# 1935? Rollfast?



## fat tire trader (Feb 17, 2020)

Can anyone confirm that this is. 35 or 6 Snyder?


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## fat tire trader (Feb 17, 2020)




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## fat tire trader (Feb 17, 2020)




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## Krakatoa (Feb 17, 2020)

Definitely Snyder built.

Typically it looks like the stamper was hammered!

Cool additional later id stamping on edge of bb.


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## fat tire trader (Feb 18, 2020)

Can anyone decipher the serial number? Does anyone have another one of these to compare?
Thanks,
Chris


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## 3-speeder (Feb 18, 2020)

My '37.  Yeah this one looks like the s n stamper was hammered.


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## stezell (Feb 18, 2020)

fat tire trader said:


> Can anyone confirm that this is. 35 or 6 Snyder?View attachment 1141521



Chris I've got a Rollfast badged bike like this I'm pretty sure and it's a 35. I'll try to get a picture tomorrow. 

Sean


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## Archie Sturmer (Feb 18, 2020)

I believe that the “X” serial number prefix indicates 1936 Snyder built at the Little Falls plant; (I believe “F” indicates the Excelsior Michigan City plant for that year).
I call my “W” double bar drop frame a 1935.
I call my “Y” sport motorbike a 1937.
I call my “E-9” sport motorbike a late 1935 Hawthorne for Montgomery Ward, who may have been a good customer receiving the latest designs.  I call my “D’s” 1934’s.


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## 3-speeder (Feb 19, 2020)

I was thinking that the '36 models had the one year only seatpost collar instead of a clamp that came the next year. Leaning more towards '35 due to your seat post screw area?  Check out @lgrinnings  36 below.  Link here,  post #44








						What's currently your favorite rider? | General Discussion About Old Bicycles
					

My favorite would be my 1933 Mead Ranger Ace. It is fun to ride. What makes it a pleasure to drive is the manual 2 speed Bendix hub that I had installed. It beats a kick back hub any day of the week. Those hubs tend to change gears very easily even when braking. That is why I prefer manual hubs.




					thecabe.com


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## fat tire trader (Feb 19, 2020)

Did the make my motobike style frame simultaneously with the banana tank fastback frames? Or was the moto style discontinued when they started making the fastbacks?

I have a fastback in my basement. I'm going to take it out and take some pics.

What year did they start making the Swan Deluxe stems. My bike came with one and truss rods. 

Thanks,
Chris


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## 3-speeder (Feb 19, 2020)

I researched my bike in the Rollfast book and on this site. The book has content from '32, '34, '36 and on. Nothing of '33 & '35. There is no mention of the swan stem in '34 but it is listed in '36.


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## fat tire trader (Feb 19, 2020)

My other one looks like @lgrinnings 36,  but I think it has the seatpost clamp, I need to check, this is it's number


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## Kickstand3 (Feb 19, 2020)

fat tire trader said:


> Can anyone decipher the serial number? Does anyone have another one of these to compare?
> Thanks,
> Chris



Here’s a 38 Hawthorne


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## Balloonoob (Feb 19, 2020)

Archie Sturmer said:


> I believe that the “X” serial number prefix indicates 1936 Snyder built at the Little Falls plant; (I believe “F” indicates the Excelsior Michigan City plant for that year).
> I call my “W” double bar drop frame a 1935.
> I call my “Y” sport motorbike a 1937.
> I call my “E-9” sport motorbike a late 1935 Hawthorne for Montgomery Ward, who may have been a good customer receiving the latest designs.  I call my “D’s” 1934’s.



Not to hijack this thread but I didn't know serial number dating was possible for rollfast bikes. I used a parts bike and got the red frame separately.  Any thoughts as to what year this red frame is? Thanks.


