3 Speed Balloon tire Rollfast?

[Oilit]

I bought this today from a man in his 80's who'd had it since he was a kid growing up in Ohio. The front fork is bent and if there are any decals, they're hiding under that house paint, so not a pristine example. But at least it's an example. Hub dated December 1953. The previous owner said the fenders were originally chrome, and when I showed him the American Bicyclist cover he said there may have once been a headlight, but he didn't seem sure. A lot of water can run under the bridge in 80 years.

 

[GTs58]

The competition between bike manufacturers must have been brutal during this time with everyone trying to be the first with a new or different idea. Any guesses as to who was the first one on the moon with their 3 speed Ballooners? I would think that Schwinn had a late start in the race, or maybe wanted to be first and then took some already built balloon frames off the line and modified them for the rear brake. All the manufacturers timing seem to be neck in neck with these geared ballooners.

 

[Krakatoa]

Thank you, that was what I wanted to know! So there were at least four manufacturers that built balloon-tire three speed bikes!

Very cool bike & thread. Thanks for sharing your very interesting findings!

 

[Oilit]

The competition between bike manufacturers must have been brutal during this time with everyone trying to be the first with a new or different idea. Any guesses as to who was the first one on the moon with their 3 speed Ballooners? I would think that Schwinn had a late start in the race, or maybe wanted to be first and then took some already built balloon frames off the line and modified them for the rear brake. All the manufacturers timing seem to be neck in neck with these geared ballooners.

I don't have enough documentation to say, but it's interesting to look at the differences in development required. AMF used a new frame for the Flying Falcon, while this Rollfast looks like they did the minimum necessary to fit a three speed hub and calipers to an existing design. On the other hand Schwinn's middleweights required new rims, new tires, new calipers and modified frames and forks, and the tires and calipers and forks required working with outside suppliers. I wonder if Schwinn wasn't already pretty far along with the middleweights when AMF announced the Flying Falcon, so they put out the Jaguar just to have a direct equivalent along with the new middleweight line. But at this point, it's all speculation. I would really like to know if these calipers were a new design for Weinmann and how they got started producing them for the American market. And I don't know when the Evans/Colson Firebird was introduced, was it being designed by Colson when Evans bought them or was it already in production? There was a lot happening in a short space of time.

 

[GTs58]

I don't have enough documentation to say, but it's interesting to look at the differences in development required. AMF used a new frame for the Flying Falcon, while this Rollfast looks like they did the minimum necessary to fit a three speed hub and calipers to an existing design. On the other hand Schwinn's middleweights required new rims, new tires, new calipers and modified frames and forks, and the tires and calipers and forks required working with outside suppliers. I wonder if Schwinn wasn't already pretty far along with the middleweights when AMF announced the Flying Falcon, so they put out the Jaguar just to have a direct equivalent along with the new middleweight line. But at this point, it's all speculation. I would really like to know if these calipers were a new design for Weinmann and how they got started producing them for the American market. And I don't know when the Evans/Colson Firebird was introduced, was it being designed by Colson when Evans bought them or was it already in production? There was a lot happening in a short space of time.

With that new acquisition of yours, I'm surprised at what all was going on before the beginning of 1954. I would have to think Schwinn was already well established in getting the middleweights going for the most part. This leads me to believe that the Jag was a last-minute decision to join the race to the moon with a 3 speed balloon. The first pieces of literature on the Jags were all messed up like they didn't know what they were going to build. Throwing their hat in the ring so to speak. haha.

 

[Mountain Trail Andy]

I bought this today from a man in his 80's who'd had it since he was a kid growing up in Ohio. The front fork is bent and if there are any decals, they're hiding under that house paint, so not a pristine example. But at least it's an example. Hub dated December 1953. The previous owner said the fenders were originally chrome, and when I showed him the American Bicyclist cover he said there may have once been a headlight, but he didn't seem sure. A lot of water can run under the bridge in 80 years.

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Has a bent fork......lol........but I would still take it!!

 

[fred h]

Congratulations on finding a very cool and rare bike!

 

[Oilit]

With that new acquisition of yours, I'm surprised at what all was going on before the beginning of 1954. I would have to think Schwinn was already well established in getting the middleweights going for the most part. This leads me to believe that the Jag was a last-minute decision to join the race to the moon with a 3 speed balloon. The first pieces of literature on the Jags were all messed up like they didn't know what they were going to build. Throwing their hat in the ring so to speak. haha.

I've wondered about that too. AMF ran an ad for the Flying Falcon in the June 1953 Bicycle Journal which is the earliest I've found, but I only have a few issues from that period, so I don't know what else might be out there. But it looks like Schwinn and AMF were both getting forks from Ashtabula forge (or at least they're the only ones I know of who produced the forged versions) so if Ashtabula produced the caliper mounting forks for AMF, I'm guessing it wouldn't have been hard for Schwinn to get them too. And if they were negotiating or already buying lightweight calipers from Weinmann and working on getting middleweight calipers produced, the balloon calipers wouldn't have been much of a stretch either. Then it's just a matter of adding a bracket for the rear brake and you're in business.

 

[Oilit]

A few more detail shots of this bike. The serial number starts with "A", but getting a good shot of it is beyond me so far. The stamp under the bottom bracket looks like "45EH" but the 4 is so faint it may be my imagination. The rims look galvanized, and @partsguy posted that the mid-'50's Huffys used polished zinc-plated rims, did Rollfast do that as well? There was a nickel shortage in the mid-50's, and chrome plating at the time used a layer of nickel under the chrome, so maybe they had to find an alternative? The original owner said the handlebars were never chromed, just some kind of silverish paint.

 

[GTs58]

I can't make out anything other than the EH on the BB. I noticed your right brake lever has the original cable ferrule. These early Weinmann levers have a thin slot for the cable and teeny tiny hole for the cable ferrule. I'm trying to figure out what to do on my 55 levers