michael k

Bump instead of starting a new thread.

Anyone else with Carabela's???

Picked this up as a frame and fork set. the paint was to far gone to save so I had it pc'd.

Bikedued

GORGEOUS!! Man those bikes look great with nice paint or powder. Mine is rusting away in my old garage in Houston I bet. Sigh...,,,,BD

4Rings6Stars

Bummer! I was hoping this thread was going to end with a picture of your fully restored Carabela! That one shot you had where the headset was partially out was showing some real potential...

Bikedued

I'm back, and it's going to get the go ahead pretty soon. I will post done pics asap!,,,,BD

olds cool

Yours looks great Bikedued I picked up a Carabela Pro last year off feebay. All Dura Ace in black with original saddle. Needs decals. I found some Windsor decals(the reflective ones) but notice they are different from the Carabelas. The bike is too small for me at 50cm but will be a nice addition to my museum.

seedsbelize 

That is one long project, BD. This must be one of the recent garage finds.

bobstad

The painted over front chrome lugs look exceptionally fine, making me wonder if the paint will adhere to the chrome very well? Probably using some sort of sand paper, steel wool or other abrasive effect to rough up the chrome a little would make the paint stick best.

I have an early to mid seventies Windsor Carerra Sport, my second of those from a twenty dollar flea market unrideable though not too distressed find during 1997 in Eureka, CA; after the first one I got new here in Bellingham during '73, was trashed ten years later by some creep* who drove over the bike with a four wheel drive pickup, who'd not liked a fellow who'd been borrowing the bike for a dish washing job at a local bowling alley in Ojai, CA.

I think the earlier Carerra Sports had different gearing than the mid to late seventies models, with the two front sprockets close in size I think were forty-eight and fifty-two teeth respectively. I've had good luck using the front derailleur with a three sprocket crank-set, a BioCam someone gave me I finally wore enough I had to replace that; when I also got after market derailleurs and sealed bottom bracket/spindle too.

I've put a lot of work into modifying the bike, which became magical with the addition of a shorter goose neck which mates far better with the more upright style handlebars I've replaced the down curved type the bike was standard with. There is a local place with a fantastic stash of 27" parts they've gleaned and keep in bins, letting people paw through those if in need of something; so I felt very lucky getting my shorter goose neck, since like the seat post too, these have an outer diameter which isn't too common that's a little more slender than usual.

That shorter goose neck gives great response and control with the upright style handlebars, which also sport SunTour stem shifters mounted right next to the goose neck, and a fine if inexpensive set of hand brake levers probably made for a mountain bike...a score from a store's bargain bin, a place on Telegraph near the Oakland Greyhound station I think cost about five dollars, quite a few years ago. The grips turned out exceptional too, which are thick padded ones which used to have large diameter collars I cut off with a razor blade; that must've been made for use with BMX bikes.

I have also added front & rear racks, Zefal fenders which are an imaginative design that's both sturdy and without need of stays, and a fine seat which came with a synthetic fabric cover which eventually wore out, I replaced with an exceptionally fine piece of black leather someone sold me in Eureka, CA where I'd earlier befriended shoe repairman Bruno Ravelli there, which helped when I was shopping for the new seat material. Plus, I lucked out and found a new Union generator light set for half price; at the same parking lot sale at Arcata's Revolution Cycles I got the seat at for only three dollars.

Until I started having to replace the first set of rims I had, I think I'd not put more than a hundred dollars into this bike which is the typical amount I've had to invest fixing up several bikes to where they all satisfied my demand of "fenders, front & rear carriers, and a generator light set-up" though now with all sealed bearings and after market derailleurs front & rear, the cost has gone up considerably...mostly since for the first time I have had to rely upon others, for many of the components; and buying things new, rather than used and/or from bargain bins.

If I knew what I was doing I'd post a picture or two I have of myself with the bike, more or less as that currently appears; except that now the sealed bearings, after market derailleurs and nicer rims have been added. I'd even use a new roll of film in my camera, to take some current shots; since the bike is a good enough adaptation, I think others might be inspired to try something different-in contrast to the single speed track conversions that seem so popular with these bikes.

The effect is spectacular, if you like quick handling; and since my bike is black, I feel like I'm a cop too...which may seem a mixed blessing, though those folks seem to honor a person a little which could be fine if ever stolen that actually did happen recently which I did manage to recover...if certainly abused on purpose, seems likely though feasibly the bike got dumped which is maybe why abandoned a neighbor himself pretty creepy too, altered me to in a nearby alley.