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## Archie Sturmer (Feb 24, 2020)

@Balloonoob 
The handle bar in your 1st, 2nd, and 5th pictures look like cool racer drop bars. 
Again, I believe the “X” may be for 1936; and the “H” for about 1938 (8th letter). 
Could be off by a year, or worser, but it seems more reasonable than to argue that just because 2 opposite ends of the alphabet were used by 2 different manufacturing locations, that then the date and place codes cannot be reconciled.


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## Balloonoob (Feb 24, 2020)

Archie Sturmer said:


> @Balloonoob
> The handle bar in your 1st, 2nd, and 5th pictures look like cool racer drop bars.
> Again, I believe the “X” may be for 1936; and the “H” for about 1938 (8th letter).
> Could be off by a year, or worser, but it seems more reasonable than to argue that just because 2 opposite ends of the alphabet were used by 2 different manufacturing locations, that then the date and place codes cannot be reconciled.



Awesome thanks Archie. I believe that the bars that came on the blue bike were original.  I have seen a few of these snyder built bikes with these bars.  They are cool but were not very comfortable on this particular bike so I used them on my 34 Colson.  Thanks for the info.  I had been wondering what year to call it. (Even though it's a mixed build)


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## fat tire trader (Mar 21, 2020)

I've made some progress piecing this bike together.


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## fat tire trader (Mar 22, 2020)

I was thinking that the horizontal head badge holes would accept a Rollfast badge, but the holes are too close together. I need to try some other badges. Does anyone have an idea of what badge it might have had?
Thanks,
Chris


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## 3-speeder (Mar 22, 2020)

I'll measure my Royal Flyer badge.  Not sure if that style frame may have been badged that way.  Possibly


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## fat tire trader (Mar 22, 2020)

I was thinking one of those round badges might fit. I always assumed that they had the same spacing as a Rollfast badge, but I've never checked.
Thanks!


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## 3-speeder (Mar 22, 2020)

Looks like it's between 1 7/8 and 1 15/16.


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## fat tire trader (Mar 22, 2020)

I'll be where my bike is later today. I'll check it then. Thanks!


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## 3-speeder (Mar 22, 2020)

I imagine probably closer to the 1 7/8 at the frame without the girth of the badge.


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## Porkchop & Applesauce (Oct 6, 2020)

fat tire trader said:


> View attachment 1141522



Hi! Looks exactly like my true value champion. I believe my bike is a 1934 or 1935 and definitely a Synider built frame!


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## Archie Sturmer (Jun 12, 2021)

fat tire trader said:


> I was thinking one of those round badges might fit. I always assumed that they had the same spacing as a Rollfast badge, but I've never checked.
> Thanks!



Looking at the shadow of the former head badge, I thought that the bike might take a MW Hawthorne label?



Any updates on this one?


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## Porkchop & Applesauce (Jun 12, 2021)

Archie Sturmer said:


> Looking at the shadow of the former head badge, I thought that the bike might take a MW Hawthorne label?
> View attachment 1428663
> Any updates on this one?



That looks identical to my 34 champion.


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## Archie Sturmer (Jun 12, 2021)

I used to believe that the “D” might indicate 1934, (with the 4th letter and 34th year); but now believe that “D” may indicate built at the western Excelsior Michigan City Indiana factory in 1935.  Still learning!


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## Porkchop & Applesauce (Jun 12, 2021)

Archie Sturmer said:


> I used to believe that the “D” might indicate 1934, (with the 4th letter and 34th year); but now believe that “D” may indicate built at the western Excelsior Michigan City Indiana factory in 1935.  Still learning!



Really?!? That’s what I’ve also thought. What’s changed your mind?


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## Archie Sturmer (Jun 12, 2021)

Porkchop said:


> Really?!? That’s what I’ve also thought. What’s changed your mind?



I have since acquired a Snyder built Hawthorne with the collet style seat post clamp, which some attribute to 1936, and the serial number on my Hawthorne has an “E” prefix.  So I now think it may most likely be a 1936-E.  [Also, I presume the one-letter to one-year serial numbers system].

