Sun Racer

[Goldfang]

Hello CarltonFlyer, your pictures take me back years! Your Sun is ialmost identical to my first 'club bike' that my parents bought me in 1971, only difference was it did not have the short alloy mudguards, or have worksop on the headbadge. Cant' quite see from your photos, but mine came with a very nice Lycett 'Lavenir' leather saddle, wich lasted for years on various machines, ending up on a bike that was nicked. Wich leads me to think that your Sun cannot have had a lot of use before coming to you. After about two years of 'serious' club use, mine had almost fallen apart. The Altenburger brakes were troublesome almost from the start, and the pedals feel apart after my first club run! I seem to remember that the freewheel block/cassette did not last a lot longer! Having said all that, I have fond memories of the bike that introduced me to a lifetime of cycling, and hope you enjoy it.
Regards, Goldfang

 

[Carlton Flier]

Hello CarltonFlyer, your pictures take me back years! Your Sun is ialmost identical to my first 'club bike' that my parents bought me in 1971, only difference was it did not have the short alloy mudguards, or have worksop on the headbadge. Cant' quite see from your photos, but mine came with a very nice Lycett 'Lavenir' leather saddle, wich lasted for years on various machines, ending up on a bike that was nicked. Wich leads me to think that your Sun cannot have had a lot of use before coming to you. After about two years of 'serious' club use, mine had almost fallen apart. The Altenburger brakes were troublesome almost from the start, and the pedals feel apart after my first club run! I seem to remember that the freewheel block/cassette did not last a lot longer! Having said all that, I have fond memories of the bike that introduced me to a lifetime of cycling, and hope you enjoy it.
Regards, Goldfang

Some Sun bikes were built in Nottingham as yours didn,t have a Worksop badge on the front & fell to bits after only 2 years this sounds about right for one of Nottinghams products! The seat fitted on mine was a nice Brooks leather one I,v taken it off to use on my 1959 Carlton Clubman restoration project & you are right this bike was only used a couple of days a week to get to & from work so its not suffered that much till it was badly stored in a shed for a large number of years Bikes bought as seconds from The Cycles had a bad habit of acquiring nice bits/bobs finding there way onto them ie never wearing out . Altenburger brakes I have to say I,v never come across them before Carlton Cycle,s must have bought a job lot from somewhere very cheap This bike was bought as a breaker just for bits/bobs but its far too good for that fate I,v just bought a Raleigh Racer that will fit this bill & it will give me the greatest of pleasure scrapping that pile of junk for the bits/bobs I need for my Carlton project

 

[Spokesmann]

The Alternburger designed and GB badged Synchons were used on Suns in the 1970s, it was about the only thing that made them a bit different apart from badging. They were referred to a symmetric brakes for some reason. I have a pair fitted to my Carlton Continental which I used to replace by Weinmann 730s. I must say they are very reliable, have the simplicity of a side-pull with the even block application and centring of a centre pull.

 

[Carlton Flier]

The Alternburger designed and GB badged Synchons were used on Suns in the 1970s, it was about the only thing that made them a bit different apart from badging. They were referred to a symmetric brakes for some reason. I have a pair fitted to my Carlton Continental which I used to replace by Weinmann 730s. I must say they are very reliable, have the simplicity of a side-pull with the even block application and centring of a centre pull.

I have to say the Alternburger one,s fitted to my Sun work spot on so I,m not going to change them. I know Weinmann brakes are the norm for Carlton Bikes either centre pull or side pull (all the ones I,v owned & seen running round the town that is) but Sun,s were always that little bit different from Carlton Bikes so the brakes are staying

 

[Carlton Flier]

I,v done the rear cones on the back wheel & fited a NOS Pletscher rack that I bought off eBay.The bike needs the two new tyres fitting but before I do this I need a new chrome front 27 x 1 1/4 wheel the rusty chrome spoils an otherwise excellent bike I,v managed to find a NOS 27in front wheel in alloy that someones had in their loft for a good few years for not a lot of dosh so thats it for this one all My spare time now will go on the Carlton Resto.

