Your first bike

[dandanthewatchman]

Funnily enough I had the same bike…..it was so good that I’ve got two now.

Your original post could have been written by me.

Living on the edge of the North York Moors there was no shortage of steep hills to get up. It weighs a ton by modern standards, 5 speed, no toe straps, no proper cycling shoes only green flash tennis shoes. I never got off & pushed although I would zig zag on the 1 in 4’s.

When I think back I realise that I must have been quite good. As a Masters cyclist I’ve since won 13 National titles & was 2nd in the World Championship Road Race last year but I doubt I could get up Rosedale Chimney on the Carlton Corsa now.

I’ve still got my dumbell spanner as well!



Compared with my current Road Bike

Great photo - is that Buttermere ? Might get up early on Sunday and have a walk there


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[unclealec]

One of the properties I lived in as a youngster was quite near the entrance to the Town dump - a redundant quarry that was being land-filled.
The dustbinmen had an unofficial accord that any refuse that was vaguely bike-shaped would be left in a pile just inside the entrance; this was so that the youth of the area could glean the makings of some cheap transport, which we salvaged with great enthusiasm.

Thus the youth of Liskeard would roam the streets on creations of a most unsightly nature - back-pedal brakes, caliper brakes, odd size wheels, you get the gist. Like a swarm of eco-friendly Mad Maxes.

A rich uncle (taking advantage of the free Cornish holidays afforded by my family) took one look at my latest creation and declared "no nephew of mine is going to be seen on such a heap", promptly disappeared into Plymouth and returned with a secondhand but pristine Claude Butler road racer complete with 10-speed deRailleur gears, lightweight alloy frame, and sunburst copper lacquer finish.

Talk about the bee's knees! I just had to parade my new Rolls Royce of bikes around town and show off my stratospheric increase in average speed.

Until on about my third day of ownership I hit a pothole on Station Road, stuck my foot through the front wheel spokes, and found myself in Derriford Hospital and thence to the Burns Unit at Frenchay in Bristol for facial surgery. On iirc the second day of the school Summer Holiday.
When I eventually retrieved my Claude Butler from the front garden of the house outside which the accident happened (the occupant kindly tried to render first aid prior to the ambulance arriving, and then kept the remains of the bike in her garden) I found that everything on it was so distorted and/or broken that there was no crossover of components onto my next bike - yes, a Mad Max frankenstein creation courtesy of the local dump.

[trident-7]

Great photo - is that Buttermere ? Might get up early on Sunday and have a walk there


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Yep….with Haystacks in the background 👍

[Dangermouse64]

Those Carlton's are gorgeous, are they Sachs Huret geared, ultra reliable and bomb proof.

[trident-7]

Those Carlton's are gorgeous, are they Sachs Huret geared, ultra reliable and bomb proof.

Yes, Huret Svelto

[Dangermouse64]

Yes, Huret Svelto

Cant see the image, but Huret were the one that all manufactures went for in the 70s, in the 70 I wanted a Huret setup as that was the best, campag was too European for us Englishmen, at that time

This is what we see...................

[trident-7]

Cant see the image, but Huret were the one that all manufactures went for in the 70s, in the 70 I wanted a Huret setup as that was the best, campag was too European for us Englishmen, at that time

This is what we see...................

How's that?

[Dangermouse64]

How's that?

I cant, it comes up 404 error