Carlton Cycles was a

bicycle A bicycle, also called a pedal cycle, bike or cycle, is a human-powered or motor-powered assisted, pedal-driven, single-track vehicle, having two wheels attached to a frame, one behind the other. A is called a cyclist, or bicyclist. B ...

manufacturer based in

Worksop Worksop ( ) is a market town in the Bassetlaw District in Nottinghamshire, England. It is located east-south-east of Sheffield, close to Nottinghamshire's borders with South Yorkshire and Derbyshire, on the River Ryton and not far from th ...

, Nottinghamshire, England.

History

In 1898, Fred Hanstock founded Carlton Cycles in the Nottinghamshire village of

Carlton-in-Lindrick Carlton in Lindrick is a village and civil parish about north of Worksop in Nottinghamshire, England. The 2011 Census recorded a parish population of 5,623, including nearby Wallingwells. Toponyms "Carlton", a common English place name, de ...

. The company relocated to nearby

in 1934. Carlton Cycle's greatest growth came from Dan O’Donovan. O’Donovan had been working in the motorcycle industry when he wandered by the Carlton booth at a trade show in 1937 and asked for a job. Carlton Cycles needed a salesman and he joined on the spot. O’Donovan turned out to be a marketing marvel and within a short while the dealer network he established was among the largest in the cycling industry. This led to an increase in demand for the company's products and the Carlton Cycles factory expanding as a result. In 1939, Dan O’Donovan took over the company. His son Gerald O'Donovan joined Carlton in 1958. The Raleigh Bicycle Company bought the company in 1960. From 1960 to 1970, many UK brands were absorbed by Raleigh and production was transferred to Worksop, including, Armstrong, BSA, Hercules, Humber, Phillips, Robin Hood, Rudge, Sun, and Triumph. Carlton, which had been unable to make inroads in the USA market after a failed rebranding deal with Huffy, found success in the late 1960s by recasting itself as "Raleigh-Carlton", a Raleigh-head-badged bike with some Carlton badging, and using the US dealer network to import and distribute bikes. In May 1981, the workers at the Worksop factory voted for closure (though they subsequently changed their mind and were ignored) and production was moved to a new Lightweights facility at

Nottingham Nottingham ( , locally ) is a city and unitary authority area in Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, England. It is located north-west of London, south-east of Sheffield and north-east of Birmingham. Nottingham has links to the legend of Robi ...

.Book Raleigh:Past and Presence of an iconic bicycle brand by Tony Hadland A Carlton Kermesse model was reintroduced briefly, in 1985, manufactured in Nottingham, and then the brand was retired for good.

Products

The Carlton Flyer was Carlton's flagship

bicycle frame A bicycle frame is the main component of a bicycle, onto which wheels and other components are fitted. The modern and most common frame design for an upright bicycle is based on the safety bicycle, and consists of two triangles: a main triangl ...

from its introduction in 1935 to the 1970s. Its distinctive

frame geometry A bicycle frame is the main component of a bicycle, onto which wheels and other components are fitted. The modern and most common frame design for an upright bicycle is based on the safety bicycle, and consists of two triangles: a main triangl ...

featured steep angles and a small fork rake, and became popular and as a

track Track or Tracks may refer to: Routes or imprints * Ancient trackway, any track or trail whose origin is lost in antiquity * Animal track, imprints left on surfaces that an animal walks across * Desire path, a line worn by people taking the shorte ...

and

time trial bicycle A time trial bicycle is a racing bicycle designed for use in an individual race against the clock. Compared to a road bike, a time trial bike is more aerodynamic, has a shorter wheelbase, and puts the rider closer to the front of the bicycle. I ...

. It was on this frame that Cyril Cartwright won a silver medal in the individual pursuit at the 1949 World Championships and

Tom Simpson Thomas Simpson (30 November 1937 – 13 July 1967) was one of Britain's most successful professional cyclists. He was born in Haswell, County Durham, and later moved to Harworth, Nottinghamshire. Simpson began road cycling as a teenager ...

won a bronze medal in the team pursuit at the 1956 Olympics.

References

External links

Carlton Cycles: Foundation for Greatness
o
Ebykr
Companies based in Nottinghamshire Vehicle manufacturing companies established in 1898 Vehicle manufacturing companies disestablished in 1981 Defunct cycle manufacturers of the United Kingdom Defunct companies of the United Kingdom {{UK-manufacturing-company-stub