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The End OF An Era--The Joe Cargola Fender Rolling Story

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Goldenrod

I live for the CABE
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By Joe, Ray and Al



This story begins with Larry Masters, who was a master at finding rare Whizzer items before the Internet makes this a point and a click. He bought two early 1900s bicycle fender rollers that were used on that era’s narrow fenders. The concept of rolling dents out of the wide fenders was relatively unknown in the private sector.

Larry asked Joe to modify the rollers to match the classic 3 1/2 bend which he did but he noticed that the rollers and the machine needed to be scaled larger. Joe asked Larry to give him the rights to experiment and purpose fit a new design so that the roller could reach all the fender with one roll.

Two Prodo-types of the new design worked very well but Joe was inundated with fenders being brought to his house so he decided to manufacture the roller machines so that life, for him, would return to normal. The first run of the new design (in 1984) was for 30 machines which sold out immediately through the Portland magazine. The second run was for 50. He later decided to flood the market so that he could end production at 100 more. 75 units followed this run and then 60 followed later. The cost started at $250 but soon the parts makers drove the price to $350.

His last attempt to do 30 failed after a year of trying to arrange for the cutting of the large wheel stock. He has tried to find older bike collectors who wanted to sell their rollers to new enthusiasts but virtually no one wants to sell. Les Pinchot, the Fender Doctor and Schwinn key maker, is still serving the hobby and Al rolls mine but he doesn’t ship. It is fun to use and on old paint it is almost undetectable. Al has modified the rollers to fix damaged belt sheaves. We almost only put Whizzer on Schwinns but different wheels could adapt the unit to different bike fenders? Each unit has a built-in pressure adjustment.

I encourage any correction or addition to this article before I publish it in the Whizzer Newsletter. My friend Al is in the pictures rolling my fender while I took the pictures.
 
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I use mine regularly.
I’m not sure who made it. I bought it from Bicyclebones, Dan Venturi.
It works great. I put a strip of Vinyl Electrical Tape on the outside roller to help protect original paint.
It would be nice, to have an assortment of roller profiles, for different tasks, but all in all, it’s an indispensable tool for resurrecting old bikes.
 
I use mine regularly.
I’m not sure who made it. I bought it from Bicyclebones, Dan Venturi.
It works great. I put a strip of Vinyl Electrical Tape on the outside roller to help protect original paint.
It would be nice, to have an assortment of roller profiles, for different tasks, but all in all, it’s an indispensable tool for resurrecting old bikes.

Bones sold Joe's roller. Does it smell like Illinois?
 
I also put electrical tape on the traction wheel. I found it left the diamond shapes on the bottom side of the fender if I didn’t. I too got mine from Dan. Great tool! I will admit getting a peaked fenders center ridge is challenging. Thank you for posting the history of this great invention. Nope mine isn’t for sale either. :)
 
I still own an original Pfaff roller that was the one Pedal Pusher used way back in the 70s and 80s...
I can only imagine the fenders rolled on this machine prior to my ownership...
Also own one of the newer Joe G models.

Sure miss Larry Masters... one of the OG whizzer guys and finder of amazing vintage bicycle/whizzer stuff!
 
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