 

[Spokesmann]

Love the 70s/80s Pletscher rack - Ill still swear by them on my Continental and Mauve Corsa. Looking nice, keep the images coming!

 

[Carlton Flier]

Love the 70s/80s Pletscher rack - Ill still swear by them on my Continental and Mauve Corsa. Looking nice, keep the images coming!

Yes I agree Pletscher racks cannot be beaten for quality or the price this one was a real bargain off eBay.
Bike now has the new alloy front wheel fitted along with the Schwalbe tyres front/rear its coming together at last so much so. I went for a quick spin on it this morning & the rack has paid for itself carrying a 4ltr tin of paint back from Wilko,s

 

[Sheffield_Tiger]

Oh that rack brings back fond memories...of a Head sports bag stuffed with exercise books and PE kit, pershed precariously secured by the spring clip and a yellow and red bungee

 

[Piemaster]

Thanks for posting the pics. My first drop bar bike, my 'racer', was a Sun (must have been (10/11 at the time). It served me well for a long time, school, visits to relatives and the like and I have some very good memories of it.
Aaah, the huge, heavy and very dim 'Ever Ready' light on the fork bracket, eventually supplemented with a bottle dynamo, which if anything was even dimmer.
One of those speedos/mileometers that had a little wheel running on the tyre.
A proper old school saddle bag, can't recall having a rack, but must have as I used it to go to school with an Addidas bag - semicircular thing with a separate boot compartment.

But most importantly, a love of cycling that, while it waned a bit now and then as other things got in the way, has never truely left me


I probably shouldn't, as I have neither the excuses prepared, or the space, or even if its the right size, but drop me a line if you ever think of moving it on.

 

[Spokesmann]

Lovin this thread...

 

[Carlton Flier]

Thanks for posting the pics. My first drop bar bike, my 'racer', was a Sun (must have been (10/11 at the time). It served me well for a long time, school, visits to relatives and the like and I have some very good memories of it.
Aaah, the huge, heavy and very dim 'Ever Ready' light on the fork bracket, eventually supplemented with a bottle dynamo, which if anything was even dimmer.
One of those speedos/mileometers that had a little wheel running on the tyre.
A proper old school saddle bag, can't recall having a rack, but must have as I used it to go to school with an Addidas bag - semicircular thing with a separate boot compartment.

But most importantly, a love of cycling that, while it waned a bit now and then as other things got in the way, has never truely left me


I probably shouldn't, as I have neither the excuses prepared, or the space, or even if its the right size, but drop me a line if you ever think of moving it on.

Thanks Guys for all the kind comments I,m glad it brings back all the happy memories of your youth & thats what its all about memories Piemaster the frame size is 21 1/2ins & if I ever decide to sell it I,ll give you first crack at it Not bad for one of Carltons poor relations!

 

[Piemaster]

21 1/2. hmmm. I'm 6' 1 so shouldn't be far off? Not sure about that, not managed to get my head around road bike sizing; The Pompino is an XL (57cm) but I swapped that from an L - 54 (I'm bang on the mid spot on their chart)as it just looked at bit small and would have needed a long stem, but ended up with a very short one on an XL

No. Stop it. I don't need another bike.
Heh. Just thought of the excuse "But darling, this isn't a bike. It's my youth'

 

[Malc]

Hi Carlton Flier - just wondered if your lovely Sun still has a good seat tube world championship winners transfer ? ( looks as though it has from your photos )

My Chris Barber has had the transfer rubbed off :-( and it would be great to see what I've lost - and maybe, just maybe, when I get it all together, see about getting a facsimile made up for when I restore the bike to it's former glory.

Cheers

 

[2old2care]

I had a Pletscher rack on my Puch Prima Super 12 when I was in secondary school, wish I still had it now!!!