Carlton road bike vintage 60s 70s era, 55cm frame campag parts kintsugi custom refurbished

This bike was owned by Mario, one of the locals in the neighborhood. After He passed, his friend contacted me to sort the garage full of stuff, including this old road bike. Best guess is it is from the late 1960s to mid 1970s. So this is a short wheelbase touring bike, with patent 74 campagnolo nuovo record derailleurs and crank. It’s not a repaint; the canti studs are original. Likely a 531 frame and fork with lugs and brazed up with the quality expected from the Nottingham factory back in the day.

Speaking of paint, we made an attempt to lean into the scratches and deep paint removal that happens over time when in storage of a tinkerers workshop. For those unfamiliar with the phrase kintsugi or wabi-sabi, it is a Japanese art form that highlights the broken seams of pottery, while making the vessel or piece functional again. This frame was a good candidate to emulate that aesthetic. the finish of the original paint still had the sheen and gloss of new, but gouged with raw steel rusting beneath the surface. So we learned a little about the art of Japanese ceramics repair and applied it to bikes. We sourced some gold leaf paint and a durable clear coat for long term protection. It isn’t half bad for what we started with. 

I scoured eBay for diacompe 960 Cantilever brakes.The original MAFAC cantilever brakes were incomplete, missing springs and were bodged to the point of no longer functioning. So the DC brakes are a vast improvement. The campagnolo headset and bottom bracket are overhauled and replaced with fresh grease, as are the hubs. 

The wheels are rebuilt with the original campag high flange hubs to shiny silver polished sun M13ii rims. They are 27” (630-13mm). These are the only rims to work with the 55mm cantilever stud placement. A 700c wheelset would require new studs brazed on a few mm lower and made wider. That’s not my business, but I’m sure Starmichael could make it the bike of your 650b dreams or postmodern 700c utility. 

The rest of the parts are stuff that have lived in long closed shop bins: the handlebars from a better cycle.  fenders came from block bikes. Saddle showed up in a box of parts. A new chain from a brown paper bag, nice panaracer 27” tires off a bike from my garage.  The rims were from seven corners. The grease was from Mario’s own stash! 

I don’t know how to price this. We have far too many hours and hands in it for to be a cash cow. It’s an oddball bike from a beloved local eccentric that is no longer with us. I’m trying to honor that legacy while making sure it didn’t just end up on a scrap pile. 

Available for viewing and test rides at the shop in Portland. 

Should fit riders in the 5'5" to 5"10"" range. People with a longer femur length and wingspan may have this fit you too. It's best to come in to the shop to confirm with a test ride.