57.5cm Carlton Massed Start Vintage British Road Bike Frame

57.5cm Carlton Massed Start Vintage British Road Bike FrameOriginal vintage frame built in the 1940s 50s Lightweight for the era just 2. 8 kg Suitable for historic cycling events such as L'Eroica Thoroughly checked over & photographed in detail Worldwide shipping Founded in the latter part of the 19th Century, Carlton managed almost 100 years of bicycle manufacturing in the East Midlands. They were amongst the most sought after and readily available British bikes of the 1930s, thanks to some nifty

✓ Original vintage frame - built in the 1940s/50s
✓ Lightweight for the era - just 2.8 kg
✓ Suitable for historic cycling events such as L'Eroica
✓ Thoroughly checked over & photographed in detail
✓ Worldwide shipping

Founded in the latter part of the 19th Century, Carlton managed almost 100 years of bicycle manufacturing in the East Midlands. They were amongst the most sought after and readily available British bikes of the 1930s, thanks to some nifty salesmanship from Dan O'Donovan who was to later take over the company, and whose son Gerald became a frame designing legend. Following a buy-out by Raleigh in 1960 and a rebrand for the US market to 'Raleigh-Carlton' the company grew and grew through the bike boom with the doors finally shutting at their Worksop factory in 1981.

This late 1940s or very early 1950s Massed Start is a wonderful post-war all-rounder. Like all Carltons at the time, the Massed Start was mass-produced, but still to some extent customisable by the buyer, with colour, braze-on and lug style options. Featuring distinctively shaped lugs, mudguard braze-ons and fine attention to detail this will build into a wonderful ervey day vintage bike.

If you're taking part in L'Eroica or a similar vintage event, this frame is of the correct age, so you won't be disqualified for being a rule breaker!

The frame's been carefully checked by one of our mechanics to confirm the alignment's correct and there's no damage to the threads. If there are any minor issues worth noting we will do so in the overview section below. Please take a good look at the detailed photos so you can see the cosmetic condition of the frame before you buy.

OVERVIEW

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Era - 1940s/1950s
Country - British
Frame Material - Steel
Tubing - Reynolds 531
Weight - 2.805 kg
Stock Code - U-F-R48V

SIZING

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Size Guide* - Medium/Large (Approx 34" Inside Leg)
Seat Tube (ctc) - 57.5 cm
Top Tube (ctc) - 57 cm
Head Tube - 162 mm
Chainstay Length - 43.5 cm
Wheelbase - 102 cm

*This is just a guide, not a guarantee the frame will fit as every rider is different. If you're unsure of your size we'd always recommend trying out a bike with similar frame dimensions first.

TECHNICAL INFO

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Rear Spacing - 114 mm
Front Spacing - 102 mm
Seatpost Diameter - 27.0 mm
Wheel Size - 27"
Brake Fixing - External Hex Nut
Brake Drop - 52 mm / 54 mm
Bottom Bracket Thread - Chater Lea Thread
Headset Thread - Standard ISO (24 TPI - British/Italian)
Headset Stack Height - 37 mm
Fork Crown Race - 26.4 mm (ISO)
Shifter Fittings - N/A
Headtube Internal Diameter - 30.2 mm
Steerer Internal Diameter - 22.2 mm (Standard)

▼SHIPPING, TAXES & RETURNS

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We've been safely sending orders around the world since 2010. There's a handy shipping calculator on the shopping cart page so you can see the cost of postage as soon as you've added it to your basket. Your order will be carefully packed and sent with tracking & insurance, we despatch most orders within 2-3 days but larger items and orders placed before the weekend can take an extra day or two to process.

We accept returns, please notify us within 14 days and ensure the item arrives back with us no later than 30 days after the order was received.

EU Customers – for orders under €150 (excluding shipping), VAT will be collected at checkout, but from 1st July 2026, due to new EU import regulations, there may also be a customs duty payable to the carrier. For orders over €150, all import fees will be payable to the carrier, with nothing collected at checkout.

USA Customers – import fees are now collected at checkout for all orders to the US, so there won’t be any surprise charges when your order arrives.

Other International Customers – local import fees may still apply, charged by your customs office or courier before delivery. These are not collected by us, so please check your local rates before purchasing.

Any applicable fees will appear at checkout.