# Intro.  and Help with ID and parts??



## brol (Jul 14, 2010)

Hello-


  Totally new to the vintage bike scene, I have been road cycling and mountain biking for around 15 years. I ran across this bike while visiting some family in San Diego and was really into it from the moment I found it.

First off the head badge is a "Roadmaster", I am looking to confirm what model it may be.

Second the seller I got it from said it was aprox 100 years old, any ideas?

Third and by far the most important, I want to ride the bike, BUT the rear hub is broken and the tires are glue on. I plan to replace the sprocket on the front, and was hoping to find wheels to use in it. SO far I have not been able to locate any wheels, I have been told these are 28" any suggestions, comments or ideas appreciated. I would really like to get this bike roadworthy, and I would prefer to keep it as original as possible, however I fully expect to not use the original rims.


Sorry for the poor pics, phone is a bit beat up, and yes I flipped the bars. Im into old school cafe motorcycles and prefer the look, and lack of gut busting possibilities.
Thanks Brian


----------



## DonChristie (Jul 14, 2010)

Shes a beauty! Frame style is commonly referred to as a Motobike. These were popular from the 20s to 30s. Not sure if Roadmaster was the manufacturer or if that is the model made by someone else. That practice was also popular then. As far as tires, no problem. They are 28 inch tires available from Harper Machine & Manufacturing, Dunbar West Va.
phone#304-768-1147 No website and no Paypal. Good guys to deal with. Use 3M glue to glue them on and keep atleast 50 PSI in them. The hub just needs some lovin. Take apart, regrease and ride on!


----------



## RMS37 (Jul 14, 2010)

Hi, Welcome to the Hobby,

You have found a nice bike to build as a rider. As Schwinndoggy noted tires are available for the bike or you could fit modern wheels at a lower cost.

The bike itself has been assembled from more than one bike sometime in it’s past, it is not a Roadmaster. The Roadmaster badge is the emblem of the Cleveland Welding Company which entered bicycle production in 1935 with a line of models for 1936. The first frames they produced were streamlined and they never produced a Motobike style frame. The Fork is also a Cleveland Welding piece and dates to 1935-1937. Most of the rest of the bike appears to date from about the mid twenties to the early thirties with the exception of the crank which is probably from the late thirties or postwar.


----------



## Andrew Gorman (Jul 14, 2010)

Sharp bike!  If you put 700c/ 29r disc rims on, you can run modern rubber and not worry about 80+ year old wood failure when you hit a pothole.  Otherwise, the Harpers  or 700c cyclocross sew ups are your options.  What model is your rear hub?  The arm with the off-center hole doesn't look familiar.  It's also missing the metal strap holding it to the chainstay- that could be your "broken hub" problem if it doesn't seem to be braking


----------



## brol (Jul 16, 2010)

Thanks for all the info! I will post some better pics when I get it back from my friends. I have it stored there until I can get some parts to get her on the road. It doesnt pedal at all, forward or reverse for that matter. I was thinking 29er rims looked right. Can I just get a set of mountain bike 29er rims and use those? As far as the rear hub goes I dont know what company it is, I could not see any ID marks on it. I will clean it a bit, get some more pics and get back. In the mean time, I would like to run more modern single speed coaster wheel set up on it now. Just need to confirm on what is the best option, I want them to look good as well as be functional!

Thanks again, and any and all ideas/suggestions greatly appreciated!

Brian


----------



## sam (Jul 16, 2010)

Second bike is an Emblem built bike.Built in Angoria N.Y.---Maybe a Pierce or Grayhound.


----------



## brol (Jul 16, 2010)

sam said:


> Second bike is an Emblem built bike.Built in Angoria N.Y.---Maybe a Pierce or Grayhound.




Sam, thanks very much! I have always liked the Pierce bikes! Any idea how I could positively ID it? I was able to locate a number under the crank case if I read it correct it said 74 76. Other than that and the "roadmaster" badge I have no idea what to look for. 

B


----------



## sam (Jul 17, 2010)

I was lookin at the sprocket---but the fork doesn't look Pierce---I was mistaken---sorry.Your sprocket was used by Columbia not Pierce ,But Roadmaster(badge) is a Cleveland welding company?


----------



## brol (Jul 17, 2010)

Ok thanks for the info. The badge does say road master with a small cleaveland welding   ID on it as well.


----------



## RMS37 (Jul 17, 2010)

Back to square one, the badge and the front fork are both definitely Cleveland Welding, (circa 1936-7) but it is equally true that nothing else on the bike is, it has been built from the parts of more than one bicycle.

The frame may be an Emblem built frame or it may have been produced by one of the many other companies that produced very similar frames during the pre balloon period.

To try to go further with this line of inquiry take several crisp photos of the serial number and the various frame tubing junctures and post them.  Moto-bike frames do have differences but they are subtle and it requires finding an identical frame with its original badge to be sure of what you have.


----------



## brol (Jul 17, 2010)

Andrew Gorman said:


> Sharp bike!  If you put 700c/ 29r disc rims on, you can run modern rubber and not worry about 80+ year old wood failure when you hit a pothole.  Otherwise, the Harpers  or 700c cyclocross sew ups are your options.




Andrew-

       Thanks for your response. When you said 29r wheels, would that be 29r mountain bike wheels? I have a 29er and thought the wheels may fit, but haven't had a chance to bring them over to confirm. As far as the rest of the suggestions, has anyone used any of these set ups on a vintage bike? Any drawbacks or issues?

Thanks this site is great. 

Also I will post some up close shots asap. I will appreciate any id anyone can make about any of the parts. I'm not really concerned about the brand integrity b/c I didn't buy this bike to restore or make any money off of. However I would like to know what it is frankenbiked with!

Thanks


----------



## bricycle (Nov 9, 2012)

Brian, believe these were the Shapleigh measurments, bri.


----------



## HIGGINSFOREVER (Nov 9, 2012)

I used a set of velocity blunts p35 hoops and laced the org.hubs with electra amsterdam 700c x 40 mm tires.


----------



## HIGGINSFOREVER (Nov 9, 2012)

I just answered a post that is over 2 years old. Oh well maybe someone can use the information.


----------

