I bought this bike in 2004 as a project to build an all around bicycle that could accommodate large volume tires and fenders. The vintage, from what I can tell, is probably late 60's, and the frame was built in the Carlton factory with Reynolds 531 straight gauge tubing and Nervex lugs.

The paint was in bad shape, so I had it powder coated with a two tone beige and white color scheme. He had to mask around the intricate headtube lugs and the chrome on the forks and chainstays. I had vinyl "Raleigh" and "Super Course" stickers made at a sign shop and made the "Carlton" sticker myself. Dan at Kulshan Cycles in Bellingham, WA helped me with the project by brazing on water bottle and shifter bosses. He also located Campy friction shifters of a similar vintage.

I rode the bike for a few months with the original 27" wheels and new deraileurs, however I wanted to try it as a single speed. I converted it to 700c wheels from my 1985 Panasonic Team (a bike I bought new & will be restoring in the future), took off the deraileurs and the 52 tooth chain ring, and made it into a single speed (42 x 16). Unless I'm doing a race-pace group ride or a race, the Raleigh is my bike of choice. It is so much fun to go out on this bike and not worry about shifting or how fast I''m going. It handles the gravel paths around Bellingham great, and smoothes out chip sealed roads as if they were paved with freshly laid asphalt.

Kirby Duncan,
Ferndale, WA.

kirbyduncan@mac.com