Long long ago

[Primal Scream]

In 1965 when I was 14 my parents bought me a Carlton Continental, now for me this was a big deal and I thought I was the muts nuts, my mates who had racers normally had the Raleighs which were then sold by Halfords although one of my mates had a Rory O'Brian (?) which everyone thought was awsome (first quick release wheels I had ever seen) If I remember right the tyres had to be glued on to ultra thin wheels.

My Carlton had fully chromed front forks which was a HUGE deal at our school. The bike had Benelux gears (do they still exist) which seemed to be the standard on all our bikes, seems silly now but looking back the things that gave your bike kudos at school were as follows:

Rubber hoods on your brakes (pocket money upgrade)
Twin chainwheel (known to us as a double clanger)
Centre pull brakes to replace the side pull normally fitted (birthday present fron my nan)
Water bottle (pocket money upgrade) which was normally fitted to the bars
Campage gears ( I bought a second hand set from a junk shop for 10/- (50p) but had to use the Benelux shifter.
Toe clips (pocket money upgrade)
And finally my favourite, shorty ali mug guards (about 12" long) are they still available ?.

Happy days.

 

[lukesdad]

Bit later than you 1971 but I had a freddie grubb for my birthday and christmas the looks of admiration from my mates who at the time where on falcon raleigh and carlton. Wish I still had it !

 

[SpokeyDokey]

Oh yes, memories of way back. I first got my Carlton Ten in choc/blue around '70 as a pressie from my long departed Mum.

Massive kudos was obtained for the things you rightly say esp' rubber hoods, short mudguards, ten gears, Campag (massive kudos), and water bottles esp' the double one on the bars. And centre pull Weimann (spelling?) brakes were so cool - not that you'd use a word like cool in this context back then.

Also if you had a Brooks Professional saddle you had made it in life! (At the age of 15.)

Just had a final quick memory come hurtling up from somewhere - lets not forget the little rubber 'hoods' that went on the ends of your down-tube gear levers!

 

[Davidc]

My first really good bike was a Holdsworth Cyclone in 1967 - 1966/7 model. That was one of the better bikes at school and took a lot of Saturdays working at Sainsbury's to buy it. It had everything mentioned so far and a bit more besides!

I soon had a set of tubular tyres and french wheels for them for when I stripped it down to go on time trials.

If I ever meet the person who stole it in 1974 I'll still do things to them which will get me locked up!

 

[youngoldbloke]

Second hand, but immaculate, dark, dark blue Ted Gerrard 531 frame, Campag 'ends'. Campag front and rear mechs and down tube levers (yes, with blue rubbers), Regina 5 speed block. Chain - brand? Campag small flange QR hubs, Mavic rims with tubs, double butted stainless spokes. Campag seat pin, Brookes saddle - the one with BIG copper rivets and no bag loops (Very important!). Cinelli stem with enamel badge (Very important!). Mafac centre-pulls, and hooded levers. Lyotard platforms with chrome toeclips (Brookes?), and Christophe (?) straps. Can't remember what brand the bars were, but they had a nicely engraved centre section. Black cotton bar tape. Sadly no photographs. Don't know how I afforded it - although I did sell most of my Dinky toy collection! Bought the frame first, and the components as and when money was available. Learnt a lot building that bike - early 1960s, I was 14-15 or so. It was a beautiful machine, but sadly I had to sell it when I left home for college, and needed money. It went to a fellow club member who wanted to use it for cyclo cross. I often wonder what became of it .......

I'd forgotten the chainset - TA rings (47/52 ?) with cottered forged steel cranks - cotterless were very new at the time, and I think I thought they looked a bit clumsy.

... just remembered - also had one of those long alloy frame mounted pumps with red white and blue rings - on the seat tube of course - with one of those beautiful Campag pump adaptors.

 

[gbb]

Aha, the Carlton Continental's responsible for getting me into more serious cycling.
I was given one maybe 15 years ago. It was a bit grubby but fully functional, it became my commuter for a handful of years, then the inevitable...i want a new bike.
The Continental was donated to a Polish fella at work...i kinda wished i hadnt and maybe kept it.
I seem to remember it was a kind of bronzy colour, wierd whatever it was...and yes, the chromed forks.

 

[lukesdad]

I had those engraved bars, now who the hell made them ? its going to bug me now.

 

[xpc316e]

I remember the pumps with the red, white, and blue rings - were they made by Bluemels? The short mudguards were really the bee's knees in my youth. When I was a lad I had a mate who had a Carlton that was completely chromed - oh, how I envied him! We used to cycle out onto Dartmoor in the summer holidays, club together to buy a packet of 10 fags and have the time of our lives.

 

[Davidc]

I had those engraved bars, now who the hell made them ? its going to bug me now.

I think mine were engraved "GB", but not sure if that was the originals or the replacements fitted after an unfortunate incident on the zig-zags (Box Hill).

The pumps were generally Bluemels. Not sure if mine was - that was a silver coloured one as in the Holdsworth catalogue. They also made the lightweight mudguards fitted to my bike (when it wasn't set up for TT) - green, contrasting with the chestnut of the frame.

This was the advert for the Cyclone I had:

 

[Baggy]

I had those engraved bars, now who the hell made them ? its going to bug me now.

As Davidc says, they were made by GB, though from a rummage around the web it looks as if they were made for Dawes' bikes. That said, I've had a pair on a Carlton and on a Motobecane. Both pairs were given away, and now I've remembered how pretty they were (and how much they're worth...) I could kick myself

 

[lukesdad]

Thats them ! thanks DC and Baggy. What an intelligent lot you are in the SW ( except foxy of course )

 

[compo]

I remember the pumps with the red, white, and blue rings - were they made by Bluemels?

Lovely pumps. I have had one for over 30 years and it is still in regular use. You are correct about Bluemels by the way.

 

[Baggy]

What an intelligent lot you are in the SW ( except foxy of course )

 

[Davidc]

Thats them ! thanks DC and Baggy. What an intelligent lot you are in the SW ( except foxy of course )

It's the sea air that does it!

 

[SpokeyDokey]

Blumels, Mafac, Regina, Holdsworth - love these old names. What happened to them?