What do you think of my new vintage Carlton frame?

I've just gotten hold of a 20" vintage Carlton frame and I would like everyone's opinion before I start spending money making a fixie of it. I am on a rather tight budget (300 quid?) so my intention is to start a build with a low cost vintage frame, then perhaps in half a year or so move most of the new parts (wheels etc) I will have purchased onto a a new frame. Plus I reckon I need some time riding fixie before I can make up my mind on the size and dimensions of the frame I'll eventually invest in.

I've attached a pic -which unfortunately is rather low resolution- but any chance I could get your opinion folks? I can't make out which model it is, but the badge on front definitely says Carlton.

All help is much appreciated.

I like it. The geometry is laiddd back so it won't be the most responsive ride ever but it's quite charming.You'll probably need a new chainset and bb and at least a decent backwheel (and a saddle)! I like the stem though and with some elbow grease it'll make a good first fix.

Does it have horizontal dropouts? Only thing to be sure of before starting.

That's my 2 cents...

the steel chainset is nice.

http://www.londonfgss.com/thread6261-112.html#post508048

just finished something very similar. i got the bike from my girlfriends shed then stripped it down, cleaned it and put it back together. i bought wheels, tyres and a seatpost, everything else came from my parts bin. all told it came to about 110 euro, so if you're not too fussy then 300 pounds should be more than enough.

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Oscc

You may get a better response in the "current projects" thread.

I think it looks like the sort of thing that gives cyclists a bad name.
Get a saddle you perv.
Slack chain too...

can i have the rack?

can i have the rack?

sorry no. I'm keeping the fork, handlebars and the seat (not in the picture).
The wheels, breaks, rack etc stays with the guy I got the frame from.

I'm looking forward to some nice weather, wheel out the Carlton.. I've put some Campag Omega on condor hubs on it now.. Sorting the bar tape is next on the list.

This is just my opinion, for what it's worth.

I started the same as you, bought an old carlton high tensile steel early- mid 70's complete bike. It has hte same cotter pin cranks as yours and very similar looking frame and forks. I spent about 300 quid buying seat, bars, stem, seatpost, wheels and second hand cranks, rode it for a few months, ...then I replaced the frame and fork.

I started off unsure how I'd take to riding fixed and thinking I'd keep the cost to a minimum and to be honest, I did - built the wheels myself, etc..
I now wish I'd bought a cheapish track bike (Fuji, or similar) and run that into the ground instead, probably would have had more fun from it but learned a helluvalot less about how bike are constructed and some of the Carlton/Raleigh history.

It all depends what you want from this bike, but if you haven't even got hubs or brakes there will be a lot of parts to buy and you could end up paying as much as 50 quid just in postage if you get loads of cheap bit off ebay - it's dead money.

If you really want to have a go with the Carlton, things to look out for:
1) May be a Raleigh headset size, so if you replace, it may be tricky getting someting to fit.
2) Check the frame number stamped on the BB, it'll tell you which year it was made in (Google on Carlton frame stamp dates or similar). From the early-mid seventies a lot of lower end Carlton frames were given a raleigh threaded bottom bracket (info on www.sheldonbrown.com). If you want to replace the BB and chainset you'll need a threadless bottom bracket, nobody makes decent BB's with a non-standard raleigh thread. (I have two low end Carlton frames which are almost identical, one from 1975, the other from 1963. The earlier one has a standard English threaded BB, if yours is an early one you may be ok).
3) Some Raleigh's and Carltons had non standard headset diameters (info also on Sheldon's site). Be careful when sourcing replacements if necessary. Beware standard size headset cups are a larger diameter and may not fit headtube or fork crown.
4) The cranks you have there are HEAVY and the chainring which is the same as one of mine is quite bendy, make sure it's nice and straight if you intend to use it so it doesn't throw your chain off.

Best thing to do if you want to continue is to strip it all and find out exactly what you have by measuring headset and BB thoroughly.

