Your First True Racer What Was it and Year

Page may contain affiliate links. Please see terms for details.
Can you remember your first true racing bike how old you were when you got it I can mine .
My first racer was obviously a Carlton I got knocked off my first bike it was a horrible steel thing on 26in wheels that was my Grandads ex thing he went to work on ironically on Kilton Road 200 yds from Carlton Cycles on Eastgate and 150 yds up the road from my Grandads house no 145 After a brief spell in Victoria Hospital and no bike My Dad created my racer based on an orange Carlton 10 frame a 1967 running weinmann leavers /centre pulls ,GB stem (a good one) Alloy drops running green bar tape chrome steel crank, lightweight Japanese alloy pedals brown Wright’s leather seat,chrome seat stem,standard Carlton built chrome wheels running 27in tyres a Sun Tour Skitter derailleur about 67 vintage that my Dad acquired from somewhere? and 5 speed cassette to match in effect as my Dad named the bike the unique Carlton 5 I claim the title of the first Carlton in Worksop to run the Sun Tour Skitter derailleur it was quite a talking point with local kids cycling fans What’s that gear set what make is it Japanese Eh you are having a laugh jap crap Most people around us were running Simplex or the local bike snobs Campag set ups A couple of my Cousins who also worked at the Cycles ran Campag equipped Carltons anything else was a no no My Carlton took me to School every day 5 days a week a paper round then when leaving School to College/Work before buying a motor bike It never missed a beat all the time I owned it The wheels stayed true despite going up and down and off local curbs The Sun Tour Skitter shifted up and down without fault and also never gave a minutes trouble so much for Jap Crap Brakes were always brilliant it rode and stopped like a good Carlton should that’s why I love them bikes with a soul wish I still had it gone but not forgotten What’s your story let’s hear it .
 

KneesUp

Guru
1984 Peugeot Premier, with the seat post right down and the saddle clamp upside down, so I could 'grow into it'. Passed my Cycling Proficiency test on it - the policeman running the course referred to me as "that lad on the big bike" throughout.

Peugeot 1984 UK Brochure PH10L, P10S, P10L, C50CX.jpg
 
Last edited:

Smokin Joe

Legendary Member
A Claud Butler lugless frame I bought from a mates brother when I was about thirteen. Everything on it was junk bar the frame and the bike sat in my back garden for a couple of years. Another couple of bikes came and went in the meantime. I eventually realised the CB was a quality frame, hand painted it and built it up. A few months after that I had it resprayed then used it as my race bike for a couple of years.
 
I remember buying a Russian ( Ukranian) bike mail order from the daily express in the 1970's as it was very cheap for a new bike. It was a horrible green and turned out to be too big for me ( so my brother mainly used it instead) it could of been a XB3 like this photo I found on the web. ( same colour)
1_8e127309a93f7ee2bdc4db85a0166f4a6dafca76.jpg
 

Cycleops

Legendary Member
Location
Accra, Ghana
My first real racer was a bike from Ted Gerrard in Woodhouse Road North Finchley in 1963. The shop later was taken over by Alan Shorter and was where i upgraded just about every part on the bike. Replacing the wheels for ones with campag l/f hubs and mavic rims for tubs of course.

image.jpeg


Frame was similar to above but with ten speed gears, simplex I think.
 

Paulus

Started young, and still going.
Location
Barnet,
I remember buying a Russian ( Ukranian) bike mail order from the daily express in the 1970's as it was very cheap for a new bike. It was a horrible green and turned out to be too big for me ( so my brother mainly used it instead) it could of been a XB3 like this photo I found on the web. ( same colour)
View attachment 478880
Glad that wasn't your bike in the photo, the frame has had a real whack from the front.
 
Geoff Allison,s Bike Shop on Cheapside Worksop was the local Advert for Carlton Cycles He had a special relationship with Carlton plus he was the Raleigh Dealer All the latest bikes were in his shop window I well remember a blue and white Carlton Clubman with all the nice bits and bobs on it for sale You could order anything from Allison’s A bit like if you worked at the Cycles if you spoke to the right person anything was possible hence why we all had good bikes Willis Jones on Mansfield Road was the Sun Dealer his only Son was killed in the fire at Carlton’s paint shop on Dock Road
 
Top Bottom