Whether the collet design, as seen in the 1936 Rollfast catalog, is exclusive to that single year is another question.

And, the reciprocal, that all 1936 Snyder built bicycles must have the collet, might be false.


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## fat tire trader (Jun 23, 2021)

I need a good used headset for my bike 35 Snyder. There is too much ware in my cups, so I can't get the last bit of play out. Hopefully someone has one from a bike that has been parted out. 
Thanks,
Chris


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## Porkchop & Applesauce (Jun 23, 2021)

Are ya sure that the cups are the problem? My bike has some play also but the frame is belled out and the fork steer tube is also worn.


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## fat tire trader (Jun 23, 2021)

Hi Pork Chop, I have pulled it apart to confirm that it is not the fit between the cups and the head tube and the crown race and the fork.
Thanks,
Chris


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## Porkchop & Applesauce (Jun 23, 2021)

Awesome!! I think (not 100% sure) that most of the prewar bikes share the same cups and bearings. I found nos bearings that were rollfast parts for mine on eBay


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## fat tire trader (Jun 23, 2021)

Its really just the cups that I need, it would be nice to get the whole headset. Take a look at my bearing charts here http://www.fattiretrading.com/bearings.html


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## Porkchop & Applesauce (Jun 23, 2021)

fat tire trader said:


> Its really just the cups that I need, it would be nice to get the whole headset. Take a look at my bearing charts here http://www.fattiretrading.com/bearings.html



That’s fantastic information!


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## Oilit (Jun 23, 2021)

So if I understand this right, since this one has a seat post clamp, it's got to be 1937 or later, correct? @Archie Sturmer, the serial number is relatively well stamped, if that's any help.


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## Archie Sturmer (Jun 23, 2021)

Oilit said:


> So if I understand this right, since this one has a seat post clamp, it's got to be 1937 or later, correct?
> View attachment 1435029



So, I just saw that one the other day, _initially _thinking maybe late *1936-X*, and possibly later because of a high serial number?  Probably not.
Snyder bikes are fairly-common and another diligent member (and visual basic editor?) might not have ever gotten around to breaking their code.

Are all X's the same?  For example, might there be *left *"X--" bikes and *right *"--X" bikes.
Is that a 100,000-seris number, or an "I" prefix, (1940-I?); but then why 2 letters stamped?  Snyder started stamping bikes like 04–EH or 04–SN about 1940.  

The springer is the 1938-40 Uber patent 2,188,968 - so that might reflect later, (perhaps as well as some other features).


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## Archie Sturmer (Jun 23, 2021)

I also recently saw another Snyder (fully-streamlined) on an old post about a "Ben Hur" bicycle perhaps from Van Camp hardware of Indiana (son of Van Camp's Pork and Beans).  1941/42-K\X(?); and then why 2 letters stamped?  Snyder started stamping bikes like 14–EH or 24–SN about that time.








						Ben Hur Mistery apears solved | Classic Balloon Tire Bicycles 1933-1965
					

I'd like thank everyone who took the time to help me on my search to ID the Ben Hur Rat Rod I recently purchased.  Turns out to be a 37-42 Snyder built v-900 frame, apparently  according to The Classic Rollfast Bicycle Book,  37 was the first year for the v-900 witch is identified by the...




					thecabe.com
				



That should teach me not to look around at old (2015) threads!


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## Oilit (Jun 24, 2021)

Archie Sturmer said:


> I also recently saw another Snyder (fully-streamlined) on an old post about a "Ben Hur" bicycle perhaps from Van Camp hardware of Indiana (son of Van Camp's Pork and Beans).  1941/42-K\X(?); and then why 2 letters stamped?  Snyder started stamping bikes like 14–EH or 24–SN about that time.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



So it sounds like it's between 1938 (from the fork) and 1940 (from the stamp). I realize this is not an exact science, but thanks for your insight! The more bikes we see, the more clues to the puzzle, and the research is part of the fun!


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