RadNomad
Senior Retro Guru
Here's my Carlton Carrera which i purchased new back in the '80s. Frame number shows it was built in Nottingham September 1986 with 531c frame, 531 fork, campag dropouts and Shimano 105 Golden Arrow groupset.
The bike is factory original except tyres, brake blocks and bar tape. I've swapped front inner ring from original 42T to 39T, the saddle is temporary (original is white suede) and rear QR is from Tacx trainer, but i have kept all the original parts.
It saw little use as i got a driving licence in '87 and got distracted by cars and mountain biking. It retains original cables, chain, pedals etc and has been laid up in my parent's garage for over 15 years while i persued my career abroad. I get home and ride it once a year.
The bike is factory original except tyres, brake blocks and bar tape. I've swapped front inner ring from original 42T to 39T, the saddle is temporary (original is white suede) and rear QR is from Tacx trainer, but i have kept all the original parts.
It saw little use as i got a driving licence in '87 and got distracted by cars and mountain biking. It retains original cables, chain, pedals etc and has been laid up in my parent's garage for over 15 years while i persued my career abroad. I get home and ride it once a year.
Personal history? Well i didn't win the Vuelta on it if that's what you mean! Spent several teen years doing club rides and newpaper rounds on a Dawes Lightening which was getting too small and heavy for my maturing super lean fit racing physique, finally scraped together enough cash for the Carlton, my parents chipped in as well to help me out as i remember. Fast forward a couple of years, working full time and just wrapped my MK2 Escort around a tree, the Carlton came to my rescue as a daily commuter for many weeks. Then mountain biking arrived. 
