Carrera singlespeed- completed(ish)

Apologies for the phone pics but this is a budget job so I'm not buying a camera purely for Retrobike purposes

This is the bike as I bought it a couple of weeks ago. Unsure as to age or model but I'm guessing late 90s...


Due to a) curiosity b) funds and c) me being a crap mechanic I am going to build it as a s/s. All the s/s I see are old road bikes with chopped down bars ridden by students with messy hair. So I am going budget bling with this one. Polished up, nice straight fork (a la Pace but dependent on £) and a smattering of nice bits and pieces. Probably purple but possibly blue.

Been to work with the Nitromors and steel wool and got the decals and most of the lacquer off. Still got a bit to go but I can feel a mirror finish coming on. Very slowly...

I'll be back looking for advice on how to build it no doubt. In the meantime if anyone knows how to get the redundant cable stops off without resorting to brute force let me know. They appear to be riveted on.

And if anyone fancies the Flexstem or front mech http://www.retrobike.co.uk/forum/viewto ... t=#1120086

I had a 1994 Carrera B52 alivio for my first mtb and the carrera sticker was the same style lettering as yours in the first pic, so I`d guess `94 `95ish for age. Halfords got sick of replacing frames after I snapped a fifth head tube off and gave me a saracen instead. I snapped two of those and sold the third to buy a proflex 856 which I snapped. I would say the early aluminium Carreras weren`t the strongest of frames but they were light stiff and rode well and to be fair I used to misstreat them.

that looks great....think carefully about the cable stops, removal will prevent future changes and minimise value in the future.....look forward to watching this develope!....

200sxRB":ovbpar78 said:

I would say the early aluminium Carreras weren`t the strongest of frames but they were light stiff and rode well and to be fair I used to misstreat them.

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It'll be lucky if it gets any off road action at all, so strength isn't an issue. Plus having snapped a Clockwork and now with a Klein with tubes that sound as thin as a Coke can I treat my bikes like you'd treat your granny's pet cat. Gently.

I can go with 94/95 for now, it's not really an issue to me. Currently working with various grades of paper and steel wool to get the best finish on it.

Really need to source some bits for it though.

feetabix":2pmnz6q2 said:

that looks great....think carefully about the cable stops, removal will prevent future changes and minimise value in the future.....look forward to watching this develope!....

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I'll probably leave them just cos it's easier. Would quite like cleaner lines but I'll not be doing anything daft.

I single speeded my 'dale, but I left the stops in place just in case......

Bit of an update.

Frame's been steel wooled and given a first polish. Despite me initially not caring about the perfect finish I will be redoing some of the more inaccessible areas as I haven't got it good enough.

Sourced some no name purple skewers and seat clamp from Ebay. Didn't need the skewers but they match the seatclamp which is a replacement for the nasty old BMX style thing that was on it. Plus I like purple. Pointless suspension seatpost been replaced with a Kalloy one which needs polished up. It's shimmed with the help of a poverty spec energy drink Bars and stem are off a Saracen I had, as are the levers with shifters removed. I'd like purple levers but don't want to pay for them

Waiting on some nice Sugino cranks from Charlieboy on here so I can start messing about with sprocket sizes and chainline.

Still need to set up the brakes properly, sort the drivetrain and find a non female saddle. Get the reflectors off, align the tyres properly and then polish the **** out of it.

Once completed I'll get some pics with an actual camera but for now another phone effort. No prizes for guessing what my other hobby is

Gardening?

hehe, looking good so far dude, looking forward to seeing it finished in some better pics

I'm sensing price is a key factor, if you need any karma bits drop me a PM and I'll have a look behind the sofa.

Skeelsie":3i0kmxff said:

I'm sensing price is a key factor, if you need any karma bits drop me a PM and I'll have a look behind the sofa.

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Thanks, and you're right- redundancy is a right PITA

Got a new brake cable and some extra cassette spacers from the LBS yesterday so I think I'm just needing a shorter link wire and maybe a pair of pedals. I've got pedals but they're knackered and not worth refurbing.

Once I'm done I'll have a few bits to sell myself, and at least one karma item someone already mentioned they fancied. Try to do my bit like