Found a Raleigh Competition road bike, can anyone give me info on it?

[harpon]

Carlton is an affiliated company, not the model

Now going back looking at the thread more carefully- I looked at your brochure- I don't believe the "Carlton" in the brochure is this particular "Competition" model exactly. The Carlton name was some affilated company, absorbed by Raleigh at some point I think- I don't know the details, but while your seat tube still bears the Carltoin name- the model is a "Competition". And I still believe a year or two after I was putting them together in 73/74. I think the gran Sport and others may have bourne the Carlton name for a awhile.

The Huret Jubilee model derailleurs I'll still maintain didn't come out until about '75 as I recall, but could have been '74- but there were of course other Huret models- and used very extensively- before that. I still think the ones I saw had simplex on them, but I could be wrong. Huret were sort of more a '60's derailleur, replaced in racing circles by Simplex and Campy, and then enjoyed a rejuvenation with the Jubilee line in the mid-70's.
anyway- not a big deal here- and a nice bike.
The intricate lugwork pattern seen here was more often a product of the '60's and had all but disappeared by this time, except with a dwindling number of French and English bikes

Anyway, just checked on ebay where they sell decals- availability varies
This looks like a match of your main tubes sticker but the extra bit of gold along the bottom indicates to me at least a later era- (Can't always be sure ebay vendors are accurate)
http://www.ebay.com/itm/REYNOLDS-53...sure_cycling_bikeparts_SR&hash=item4842f6d3de

This would be a sticker for 531 double-butted throughout- although it is a later era and so different without the word "throughout" that meant so much then.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/GENUINE-ORI...sure_cycling_bikeparts_SR&hash=item1c228be261

Here's one from the more similar looking era but in french and with sample writing obscuring the exact text- but the lack of the gold panel at the bottom is the older generation-
http://www.ebay.com/itm/REYNOLDS-53...sure_cycling_bikeparts_SR&hash=item5ae3d1006b

I could use these for my Peugeot, but hesitant to spend $20 just for stickers!

he places a divide at '77 in the first example- so I'm just guessing your Competition was before that - just says 75/76 to me otherwise.
You could query this vendor in England through ebay and maybe find out more

 

[sailorbenjamin]

Carlton was a small high end maker in Worksop England. They were bought by Raleigh in '59 as I recall but at least one source says '60. They made the top of the line Raleighs after that and continued making bikes under the Carlton name as well. Most of the Carltons stayed in England where there was some brand recognition. The Carlton Raleighs were primarily for export and bore both the Raleigh headbadge and the Carlton sticker.
The Huret Jubilee was first produced for Huret's 50th anniversary in 1970, according to Disreali Gears;
http://www.disraeligears.co.uk/Site/Huret_Jubilee_derailleur_(2248).html
There are several good Carlton websites. This one is more Raleigh in general but it has a Carlton registry and a pretty good serial number decoder;
http://www.theheadbadge.com/

 

[harpon]

So to honeur him...

Yes- while the Disrali site says the line was produced for Huret's 50 anniversary, it also says "date of introduction: 1974?"

Another site I saw last night described them as being first used by Team Gitane in professional racing in 1973- and there were a few bugs, a revision re-released in '64. I'll try to track that page down again- I didn't post these because it's typical internet speculation that may only perhaps be true- like Wiki.

I think they sold at the time for about $50 a set.
Just saw a rear one one ebay today with bidding yet to close going for something like $289 so far- Time for Revolution!

P.S. Yes here is that comment and page, for a '73 Competition- (the ones I saw didn't have these intricate lugs, and of course our stock in '73-'74 was probably a year or two older- we didn't sell many of these then- the city wasn't ready for it- a mile or so from the Motor Speedway)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jhvu/3647549405/
"The original 1973 model had a rather weak return spring, which is why it shifts into high gear the way it does. Later models, probably starting as early as 1974, had a stronger (and slightly heavier) spring, and shifted better. Nevertheless, these were used by the Gitane professional team in the 1973 Tour de France, notably by Joop Zoetemelk who finished 4th that year"

Theres all sorts of stuff if you google it.

 

[Wcben]

Looks allot like the competition I lusted for in 77-78!

 

[elginkid]

My later '75 Gran Sport still sports the Carlton sticker and brake lever hoods. I really wish it had the secondary brake levers, but I can't change them because of those nice covers.