mattsl

I picked up a frame at the local co-op, initially to scavenge some parts for a '73 Super Course. But, then I noticed that this frame is all chrome plated, underneath a peeling purple top coat. There are no decals and the head badge is missing, but here are the clues:


The frame without fork. Some evidence of stripes on seat tube.

Capella lugs that look to be originally unpainted. Two holes for the head badge.

Frame pump braze-ons on top tube, Also, the lug work is much better/cleaner than on my '73 Raleigh Super Course..

Serial on dropout - P4348

Seat post bolt with a "C" and brake cable stop

Fork with a light mount (?) on the right

Bars and stem. Stem has been drilled for brake cable.

Stuff I pulled. May or may not be original. Shimano Eagle rear d. Compe-V front d. Huret shifters. Weinmann Vainqueur brakes.

Bottom bracket - nothing of note - good example of how the purple paint is peeling / flaking from the chrome

Nothing special, just picture number 10

Compared to a '73 Super Course, this frame has a shorter seat tube and head tube, but the same length top tube.

I've done a little combing of the catalogs and forums, and here is the closest I can get:

A Carlton Cobra (https://2velo.com/bicycle-catalogs/c...catalogs/06-8/) - a fully chrome plated frame with acryllichrome - another catalog here (https://bulgier.net/pics/bike/catalo...69_Carlton.pdf), but the head badge holes in my frame are vertical? Not horizontal like a Carlton? Also, no purple option on the Cobra.

A Sun Cresta or Super Cresta (https://bulgier.net/pics/bike/Catalo...0/Sun70_3.html). Also a fully chrome plated frame. Some Sun head badge has two vertical holes. Can't find too many pictures of this bike online to verify.

Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.

nlerner

A Carlton for the UK market is a good guess in my view, particularly considering the C on the seat tube clamping bolt!

Pcampeau

It looks to me like a Carlton Catalina. The vertical headbadge rivet holes cast some doubt though. Whatever it is, I’d be scavenging parts to build this instead of the Super Course. It’s stunning!

juvela

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seat binder by Gripfast

dropouts appear to be Cyclo

headset looks like an Alatet

of the fittings shown loose in a group image the only one plausible to be original is the Huret shift lever set

suspect frame slightly too early for the generation of Weinmann brake caliper it came with

interesting to note that there are no lubrication fittings

is shell a full width 68mm or is it 66.5mm?

did you discover any marking(s) on steerer?

any possibility it could have been badged as a Meteor?

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mattsl

Good question on the bottom bracket. It is narrow.



I only found one mark on the steerer.

oneclick 

1965 Huffy built by Carlton.

juvela

Huffman dealer catalogue page of 1966 -


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mattsl

Huffy seems like a good guess. Thank you. Any reason 1965 specifically?

Vertical head badge holes fit, like in this Huffy Constellation:


from https://marksbikes.wordpress.com/tag/huffy/

Also found this catalog pic:

from https://www.classicrendezvous.com/British_isles/Carlton/CarltonHuffy.htm

The description of "Carlton capella lugs" fits the Centurion.

There more info on the rebadged Carlton Huffy's at https://on-the-drops.blogspot.com/20...cycles-us.html

Looks like the brakes and shifter may be original, with newer derailleurs.

With all this info, I'm thinking it's most similar to the HUFFY-CARLTON CONSTELLATION (1966) or HUFFY-CARLTON CENTURION (1967), mostly due to the stripe pattern on the seat tube. This one just happens to be purple and not acrillichrome pearl green?

For posterity, here are a couple relevant old threads:

• a Huffy Catalina that looks close, minus the lugs: https://www.bikeforums.net/classic-v...-catalina.html
• the previously pictured green Constellation: https://www.bikeforums.net/classic-v...onal-fans.html

oneclick 

The defunct Carlton Cycles site had 1964 as M prefix, with "some years having more than one", so an N might also be '64, they wouldn't use Oh, none of the previous prefixes covered less than one year, so they'd be unlikely to get to P in '64. It also has a 1965 date for the S prefix, and they may have avoided Q and R (similar to Oh/Zero and P) as they did later for month prefixes, going straight from P to S.

What's the BB and steerer threading? The BB shell looks thick, like the one on the Carlton Cobra in my pipeline - it's 26tpi, as is the fork.

juvela

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poster states shell width to be 66.7mm which means it will be 24TPI

if your shell 26TPI i would expect it to be 71mm

since headset is an Alatet it is likely to be 24TPI as well


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mattsl

Upon closer inspection, look what I found: A little bit of green paint hiding out under the seat stay. Could be pearl green, meaning the frame maybe was stripped and repainted? Might explain why the purple coat flakes off so easily.


A little bit of green tucked under the seat stay and around the lug lining.

Also, the steerer and bottom bracket are threaded 24TPI.

Headset locknut - marked 24 Bottom bracket - chased, faced, and still grimy

Two things interesting about the bottom bracket:

1. The inner shell - ballast for the bike?
2. The purple paint on the inner shell - so if it is repainted, then the inside of the BB got a coat too.