Carlton frame? Help please!

[Maiello]

Evening folks,

recently someone gave me a frame with no marks or numbers on it. Made from steel the frame weighs 5lbs the forks 2.8lbs (approximate as I weighed them on the bathroom scales!) Someone on Bike Forum suggested it might be a Carlton because of the lug work. I've checked Carlton Corsair, giro, corsa, contintental and quite a few others. Whilst they all have some features of my frame they aren't an exact match (can it be exact?) The closest with colour and lug work is the Corsa, but mine doesn't have the loop on the seat stays for the centre pull brakes.

I would really like to restore this bike to former glory but I can't quite get a match. There are no cable guides on the frame only rudimentary ones for the derailleurs. It looks like a nut on the downtube underneath which I'm assuming is to keep the band-on levers in place. There are no holes or filled holes for a headbadge either. If anyone can point me in the right direction that would be dead handy. The only componentry that came with it was a Suntour Cyclone ex rear derailleur - which I understand is from the 80's. Frame feels a lot older than that though. Any suggestions folks?

Many thanks for your help.

Gerald

 

[Midlife]

Carlton were pretty good at numbering their frames so if it's a Raleigh / Carlton there will we a number somewhere.

Haden and Carlton made lugs called Crespera that were very similar. Not sure that looks very Carltonish to me.

Is there a good picture of the head lugs?

Shaun

 

[Maiello]

Re: Lugs

Hi

Hope these come out all right, just sending them from my phone. It was the lug work the other chap thought might make it a Carlton. Many thanks for your help.

 

[Midlife]

Have a look at the pics of the Mercian on this thread.....

viewtopic.php?f=12&t=317867

Shaun

 

[keithglos]

Re:

I see it was flam red, the white paint would not fall off like that if it was original.
It may be a bit heavy, the butted 531 frames I sold in the 50/60s weighed about 6 3/4 pounds including steel head set and bracket set.

Has the rear fork end been modified with the gear hanger? Perhaps welded on when repaint was done. The ends remind me of Cyclo?

The lug set and fork crown look like a common type used by many makers, probably late 1950s?

Keith

 

[Maiello]

Re:

As far as I can tell it hasn't been modified at all. The gear hanger seems original, as it matches the other drop out.

 

[Maiello]

Re:

The lugs look identical to the Mercian. A couple of small differences are my frame has no hanger for the pump or csble guides on the top tube. I was thinking 1950'S due to its weight. It was on bathroom scales; I might have snot her attempt tomorrow. I did think 531 but don't want to label it as such unless i'm sure. Same with fixing any kind of head badge wouldn't feel right.

 

[Midlife]

As linked to above, Mercian Campionissimo ?. One of Mercians cheapest with plate dropouts and Crespera like lugs. We sold them, nice ride Came is several guises over the years. Braze ons lost popularity in the early 1970's

Shaun

 

[Maiello]

Re:

So it could be an early 70's Mercian campionissimo. And the tubing; would that be a kind of 'gas pipe' standard steel?

 

[Midlife]

The 70's version was 531 plain gauge if memory serves, very nicely made despite being lower on the Mercian pecking order.

Shaun