Vintage Racer semi rebuild
- Thread starter joebingo
- Start date
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biggs682
Itching to get back on my bike's
- Location
- Northamptonshire
i would geuss freewheel and 700c should fit if they were not factory fit to start with , looks nice enjoy it
fossyant
Ride It Like You Stole It!
- Location
- South Manchester
Because road bikes, as well as being practical machines, are also stunning works of art.... Oh dear, I'm hooked as well.
This is only my second, though I am early in my cycling years!
Cracking looking bike...........
And yes I love old road bikes....works of art.............I won't post pics of mine here..... you have done a good job there
steve at cornwall
Veteran
Hiya, Had to join because of this thread! I bought a nearly new Pro-Am around 1981 when I was 15! Indeed, they came with 700c wheels and a suntour 6 speed block.
Stunning bike - so when I decided to return to cycling this year I bought another needing some work.
Currently this has a Shimano 7 speed cassette on the rear and works great - rear stays can be sprung enough by hand to fit the wheel! The 3 arm TA crankset was bought for my original one!
I enjoyed refurbing it so much that I fetched the old one from the loft
and did this
Enjoy your Pro-Am 12s, I agree old 531s are works of art.
Stunning bike - so when I decided to return to cycling this year I bought another needing some work.
Currently this has a Shimano 7 speed cassette on the rear and works great - rear stays can be sprung enough by hand to fit the wheel! The 3 arm TA crankset was bought for my original one!
I enjoyed refurbing it so much that I fetched the old one from the loft
and did this
Enjoy your Pro-Am 12s, I agree old 531s are works of art.
steve at cornwall
Veteran
To one of the original questions....
An original Suntour 6 speed freewheel
An original Suntour 6 speed freewheel
pubrunner
Legendary Member
Hi Joe,
That bike of yours looks great, it gives me the incentive to get mine spruced up and into use. I only got it this morning.
Quite a few of the components bear the name 'Raleigh', but I assume that this is normal as Raleigh owned Carlton at the time.
Sadly, mine only has a 5-speed block.
It has what appear to be the original mudguards - I'm not sure whether to keep them on or not.
I've tried to read the serial number which is WA 4 ?????
Once a spoke has been replaced and possible punctures fixed, I'll be looking forward to trying it out.
I'm pleased to see that it has 700c wheels
pubrunner
Legendary Member
OP
OP
joebingo
Über Member
- Location
- London, England
Steve, yours look fantastic! You're right about how nice they are to ride as well - Stable and very very nimble.
Andy, get that thing running my friend! You won't regret it. On mine, I have Raliegh cranks, pedals, front mech and stem if that clears anything up for you. Is the bottle cage original?
(fripperies aside, how is it attatched? I can't work out how to get one on mine without using yards of electrical tape.)
Andy, get that thing running my friend! You won't regret it. On mine, I have Raliegh cranks, pedals, front mech and stem if that clears anything up for you. Is the bottle cage original?
(fripperies aside, how is it attatched? I can't work out how to get one on mine without using yards of electrical tape.)
pubrunner
Legendary Member
Steve, yours look fantastic! You're right about how nice they are to ride as well - Stable and very very nimble.
Andy, get that thing running my friend! You won't regret it. On mine, I have Raliegh cranks, pedals, front mech and stem if that clears anything up for you. Is the bottle cage original?
The bottle cage says 'Raleigh' on it, so I presume that it is original.
I'll find out how it is attached, when I'm home from work.
My Pro Am is the only one I've seen with mudguards - I'm not sure whether to leave them on or not. I'm leaning towards leaving them, 'cos they'll only by lying around otherwise.
OP
OP
joebingo
Über Member
- Location
- London, England
Might as well, get some heavy duty tyres on it and use it as a winter bike. They look pretty cool on there, sort of workhorse-ey.
I had a Green raleigh bottle cage with the exact same mount (as well as offensive neon-ness) which came with the mountain bike my sister got in the '90's, so I have a feeling that it may be an after-sale addition. Mine is now gracing my friends Trek 1500 and looking terribly out of place
I had a Green raleigh bottle cage with the exact same mount (as well as offensive neon-ness) which came with the mountain bike my sister got in the '90's, so I have a feeling that it may be an after-sale addition. Mine is now gracing my friends Trek 1500 and looking terribly out of place
pubrunner
Legendary Member
Steve, yours look fantastic! You're right about how nice they are to ride as well - Stable and very very nimble.
Andy, get that thing running my friend! You won't regret it. On mine, I have Raliegh cranks, pedals, front mech and stem if that clears anything up for you. Is the bottle cage original?
It is attached by two allen bolts - see pic.
And yes, the cage does glow !
swee'pea99
Squire
Those old Carltons are lovely bikes. I think you've done yourself proud there.
Davidc
Guru
- Location
- Somerset UK
I nearly bought one of those new in the early 80s. I didn't because I was told it wasn't really suitable for my touring holidays. Looking at those I wish I had, although if I had I'd have worn it out long ago.
Lovely bikes. When I was looking I got a complaint from the shop owner about my test ride, I enjoyed it so much I rode from Southampton to Winchester and back via Romsey. It was only supposed to be a short ride. He did have my car there as surety though.
it's good to see bikes of that quality being restored rather than converted to Single Speed or Fixed Wheel.
Lovely bikes. When I was looking I got a complaint from the shop owner about my test ride, I enjoyed it so much I rode from Southampton to Winchester and back via Romsey. It was only supposed to be a short ride. He did have my car there as surety though.
it's good to see bikes of that quality being restored rather than converted to Single Speed or Fixed Wheel.
steve at cornwall
Veteran
Re the bottle cage - Pro-Ams have various frame arrangements, braze ons and even lugs are different from one frame to another. Some have braze ons for bottles and some don't. Those with seem to have a continuous rear brake cable with braze ons on top of the tube and gear cable routing under the b/b, windowed lugs and drop-outs with derailleur mountings. Size of frame seems to influence this, too. Mine are 23" and have no bottle mount or derailleur mount, gear cables routed via braze ons above the b/b and on the down tube and cable stops for the brake cable on the top tube, but mounted on the side of the tube.
Pubrunner - that's the first Pro-Am I've seen with centre pulls (always wanted them back in the day)
Some subtle differences may be spotted in the album - as well as the somewhat non-original parts used on the re-sprayed one!
http://s58.photobucket.com/albums/g.../carlton/?action=view¤t=oldcarlton.jpg&
Pubrunner - that's the first Pro-Am I've seen with centre pulls (always wanted them back in the day)
Some subtle differences may be spotted in the album - as well as the somewhat non-original parts used on the re-sprayed one!
http://s58.photobucket.com/albums/g.../carlton/?action=view¤t=oldcarlton.jpg&
pubrunner
Legendary Member
A non-subtle difference than I can see in your bikes, is that they look incredibly clean
; your pale blue Pro Am is immaculate !Where did you get the other one resprayed ?
How do you find them to ride ? I've never even been on one.
I reckon that mine is a 22.5 or 23in frame; were the Pro AMs intended to be a touring bike or something a bit sportier ? As a 'concept', were they like say a Dawes Galaxy ?
