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I got a set of Golden Arrow brakes (minus the brake levers) but they are the recessed ones, whilst this frame, most probably, is ready for the nutted ones.
So if you'd like them, you'll have to drill a wider hole. Let me know if interested. They'll be cheap.
I also got a rear and front derailleurs which I got for free from a nice bloke here on the forum as spare for mine. I am feeling lucky I will never need them, so if you don't find NOS ones, do contact me and I'll pass the kindness onto you.
On eBay there's a few GA parts right know, lately there was a nice GA headset which are a hard find nowadays so if still available do grab it asap.
I also saw a nice GA BB whose "axle width is app. 118mm, with British / BSA
threading" (quoted from the owner) which you might grab as well.Lastly pedalpedlar had the aero version of the downtube shifters (clamp on, which is what you'll need) in lovely conditions and at a great price (£18), I'd snapped them asap as I paid mine (non aero) for £40!
The Golden Arrow groupset is a lovely one, good choice.
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Bottom Bracker (£39) :
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/151341769643?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT
Expensive NOS GA hubs (I was VERY lucky to find used ones for £20! but not in nice conditions, albeit they run smooth):
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/390745264869?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT
(but as you mentioned it's gonna be a cheap build, you might get these: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/251441138538?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT) -
Heh. Thanks Anidel for your kind offer! I already have the derailleurs and shifters though, I'm afraid, and I bought the brakes today.
As for headsets, I was planning on using the one that came off the frame, but it was pretty wrecked when I actually looked at it today in my LBS. (I don't own a headset press... yet...) Anyway, they've offered me a new threaded headset that someone had ordered in, but didn't take in the end, so I think I'm sticking with that. It's not Golden Arrow but it's a fraction of its original cost. It also makes it easier if I decide to move the GA to better frame at some point.The bottom bracket is tempting though. I'm not sure whether to go with that NOS bottom bracket, or a modern sealed one. The sealed one will be far cheaper, but I'm not convinced it will last as long.
I also have, as I briefly mentioned before, some wheels with Dura-Ace hubs that I was planning on using. Again, they're not Golden Arrow, but I have them already- I bought them before everything else (except the crankset).
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Okay, so a lot of progress has happened... hopefully I will get round to adding some more pictures that do the frame justice and show the current state of the bike.
Brakes arrived today. The only issue is that the rear brake is miles too short, it doesn't get anywhere near the rim, so it is completely useless to me.
Anidel, how long are the brakes you have? I'm worried that I'm not going to be able to find a golden arrow rear brake that will fit! -
I suppose the frame was built for 27" whilst you tried 700c ones.
either you switch to 27" wheels or find long reach brakes.
I think the ones I have will reach your wheels, but, as said, they are the recessed ones, so you'll need someone to expand the hole in the bridge and the forks for it to fit.
This is easy to do and won't affect the frame nor the possibility to switch to nutted ones later on if you wish.
Will send you pictures as soon as I'm home tonight.
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Actually I do have them already:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/anidel/sets/72157645683153014/
As you can see from one of the pictures their reach is 43-57mm which SHOULD be enough?
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The frame is built for 27" wheels, and I'm using 27" wheels. There's just a huge reach on the brakes as the bridge is so high up the frame. I have another Carlton that's near enough identical, and that has a 75mm reach brake on the back, with the blocks set about half-way.
Unfortunately, your brakes are the same reach (57) as the ones I currently have, so they're still too short! The help is much appreciated though! However, I think I may be out of luck with a rear brake from the golden arrow group, I can't find evidence of any above 64mm in reach, and the 57mm brake I have now is at least 10mm too short.
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ah, damn :(
anyway some info on the groupset here (Brochure): http://www.velo-pages.com/main.php?g2_itemId=69156
and here:
http://velobase.com/ViewGroup.aspx?GroupID=a34ae6a0-52cd-4bca-9586-cfb2798a796b
Indeed there doesn't seem to be a very long reach version :(
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Btw as your frame was setup for centre pull brakes, I'd go for the DiaCompe 750 Centerpull ones.
