Apologies for the bad photos, had to do them in the garage. So many things to do on this one: bad chrome, brake cables etc etc. I think I'm going to enjoy it though. Good night from a humid Languedoc.

Cool bike. Looks like it will be a very fun project.

I have to say, your garage has character!

The bike itself sure looks like a worthy project. Tempting though to braze C-P studs on while doing all the refinishing, no? I guess you can't do that to such a special time-capsule bike such as this though.

Surely different and worth the effort. Plus - it's red

Looking forward to seeing this one through to the end. Keep us updated!

DD

I second the comment about the garage, bet the rest of the house is fascinating as well.

it's a given about the bike, great last one for awhile. Nice to stop on a high note ! A B. Carre note.

thanks for sharing this great find! do you have a significant other to keep peace with? they often have the unfortunate habit of putting their foot down...

it's high time for the Big E to put in to port!

looking forward to its signal.

i have the same sort of world championship ribbons on the seat tube of my '81 mondia.



that's kind of a fascinating photo. there's a kind of method to the madness.

I dunno... Place looks like its one flea market away from being featured on the next episode of Hoarders. Cool bike project though.

I don't think it looks that bad in there...my basement is at least as bad.

I like the bike...has that early 70s charm.

Nice score.

Milo, I could not help but notice the champagne kickplate at the base of the door.

Really like your workspace, it is just filled with character, would like to see more pics!

I like the garage! The bikes are nice too =)

Ah the garage. Our house is about 1840, and the garage is fantastic but falling down, literally. There is a beam on the top floor that isn't held in at all now, and the outer wall is leaning out by about 24". We have an official letter saying that it's not to be used for anything, but I have so much stuff (tools, bikes, furniture etc) that not using it is not really an option.

As for the bike... any guesses as to year? Like a lot of Monsieur Carré's frames, I have yet to find a serial number. The head tube decal is from a bike shop but not had time to decipher it yet, these are very much 'out of the box pics.

charming bicycle. i wish i knew more to help.

You have one of Carré's upper end frames based on the extra chroming. Urbain Caffi was an Italian born French cyclist, but you probably knew that. I have seen one other frame marked similarly. As for a date, the best I could do would be 70s. That based on the fork rake and the fact it does not show any of the later characteristics of his frame work. I hope you are able to redo the chrome on it. The chrome on the lugs does not look bad which is fortunate. The crown and ends can be done somewhat more easily than the lugs. Probably not cheap no matter what.

I look forward to seeing the finished bike.

Very nice -- keep us posted!

Cool project. Keep us updated. God I love your region of the world. We have friends from Montpellier and spent time at their home a couple of years ago. We visited much of the surrounding area. Saint-Guilhem Le Desert was a beautiful day of trekking.

[MENTION=43980]CV-6[/MENTION] There's a bit on the web about M. Caffi, but I realised earlier that the headtube decal is " **MES CYCLES Urbain Caffi". I wonder if he tried to use his name on frames like so many others, but through a specific shop. I'd wager a very small amount on it, and if so I''d guess it would have been on the outskirts of Paris. Worth asking on CR tomorrow maybe?

Glad to see you got the bike.

Closer inspection of what's left of the head tube decal reveals "ARMES CYCLES". I'm none the wiser after searching for details on google...

Sadly it says "Campagne Immobilier". Not quite as exciting or glam as Champagne. The chap we bought the house from was an estate agent.

Nothing sad about it, better to have a B. CARRE frame than a champagne board!

A few more photos of the Carré/Caffi

So, the chrome is shot in a lot of places. Looks like someone cleaned it with wire wool, even in the places its still ok. Has anyone tried some of the better rattlecan chrome sprays?

Liking the cranks a lot, and the hubs are maillard with original skewers and decent modern tyres.

Under the brake cable clips the paint is a lovely high gloss fire engine red, so I'm tempted to get a custom mix that will blend in with all the different patinas and shades of red that it is now.

Stronglight 105 (?) cranks, Mafac racers with half hoods, and pretty much every bearing on the bike to replace/renovate.

Go on, ask me what I do in Winter in the South of France....

Love the building. Must be some way to salvage it without spending a fortune. Maybe rather than attempting to keep the structure authentic, go modern and steel for the structural repairs.
Love the bike. I have a few Carré attributed LeJeunes. The chrome is unfortunately typical, as the paint looks from here recoverable and that hand lettering is not... (Really unhappy a previous owner of a C.N.C. I own repainted it) Keep things simple. I would place the bike '71- '75., maybe 1970. That is based on the hand lettering, that feature really vanishes after 1975 almost universally.

As to the world champion stripes, from time to time I have seen makers use black or gold lines to separate the colors to avoid the UCI, in Carré's case, probably had built a bike or two that won a world championship, but of course not with his transfers.