Carlton Carrera 531c - what seat stays should this bike have

[bianchiboyd]

Ive just seen a Carlton Carrera 531c bike go up on ebay with fast back seat stays and a couple of other Carreras been sold a couple of years ago on another forum with different seat stays.
Im finding it difficult to find information on the Carrera model and wandered whether this model was sold with different stays and if anyone can shed light on it for me, my thinking is that one of them probably has been repaired with rear end damage but wanted to know peoples opinion.
A couple of other things point towards damage on the fast back one, which is a gauge out of the rear derailleur mounting screw, a slight bulge in the frame on one of the chain stays even though hasnt affected the alignment of the frame and the paint is a definite match in shade on all the bike frame, with no cuts in the paint at these points

 

[Midlife]

http://www.retrobike.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=182689

A bit after my time (I'm a 70's rider) but isn't the above a carrera ?

Shaun

 

[bianchiboyd]

This is the fastback version Ive seen, yes thats the same frame, its a carlton carrera 531c made around 1985-1986, which would of been made as a last of the line model?

 

[bianchiboyd]

Just looking at some old raleigh bikes, and the frame forgetting about the paintwork and carlton logos looks the same as a 1985 Raleigh team Panasonic 531c, been built at the same factory at around the same time, was it just that some Raleighs got rebranded to the Carlton Carrera?

 

[shawnb]

Just looking at some old raleigh bikes, and the frame forgetting about the paintwork and carlton logos looks the same as a 1985 Raleigh team Panasonic 531c, been built at the same factory at around the same time, was it just that some Raleighs got rebranded to the Carlton Carrera?

I'd say you're right there, the lugs are even the same, prugnat s4 if I remember correctly

 

[Midlife]

Just out of curiosity what's the frame number, does it start with a W ?

The reason being was that I thought all Carlton's destined to be Carlton's and not Raleigh had a W prefix as it would have been made at Worksop if it still existed...

Probably wrong though LOL

Shaun

 

[bianchiboyd]

The frame number starts with W and was made in 1985, youre right if theyre a carlton, even made in Nottingham as they would of been in that year, they still have prefix of W followed by month then year and then number made during that month.

I didnt realise carrera meant career in spanish or profession and find it interesting that what its called in english is the Carlton Professional, think just last of the line of the Carltons

 

[sawston_vulcan]

Just looking at some old raleigh bikes, and the frame forgetting about the paintwork and carlton logos looks the same as a 1985 Raleigh team Panasonic 531c, been built at the same factory at around the same time, was it just that some Raleighs got rebranded to the Carlton Carrera?

I had a Raleigh 531c Panasonic team replica and like the featured one had the same type of fastback stays.....but all Carlton frames after 1981 were Raleigh-Carlton frames...or Raleigh frames in Carlton clothing!.....so they would use Raleigh fastback rear stay clusters.....Holdsworth did the same thing with Claude Butler frames in the mid-1980s.....marketing to make the most of a well known brand in different parts of a niche markets.

 

[sawston_vulcan]

Just out of curiosity what's the frame number, does it start with a W ?

The reason being was that I thought all Carlton's destined to be Carlton's and not Raleigh had a W prefix as it would have been made at Worksop if it still existed...

Probably wrong though LOL

Shaun

I believe Raleigh's made in Worksop had a W as part of its frame number.

 

[Midlife]

Didn't think that any mainstream bikes left the Worksop factory labeled as Raleigh bikes.......

Shaun