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Early Frame of Uncertain Origin...Rollfast?

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Early Peerless Bicycle

Hey - I think your bike is an early Peerless ! Peerless used that exact chainring and also the ribbed fork. Are there any headbadge holes in the headtube, or signs of holes filled in ?
Dennis
 
Electra Amsterdam

Beautiful bike!! What size tires are those and where did you find them in all white?

They are 700c x 40, they are a China made tire used by Electra on their Amsterdam bicycles. Found at LBS for half the price of those on Amazon.com. They are an off white cream color.
 
1915 Peerless

Mazdaflyer - Look on page 49 of Vol. 1, Evolution Of The Bicycle. A copy of an ad for a 1915 Peerless - looks like your bicycle !
 
Mazdaflyer - Look on page 49 of Vol. 1, Evolution Of The Bicycle. A copy of an ad for a 1915 Peerless - looks like your bicycle !

Book out of stock on CABE and high dollar on Amazon...but, thanks I'll try to find a copy of the book to look at.
 
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Since Sears offered the Peerless badged bike, the only question might be what manufacturer did they source for their frames? The similarity with the Peerless and the Mead of the same era are pretty darn close except for the chain ring.
 
The ribbed fork is a british pat. fork design. It is called the interal trussed fork.Thay are bery strong forks and your bike looks really great.I know it's a hip(ed) up modern maybe city type bike bit it really shows what can be done with an antique frame.Not made any better---Internal lugged too--has the fish mouth flaired tube ends where the joints are---great lookin bike
 
Mead...Peerless

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Since Sears offered the Peerless badged bike, the only question might be what manufacturer did they source for their frames? The similarity with the Peerless and the Mead of the same era are pretty darn close except for the chain ring.

In the Sears Peerless image the chainring design looks identical to what I have. The Mead patent drawings for the rear dropout and fork tube and head seem to match my bike. The Sears Peerless fork image appears to also have the rib on the side of the fork.

The 1915 Peerless image on page 49 of the "Evolution of the Bicycle" book has the same chainring but the fork appears to be a block type without the layered pieces of the Mead fork.

So would Mead have made Peerless frames as Sears was headquartered in Chicago? Maybe the bike started as a Mead or Peerless and ended up with a Rollfast head badge glued on. When I do my final assembly I'll have to look for badge mounting holes on the inside of the headtube.

In my "Rollfast Bicycles" book it states that Snyder & Fisher began producing bicycles in 1895, and became H.P. Snyder Manufacturing Co. in 1899. Rollfast was the predominate nameplate originating from roller skates. They apparently would put any headbadge you wanted on their bikes for quantity purchases. It appears Peerless was one option as well.

Thanks to all for lots of clues, although the truth may never be known as to it's real origin. It may be just a collection of parts, Mead, Peerless, Rollfast or other manufacturers...and a few new things. Thanks for the compliments, I to like the bike, very anxious to ride it.:cool:
 
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