One thing's for sure Carlton's have got character and there are plenty folks on here who'll give you help and advice if you ask nicely ;)

just to add to my earlier post, that 110 built me the equivalent to a 1970's unipack. i already had a nice fixie so i didn't need to rush either which meant i could wait for cheap parts. for 300 pounds you probably would be better off with a fuji track, so +1 to everything chrisNW said ^^

a new vintage bike???
damn, thats near *impossible *to find.

Looking at your bike it reminded me of a nasty incident when I was 14. Once worked at the local supermarket which I cycled to. I'd entered the Christmas raffle and to my joy had won a 24 piece dinner service. Anyway, came out of the supermarket to find that someone had nicked my saddle, complete with the clamp that attached itself to the seatpost. A 5 mile ride home, trying to balance a dinner service on the handlebars, while not trying to impale myself!

Sure it'll turn out a good conversion. Good luck!

hmm the geometry of this thing is not gonna be good for traffic
Even if i didn't know it's a touring frame it would be obvious it's good on going long straights but not very maneuverable.
It would look great restored as it should be too, maybe think about getting a proper fixed frame and build this one up to its original nice condition?

Looking at your bike it reminded me of a nasty incident when I was 14. Once worked at the local supermarket which I cycled to. I'd entered the Christmas raffle and to my joy had won a 24 piece dinner service. Anyway, came out of the supermarket to find that someone had nicked my saddle, complete with the clamp that attached itself to the seatpost. A 5 mile ride home, trying to balance a dinner service on the handlebars, while not trying to impale myself!

You should have just HTFUed and sat down on it. Brakeless? Real men prefer to ride seatless.

it's hard to see from the pictures, but the top of the seatstays look a bit more like the older carltons (later ones seem more frequently to be more elongated, or wraparound). there's a pretty good chance it's pre-raleigh buyout.

in any case, it's a pretty bike, with some nice original bits; looks like a nice milremo stem, lovely crankset... it'd be a shame not to restore it to it's original geared glory, rack and all. especially when it just doesn't seem the best candidate for conversion. sure, it's do-able, but i'm guessing that if you wnat a fixed wheel, you'll be happier with something a little more sprightly.

my 2 cents: keep this one, fix it up, and find something else to "fix"

It's not worth restoring. Stick a fixed wheel on it, rag it and see if you wanna ride fixed.

It seems the point of the story is to either opt for OTP or enter a world of hassle!

I love the idea of recycling old frames. Sure there's lots of potential problems, but equally it feels good to get to know your bike by building her up.

In any case DON'T go for an off the peg, it's so boring...

"rag it"? "stick a fixed wheel on it"? you're like the lehman brothers of fixed wheel conversions. "Buy it! fix it! fuck it up, worry about it later, Yeah!"

and furthermore (ⓒcornholio blackheart): saying "rag it" about an old carlton like this is a bit like saying 'rag it" about someone's gran. it might be fun for about a second,but when everything starts making strange noises, cracking and falling apart you're going to seriously regret ever messing around with the vintage tubing. the lady deserves more respect.

oh, and you should listen to cajeta, she knows what she's talking about, she's got a gazillion old bikes, wall to wall in her bijou apartment and if you ignore her she'll 'rag' you. or something.

pj - get over yourself.

I merely meant make it ridable and fun rather than sitting intimidated about the fact its your first fixed. It's intimidating to new riders getting started. He clearly wants to try riding fixed. Cajeta made her own view about the bike but don't be so offended by my casual terminology.

Good luck with it Starfish!

Woooooo!

I am smiling sooo much now.

We're entering a Lake of Darkness. And there are puppies.

Where you been hiding PJ. I have missed you. My cheeks are sore (snigger)

@Skully - hehehehe ;-) No darkness here...i did come off sounding like a bit of an oik (admitted)!

It'll be a lot of faff converting it to a fixed. With your budget I'd concentrate on getting/building a pair of decent wheels. And get a decent chainset. The rest you can pick up fairly cheap. Including a cheap frame and forks. There is to much work here for too little gain.
I can help you out with bars, stem post, saddle, sprocket.
Does the frame need to be a 20"?