I'm such an enthusiast, I'd simply and probably simple mindedly; encouraged a stranger to take my bike out for a night's ride, someone from the night time environment in this ghetto apartment complex probably playing me to take advantage of me.**

As a multipurpose tool even a little like a truck, so to speak; I think I've found an exemplary style-so adapted a brand new "CROWER CAMS" sticker I found riding one day along US 101 from Eureka to Arcata, CA. By clipping out the "OW" and turning that upside down, to create my own brand name for the headset...a "MO" which has a long rap involved, related to the moa bird of New Zealand; said at the Arcata Museum of Natural History, to've been a twelve foot tall carnivorous beast which became extinct during the 1850s...though one other source I've seen says they were vegetarians. They'd had an actual leg bone, which was scary to contemplate; since those birds must've weighed as much as a horse or at least a pony or donkey.

The rap gets complicated, since also involving the Pep Boys "Manny, Mo and Jack" as well as the nursery rhyme which some clod in Eureka tried to use offensively, degrading a friendship with a dark AfAm friend "Meany, Miney, Mo..." etcetera; though also relating well to The Three Stooges, too. I think were I to design my own emblem; that would have some sort of lettering inside the "O" to imply either a lower case "a" or "e" or perhaps both somehow?

Currently, my scheme for the future involves using a rust preventative product the MarHyde company used to market in an aerosol version also sold generically in hardware stores, which can be brushed on; that goes on clear then turns black, and is good as a primer coat which is fine to leave as the finished coat too. This product is one which a person is encouraged to use without removing all the existing rust, only roughing up the surface with an abrasive to remove most of the rust while covering the rest with the preventative, which is supposed to combine with the remaining rust which destroys that and adheres far better that way than if the surface were meticulously cleaned and sanded.

*A person is forced to become philosophical about various types of manipulations a person can suffer, when there are obvious evidences of degrees of thoughtfulness or at least conscious pursuit involved. The old "hammer or nail" iceberg/Titannic effects; wherein the ellipticity involved, may be integral and creative amongst the various protagonists or often less congenial.

You do get to the point of wanting to drop like the proverbial ton of bricks on someone or others, either those manipulating one as means of retaliation-or as the overseer/terrorist in the first place; obviously engendering such voluminous degrees of rage and stylistic criticism as communism & socialism, etc. Though too, also the means by which society evolves...where a person feels best, the means whereby a person can be given a definitely stylized capacity for luck; from tribe, family, and other facets of integration, education & socialization.

**Due to some pernicious effects from not being allowed to ever nurse, I suffer from; I've been supported by Social Security Disability Income & State Supplemental Income aka "SSDI/SSI" which unfortunately won't make a very good acronym-since early during 1985 and also a HUD section 8 housing rent subsidy since about the millennia. This has created the scenario where I constantly have to battle prejudice from a variety of sources; such as organized crime in cahoots with right-wing conservatives they dominate and terrorize, or reactionaries they forge various creepy alliances with.

About my only alternatives, all involve various bootstrapping methods; so I'm stuck often fantasizing about those, while as John Lennon mentions "life happens, while making plans for other things." Sort of harsh news, which bit him in the ass eventually too; unless somehow cleverly reincarnating, I'm always imagining quite feasible for such a master...always a willing hitch-hiker, so set for any eventuality more or less.

I'm someone "Rom" a so-called Gypsy, an identity and ancestry I only learned of during 1997 chancing to read 19th century composer Franz Liszt's book The Gipsies in Music; thanks to a revealing oral history done with my mother the spring of 1973...outside my first experience of sex, easily the most revolutionary and perhaps most startling thing I've ever experienced. Thus, my way of life is actually a quite stylized one; with typically a government subsidized existence the most common for many folk, allied or not to others also dependent upon such means.

Thus, my MO can seem definitely as if pre-ordained, which is an effect I sometimes often seem to notice of much of my life; where I'd guess there can be facets which really are by design, and other things which actually do suggest a sort of faux otherwise "Creationalism" religious fanatics give such a bad name-I like referring to as the "phenomenal universe" Allen Ginsberg writes of as a realm poets can access. He's pretty clever, whose "Hebraic socialism" is another nifty phraseology to've coined or come up with too.

