New Bike

JP Mulvano

Guys just wondering if anyone has heard of a brand of bike called Al Carter, Al Cantor or Al Cartor. I picked this little bargain up and the Garda bike auction and I can't seem to find any reference to it when I google it or anywhere else for that matter. It's got a lightwieght carbon frame ,or sth like that, if that helps.

Just trying to see if I paid too much for this. It's in mint condition with a few scratches on it but I'd guess its about 4 to 5 years old.

uberwolf

It's got me beat! how much you pay and what kind a bike is it?

JP Mulvano

€160 - I had it at 120 until some guys decided to try and outbid me.

Its a mountain bike, Shimano STX components, V Brakes, Lightweight frame, street tyres, and some fancy pants sandle that breaks my ar*e. no suspension - I hate it anyways. I'm guessing from the STX thats its about 4 - 5 years old. Like i said no rust whatsoever and a few scratches around the front fork and underside.

No ideas anyone?

Trojan

Haven't heard of it. Can you post a pic. What price?

What was the auction like, any good? Give us a review if you can

uberwolf

whilst I don't know how much you'd expect to pay at one of these auctions as compared to street value I'd say you did well. Sounds like a couriers bike? how thin are teh street tires?

JP Mulvano

The auction was just okay this time. The one last october was much better.

The bikes were basly organised but then again there was hardly any space so you can't really see all the bikes. There were over 200 bikes stored in a shed 40ft by 20ft so it was quite cramped. Best advice is to go the day before and have a look its a bit quieter. To be honest the qaulity was pretty poor this time. In my opinion there were really only about 10 or 12 good quality bikes, quality in my opinion but then again i dont know as much as everyone in here.

3 trek 7100sx (yeah 3 exactly same bikes all looked almost brand new, must be some bad target). 1 went for €390, another for €370 and the last went for €320, this one was a smaller frame.

2 carbon frame full suspension raleighs. Didnt wait around for the second one but the first one went for 310 if I remember correctly.

1 custom built (I presume because there were no markings on it) with fairly top specification Shimano components Azure I think and disc brakes front and back.

2 specialized - one was a rock hopper I think. The other one I dont know. I didnt wait around for those either.

1 Trek 810 - I think it was an 810. This went for jsut over 200. It was in good nick though and worth it.

2 -3 giants dont remember model numbers or how much they went for but they were in great condition and looked almost brand new.

And then my bad boy Al Cartor or whatever.


the remainder of bikes were various brands from Raleigh to god only knows what else and most were fairly bog standard and went for from 60 to 180 euro depending on how shiny it looked (hahahaha).

The weirdest thing though they do at the auction is they sell off 2 massove lots of bikes at the end 100+ bikes in each pile. Now these are mostly bangers with parts missing but there would easily be 20 - 30 savagable bikes. I saw 2 real good conditions trek 4100 and 4300 on the top of the pile that were worth 200 in my opinion. I didnt wait around for these this time bu the last time they both went for around 200 each. What a bargain!!!

JP Mulvano

"Sounds like a couriers bike? how thin are teh street tires?"

yeah thats what I thought, the handle bars are shaved down about an inch maybe half either side and the tyres are standard rims with rubber thats the same size as a standard rim. Sorry I dont know tyre sizes.

i'll psot a pic later on to see if it shines alight on it.

Trojan

I've seen a few dodgy looking young fellas hanging around the city centre on Rockhoppers and Hard Rocks recently, odds on they're stolen.

Auction sounds alright. Was thinking about heading along, but the last one didn't get great reviews from someone on here who went. At least you knew what you were looking for (I like the shiney comment)

No road bikes at all? That's what I'd really have been looking for.

JP Mulvano

Road bikes as in hybrid type things? yeah there we a few but the were either dodgy as F^&k or granny mobiles with baskets on the front and cariers on the back and all the ensuing rust in between.

seriosly though the shiny thing some people went ape **** when a half decent one came out. I remember in particular a eurotrek or sth like that mens 21" frame completely bog standard went for over 200. FFS that was more than the bike I got. Crazy people.

If you're looking for BMX's its the place to go, nobody buys them and they go for like 40 or 50 quid in the end. I don't know anything about them but they looked alright, proper stunt ones!!

Trojan

I meant racing setups, have a nice shiny Trek 4300 already

JP Mulvano

that'll be a no then (my complete lack of knowledge of blurb becomes apparent). Well not technically but nothing that anyone in their right mind would buy, Please note they were both bought for princely sum of 130 and 140 euros.

Raam

JP Mulvano wrote:

Guys just wondering if anyone has heard of a brand of bike called Al Carter, Al Cantor or Al Cartor. I picked this little bargain up and the Garda bike auction and I can't seem to find any reference to it when I google it or anywhere else for that matter. It's got a lightwieght carbon frame ,or sth like that, if that helps.

Just trying to see if I paid too much for this. It's in mint condition with a few scratches on it but I'd guess its about 4 to 5 years old.

about 12 years ago I got an Al Carter Hotrock for Christmas. It was an ace bike. It was black near the front and faded into white via some snazzy 'cracks' in the paint work which were filled with red. Superb paint job (from what I can remember from my then excellent 15 year old opinion). It was the only Al Carter bike I'd ever heard of. I have seen some of them about town from time to time. My one is in bits in the shed, I think

KR

JP Mulvano

Ahh the mystery continues

Interceptor

I had an Al Carter Nashville up to four years ago - it was a metallic blue with SRAM gripshifters and v-brakes. Al Carter is/was a division of the Townsend family of brands and they were pitched at the higher end of the mid-price market. My Nashville cost £255 new in 1997 - I remember there was a special offer on them and lots of shops had them on 'special' at this price - I tried to play a few off against each other but no dice. My frame was cro-moly and the paint took a severe hammering before it chipped.

Hope this is some use.....

'c

Bunny

Al Carter and a few other bikes (cant remember the makes off the top of my head) started trying to copy more expensive bikes in looks. Its an early to mid-nineties these bikes were built to look like the cooler chunkier more expensive ones. The ALU(?) or "carbon" frame is bad and would probably crack if you did any serious offroading on it the gears are ok though, STX was one below Deore LX which was the good standard for good MTB's. With V-brakes it would be around '95 or '96, maybe '97, but the rest of the stuff very standard low grade stuff, maybe UNO stems and bars, crap wheels.

It was made for looks but sold for higher than say a typical Raleigh or Townsend bog standard MTB back then.

I'm sorry to say it but you got the worst bike out of the lot (that was mentioned) there. I woulda gone for the custom one, if those disk brakes were any way decent they woulda been worth what you paid for your bike.