They seem like nice ones.Or these (Tektro R539) : http://www.wiggle.co.uk/tektro-r539-long-drop-road-caliper-brakes
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The Dia-Compe brake seems like a good compromise. I guess it's that or pick up a cheap used centre-pull like a Weinmann 999 or something.
I don't think there's any other solution- your brake fits so much better!
Sadly, I didn't have them chromed, those are a different set of (NOS) forks without the ugly, useless lamp bracket. -
I found this on a forum:
"The Grand Prix of that era came with Weinmann 610 in front, and 750 in the rear -- allowing max. reach of 61 and 75 mm respectively."
(Reference: http://www.bikeforums.net/classic-vintage/389296-early-70-s-grand-prix-options.html)
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The Dia-Compe brake seems like a good compromise. I guess it's that or pick up a cheap used centre-pull like a Weinmann 999 or something.
I don't think there's any other solution- your brake fits so much better!I was lucky the frame is more recent.
Sadly, I didn't have them chromed, those are a different set of (NOS) forks without the ugly, useless lamp bracket.
ah I see. Well Mario Vaz's brother could have removed it before painting. I didn't do it, but I wish I had :)
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Yup, those are the same brakes as on my other Carlton, which is set up as a fixed gear currently... so I suppose I could just take the rear brake from that if I was going to be miserly. That said, I'll probably buy that Dia-Compe.
I figured some of the bigger name frame-painters could have removed it, but I ended up painting this myself. I live in the middle of nowhere when I'm not studying so the cost to actually get the frame to any of them and back again was astronomical (i.e. the total cost would have been more than just buying another frame that didn't need a repaint!).
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It took me about 6 days, I think. I used rubbish modern Nitromors to strip the old paint which took 2 of those days. Then I primed it the next day, and put on the first coat the day after that. I realised I'd bought two similar but different colour cans of paint (they were all mixed up on the shelf) so returned one the next day, finished painting the day after that, then put on the decals and lacquered it the day after that.
I did all of this outdoors with the frame on a wire coat hanger hung on a bracket that was on a branch of a tree in my garden. -
Btw,
I found a nicer pair of Golden Arrow wheelset which I am going to collect tonight.
That means I have a pair of Golden Arrow hubs in OK conditions if you are interested.
The rims they are laced onto are crap and I'll throw them away along with the spokes.
I paid for this wheelset £20 only, so you can get the hubs for the same price if you wish.
Otherwise I'll keep them for spares.How's the bike coming up?
wqvm
anidel
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About
Summer-long project, Carlton Grand Prix
Posted by
So, I had this frame kicking about, I was originally going to sell it, never got round to doing so, then discovered that I had grown taller and so it now fits me. I also had a rather nice Shimano Golden Arrow crankset that I'd bought, that was far too nice to butcher and fit to my fixed. Conclusion- clearly, I need to build yet another bike.
The plan is to build it up with a (nearly) complete GA group, and use it as my winter/spare road bike. Admittedly, this is probably far too good a specification for a fairly boring frame, but still.
Current status of the project is that I now have Golden Arrow dérailleurs, shifters, levers to match the crankset (courtesy of eBay), a selection of saddles that aren't currently doing much, and a set of 27" wheels- Mavic rims on Dura-Ace hubs (courtesy of EPR of this forum). I also have everything else I need to build it up (mostly a mishmash of spare bits) with the exception of the stem, bars and brakes. I'm planning on buying bars/stem of a similar vintage, or something fairly timeless like the Cinelli Giro d'Italia bars. As for the brakes, I'm unsure of whether to fit centre-pulls or not, as the frame has the fittings for them, but I'd quite like quick-release brakes.
The frame looked like this until a few days ago:
Following much paint stripping with pathetic new nitromors and lots of sandpaper, followed by much spraying, it now looks like this:
Not a particularly fantastic picture, but it's now gold with block lettering (very 70s!). It's also not faded and covered in corrosion. The picture doesn't do it justice at all.
The next tasks will be to re-fit the headset and to re-tap the bottom bracket thread as it is covered in around 35 years of muck and corrosion. More to follow soon, I hope.