I somewhat like the koan "if it works, don't fix it" though have to say that credo seems way too often employed negatively, in attempting discouragement of fiddling with things; where a net positive effect without such restriction is I think obviously what humanity is at the essence of, all about. So, what about an "if it fixes, don't work it" instead? Implying someone's being left to their own devices rather than enslaved at the sorts of tasks people are too often exploited by; is far the better way to fly.

Bikedued

That is the longest post I've ever seen, hehe.,,,,BD

bobstad

A picture may be worth a thousand words; though, probably also needing of greater imagination too?

I had fun one morning, with "PB" one of four regular hosts on KMUD-FM's Thank Jah It's Friday, weekly call-in talk show; whose long-windedness was notorious amongst even his grudging fans, everyone enjoyed giving as hard a time as possible-with responsibility for a five, ten or fifteen minute monologue opening each show he'd often flub up badly,* trying to relate to the most pressing of international, national, regional, local and/or personal news items then current...the show's basic theme, besides presenting these same things entertainingly. <https://www.kmud.org/>

PB was trying to quit drinking coffee, and after he'd allowed me on air; I'd quipped impromptu, that were he serious about quitting, the show would have to be expanded from one to two hours. This is a cannabis driven broadcast facility, for better or worse; and the topic is often mentioned, while actually going "on-air" if using is rarely attempted-is pretty easy to notice.

I like farting around writing, trying to get creative with punctuation; working for a more 'vocal' effect, than either lots of commas or sparse punctuation of any type seems easily capable of. Though I also spend lots of time by myself; and have never spent any time either reading to others what I've written, hearing myself read by others, or even simply reading aloud to myself what I've done.

Though just lately, finding reading aloud alone is definitely enough fun that sharing reading time seems perhaps the greatest feasible joy of writing? Give the old spear a shake, once in awhile; in other words...yeah.

*His side-kick host pal, Fred in the Hills, helped temper greatly PB's presentations; I got a great guffaw from, for my suggestion.

That region is an excellent one for cycling, with an active Critical Mass organization and also Arcata's Bicycle Library which for $20 every six months will loan a person a rideable older bike, usually a 1960s or 1970s ten-speed they've made to work in only one gear.

I don't get along too well with the library folk, or at least haven't had much luck there the little I've attempted an involvement; where there is also or was awhile at least, what people into that had labeled their "Earth Church" with one fellow I'd tried to get involved with from that who went by "Bicycle Bill" I found to be an amazing *******, trying to help him out a little. Whoa, the "a-hole" word gets automatically censored here. Sort of over-sensitive, particularly if implying censorship of other common speech?

A chronic complainer, initially he'd been troubled having to live within the confines of their Earth Church since also home to a canine or two whose owners also lived there: I'd attempted putting Bicycle Bill up in my apartment's back room during the middle of the winter, who'd been incredibly offensive-telling me he'd preferred warmer climates-by turning up the control on a little space heater the landlady provided, which ran up my electric bill enormously since he kept the temperature over eighty degrees, in a place lacking even a suggestion of insulation-whose nearly flat roof not only leaked badly while raining, but; too, when the rain fell was like being inside a tent during rain with the cold penetrating downward as if one were submerged in a tub of cold water, almost. A glorious cacophony, worthy of an audience as a symphony; on the other hand...phew!

Also someone into wearing latex, so definitely an acquired "scent" having to smell his spore all the time so to speak; I'd eventually evicted by putting all his things out the door while he'd been away one day, following a particularly infuriating episode when he'd dismissed a fairly good writer Michio Kushi's better book whom admittedly even Georges Ohsawa worried about as an inadequate person for carrying on their macrobiotics who'd been one of Ohsawa's major disciples.

I used to find more common, the sort of society within which a person could make vivid, excited and even aggressive vocalization of whatever came to a person's mind; so perhaps could've cut Bicycle Bill some slack, though by then I'd also become a familiar of other types of society where one's "fighting words" could easily lead to lethal confrontation, too. Thus, I've a subdued style, and an ******* like Bicycle Bill could be better served if he'd become more adept at consideration of others too, besides himself. The bucolic type whose apparent familiarity with certain sorts of AfAm society and culture; they attempt to exploit, as if conduits of experience so enlightening they've a lock on reasonable sensibility most other individuals entirely lack. What an useless clod...in my perhaps not so humble opinion.

I did like his imaginative tricycle design; with one large front wheel and a recumbent seating position in front of a pair of much smaller wheels, not the drive ones. Though to stupidly as he'd apparently done, tout these as practical enough to be a viable alternative to more normal bikes; really seems self-serving, biased and also reliance upon that for lack of better competence in other realms...despite his feeling he's such a great general resource for humanity generally.

