if you can undo the bolts holding the smaller chainring in, and use the larger one on its own. The ones on the bike are much lighter in weight (and likely better quality) than the one you're looking at on eBay. You'll probably get a better chainline too, in my experience.

Edit: If you aren't too bothered about looks, you can just leave the other ring on unused, it will be ugly but work fine.

thanks opxoleon, but unfortunately the threads used to extract the crank had been mashed by the previous owner, so I had to get fairly heavy-handed to get the crank off.
I hadn't realised the crank on ebay was worse - I'm new to this bike building lark. And so far seem to have bought the wrong parts!

Teaches you to ask first :P

There's nothing wrong in the crank you've got, you're not building a state of the art machine, but a sturdy nice commuter machine.

The wheels, as stated, are VERY narrow, I didn't even know there were some 13 ones! I thought 23 was the thinnest!

Maybe I can send them back... I hadn't realised what "622-13" meant!

There's nothing wrong in the crank you've got

As Anidel says, the ones you bought are fine, they're reasonable enough, and pretty good value.

cool.
Left on the shopping list:
seat post
seat post bolt (the original has a tab that stops it rotating, might be able to clean it up)
seat (want to get a leather one)
622-28 puncture resistant tyres
inner tubes
pedals
chain
headset bearings (was thinking of getting them in a race, for easy installation)
headset locknut (it's missing on current headset)
I have some ali handlebars that will probably do... I'll see how they look

Any advice on good, budget items much appreciated. And anything I have missed?

I'm not in a hurry on these bits - I wanted to get the wheel, crank and BB tested before I begin painting.
Thanks guys.

I have a few bits of advice, as a poor student who tends to go through bikes quite quickly.
Pedals are a personal choice thing, decide what type of pedal you want (i.e. clips and straps, clipless, or just flat pedals)
Headset locknut- eBay is your friend. Or your LBS. Or this forum.
Chain - KMC S1 if you're on a real budget. I think they can be had for around £4 these days.
Leather saddle- If you can splash the cash, Selle San Marco or Brooks are good starting points, though you're probably looking at £40 upwards for this.
Handlebars are again a personal preference. I assume that you already have an old-style stem that fits this frame.

You also probably want crank bolts, as you suggest the old ones are mashed.

Pedals - I'm going to have straps of some kind
Headset locknut - just ordered one on ebay
Chain - thanks
Leather saddle - Brooks are nice. I had no idea they were so pricey.
Handlebar - yes there's an old stem, I'll use that for now.

Thanks a lot

From my personal experience, the build price can very quickly rocket far more than you planned. A bike I was building as a "budget" build has happily sailed over the £200 mark without much effort.
As for tyres, I've heard good things about Gatorskins. I'm generally riding 27 inch wheels, so I'm not all that au fait with what's out there for "normal" size wheels.
Inner tubes are inner tubes.
Seatpost, price depends on diameter. Having owned quite a few 70s Carltons, my money is on it being a 25.4mm one if the frame is tru-wel. Best way to get it, probably ask your local bike repair place if they have one in their spares bin, probably cost around £5.

Yes, Brooks saddles are pricey, they're about £60 new I think.
As for pedals that take clips and straps, MKS are a good starting point, albeit costly.

Wheels, BB and crank arrived yesterday.
The BB fits, so that was good news - it's standard.
Wheels are nice, and I don't think they look too skinny.
Crank is pretty heavy compared with the one I had to remove, but I kind of like that.

Having a very quick look at what the chainline might be, it looks like it's going to be OK.

Measured the inner dimension of the frame where the seat post will go and you're right oxpoleon it's 25 point something. So I'm going to need an inch seat post.

I might try and clean up the pedals from the original.
After many more hours cleaning paint and rust... it's not looking that much different - see attached

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Ah, I didn't realize that you got pedals with it! Clean them up by all means. It's probably worth greasing the bearings in them too so they're less stiff, if you can.

Also, just a pointer, if (and only if) you can beg/borrow/buy a headset cup remover and headset press, I'd personally take the headset cups out if you're respraying, so you don't damage them with sandpaper or fill them with paint. If you can't do this, then make sure they're masked up really well.

Otherwise, it's not looking too rusty now! It's cleaned up fairly well from what I can see.

You can remove the cups by using a piece od wood (broom handle) and hammer, just give them some wd40 love first to make sure they are not seized, for smacking them back in just put something wider on them and hammer it. Make sure they sit properly before you install the fork....
Regarding your stripping efforts, it is usually a sound advice to get it sandblasted at a local car mechanic shop (shouldn't cost much as it is not a lot of work with a proper machine and bigger grit you can use on steel - protect the threads). It also leaves a nice grainy structure - good for applying the primer!

Thanks for the advice on the headset, I'll try and remove before painting.

I did a bit of googling for sand-blasting and it looked like it would cost about £50. So to keep costs down I thought I'd attempt to do it by hand. Local car mechanic is a good tip. If/when I try another build I may go this route. This time I've enjoyed spending time with the frame :)

Removed last bits of rust. Took headset cups off. Sprayed grey undercoat, 400ml from Wickes.
I then sprayed Halford's metallic Mediterranean blue. I think it's close-ish...

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Maybe not quite green enough. I think my colour perception skills aren't too good!

Decals going on tomorrow, then I'll use clear lacquer to finish it off.

Looks like a good job!

Thanks. I was fairly patient with the paint layering. The colour isn't that accurate, but the decals will show fine.

It paid off :)

I've hopefully given the paint enough time to harden, and now thinking of buying the last bits (maybe at end of month when I get paid!)
I'd like some help on the front brake. Looking at pics of Criteriums it seems the brake originally was a centre pull cantilever. It uses a bracket on the handlebar stem as part of the brake. Should I try and source this bracket? If so any ideas where? Can't seem to find any on ebay...
Or should I go with a "regular" caliper?
I've measured the brake drop I need and it's 50mm.

The attached pic is one I found showing the original set up.

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helps to know what things are called...
the bracket that attaches to the handlebar stem is called a "cable hanger". And they can be found on ebay. Now not sure whether I should go this route or not