Too great a need for various capital resources, with a paucity at best for acquiring and/or generating same; while all too willing to dupe, exploit and manipulate others against their own better interests-trying to advance himself as a self-described "mover and shaker" who ought to stuff himself with either salt or pepper, if you ask me. The bicycle library a good friend "Fred" patronizes aka Sarah Sherburn-Zimmer an activist and professional community and labor organizer; also has another person who himself also goes by "Bicycle Bill" so that I'm not sure if I'd ever get any decency in trying to better relate to them?

I've been messed with extensively by other folks, also running up very short against capitalism; where there's such a stylized realm, given to exploitation of people with government assistance incomes, that a person has to battle severely against often for any sort of meaningful society about oneself. Torture, threat and all sorts of abuses often fall across a person's path; with typically thugs into criminal ways of life, attracted like toxic insects given to sucking a person's blood all the time. Cannabis hustlers from the right-wing, reactionary elements of life; have been my impressions of that, with people like Bicycle Bill their active minions, etcetera.

Wildwood 

Just pulling up an old thread for a bit of Mexican Carabela love.

A SemiPro from the 70s. Have not confirmed year of manufacture.
25 stamped on the seat lug, marks it as a large frame, but with a 57.5cm top tube.

edit: 'Confirmed' as most likely to possibly be 1975.
Suntour Honor RD, Compe V FD, 27" alloy (Schrader) wheels, Maxy crank, DiaCompe DropForged stem, DiaCompe center pull brakes

juvela

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Looks just like a 1973-74 Windsor Carrera Sport I owned.

Do you understand the difference between the Semi Pro and the Carrera Sport? Or was there a different nomenclature for them when badged Carabela vs Windsor?

wrt dating - you should be able to get a date code from the backside of the Maxy crank arms.

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Wildwood 

Thx
Pardon my ignorance, i know nothing of the Carrera Sport.

wrk101

I'm guessing the year on this as a 1977, late 1976 Dura Ace date codes.

Much too large for me, I picked it up for all the black anodized Dura Ace components. Even has black DA hubs with tubulars. Considering putting the parts on my 1973 Sakae Professional, but it might be too much black (Sakae is black and chrome). Frame is up for sale, so wanted to post the complete bike. Tough 52/44 gearing. Kind of surprised the brake levers are not black. As luck would have it, I already have DA 1st generation levers on my Sakae, and they are black (with silver calipers). So a swap of the two lever sets at least makes sense.

[IMG]1977 Carabela Professional by wrk101, on Flickr[/IMG]

Wildwood 

Maxy inside crank arms = Forged 171 49-5.

While down there, Front Derailleur = Suntour Compe V
Maeda Industries
Japan QB
4592

Bottom bracket has a 6 or 9, stamped center on forward portion of (downtube) lug.

Dimpled chainstays, chainstay bridge.

Normandy hubs, Fiamme (Red Flying Horse) 27" rims

edit: So while i believe this bike to be all original, that is only a good assumption.
What i like about it: the mix of parts (French, Italian,Japanese) from a Mexican manufacturer; And chrome socks and head tube lugs. And it rides ALMOST like a townie, even in the drops, 700c wheels might make it more sporty/racy.

juvela

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The Sugino Maxy code indicates a date of May 1975.

The Maeda number is not a date code. The Maeda letters indicate a date of February 1974.

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Wildwood 

Thanks a million, didn't find date codes at VeloBase so gave up.

I will call this one a 1974/1975 frame.

T-Mar

My recollection is that the Carabela Semi-Pro was roughly equivalent to the Windsor Competition in that both were mid-range competition models with Italian DB tubesets and mainly Japanese components. The big difference was that the Windsor used Columbus tubing, while the Carabela used Falck.

The big issue with the subject bicycle is the wheelset. Of course, the OEM wheelset may have swapped out for wired-on tyres. Still, my recollection is that these frames copied their Windsor counterparts in terms of geometry, the use of fastback stays, dropouts sans eyelets and down tube mounted shift levers. IMO, the subject bicycle looks more like one of the Carrera variants.

Wildwood 

Bump

Ballenxj

Just picked up a large frame Carabela Bike from a friend of a friend. Basically, an old estate find. The Bike had been in an old shed, buried behind stuff for many a year.
I'm just starting to research it.The Bike needs a serious cleaning, with cobwebs all over it, but looks like good paint underneath. We'll see.