What year Rollfast?

[Beaverdam]

Hi, all!

I picked this up a few years ago (2/05) at a junque shop, $35. After changing a few things and riding it a bit, I've been working on repainting it and found the SN "B277722" on the dropout. The headbadge says "Rollfast" which was a plus, since I learned to ride on a Rollfast - my older sister's early 60's bike. The chainguard says "Special Deluxe".

Less obvious, the fork is bent slightly from running into something and the tank has a medium size dent in the left side as well as some other dings. The chainguard also has a couple good dings. I'm working on straightening those out. The silver paint came off the headbadge with some lighter fluid, it looks great!

I'd removed the rack since it only had one bent stay, but I may find some stays and use it. The busted pedal broke off when I tried to get it out of the crank, so I used a crank and chainring from another bike. I have changed back to the original chainring. I turned the stem around and used a different seat. I used some tires from a mountain bike because I had them sitting around.

The spokes were loose so it didn't ride very well, and rusty so I didn't try tightening them. I had other plans anyway...

Thanks for any help pinning down the year closer than "mid fifties"!

 

[Beaverdam]

Here it is a few weeks later with some new wheels:

Hi-E sealed bearing front hub
Bendix red band two-speed rear hub
Mavic rims
Stainless spokes, 3 leading 3 trailing pattern
IRC Metro 80 PSI tires

Now it rolls fast.

 

[mdtrek]

so lucky

I think it is a great find and so lucky. How are you guys finding these bikes with tanks? I am looking everywhere and I can't find any. I guess I will find one sometime.

Nice looking bike by the way.

 

[Adamtinkerer]

"any help pinning down the year closer than "mid fifties" There hasn't been any decoding on Snyder/Rollfast serial numbers. I did look in the Rollfast book, and that style frame, guard, and tank were new in 1949 or possibly earlier as the restyled postwar model. I believe they made that straightbar frame thru 1959. So, I'm no help. Cool bike though!

 

[Beaverdam]

I think it is a great find and so lucky. How are you guys finding these bikes with tanks? I am looking everywhere and I can't find any. I guess I will find one sometime.

Nice looking bike by the way.

I was really looking for a mid sixties curved frame (something like your avatar) rather than a bike with a tank, but when I saw it was a Rollfast I liked it. Main thing, I had the two speed hub that needed a home.

Hopefully it'll look even better straight and painted, but thanks!

"any help pinning down the year closer than "mid fifties" There hasn't been any decoding on Snyder/Rollfast serial numbers. I did look in the Rollfast book, and that style frame, guard, and tank were new in 1949 or possibly earlier as the restyled postwar model. I believe they made that straightbar frame thru 1959. So, I'm no help. Cool bike though!

You seem to have an eye for detail, I hadn't noticed the differences in the two frames in the other ID thread.

What Rollfast book are you speaking of? Is it online?

I found a pic of one claimed to be a '59, it had a seat stays coming past the seat tube to the head tube. Another claimed to be a '57 looked like mine shapewise but different graphics. Maybe I'll just refer to it as 'postwar'.

I didn't realize Rollfasts were made by another company, thanks for that tidbit and the compliment! I'll post pics when I get it painted. I know it isn't 'right' but I'm going with dark green, and have made a stencil to do the tank graphics in light green.

 

[Classicriders]

Pretty sure your bike is 57-58 but I will have to check my lit to be sure. Rollfast was only made by Snyder, but H.P. Snyder made bicycles for other distributors, such as Montgomery Wards Hawthornes. They actually made more Hawthornes than Cleveland Welding did.
I will get back to you after I look through my literature and can hopefully give you a more specific year of your bike.
You can purchase the Rollfast book by visiting my link at the bottom.
Technically this is not a "straight bar" frame as the under tank bar is slightly curved versus straight. I don't believe that Rollfast offered a straightbar model after 1939.
Since publishing this book we have been fortunate enough to come across quite a few more pieces of Rollfast literature.
We are planning to publish a "revised" Rollfast book hopefully mid 2010. There will be approximately 20 to 30 more pages added to the current book. Several prewar years will be added as well as a slew of Hopalong Cassidy literature along with some middleweight stuff.

 

[Beaverdam]

Pretty sure your bike is 57-58 but I will have to check my lit to be sure. Rollfast was only made by Snyder, but H.P. Snyder made bicycles for other distributors, such as Montgomery Wards Hawthornes. They actually made more Hawthornes than Cleveland Welding did.
I will get back to you after I look through my literature and can hopefully give you a more specific year of your bike.
You can purchase the Rollfast book by visiting my link at the bottom.
Technically this is not a "straight bar" frame as the under tank bar is slightly curved versus straight. I don't believe that Rollfast offered a straightbar model after 1939.
Since publishing this book we have been fortunate enough to come across quite a bit more pieces of Rollfast literature.
We are planning to publish a "revised" Rollfast book hopefully mid 2010. There will be approximately 20 to 30 more pages added to the current book. Several prewar years will be added as well as a slew of Hopalong Cassidy literature along with some middleweight stuff as well.

Hey, thanks!

It sounds like it will be worth waiting for the updated book. I'll keep an eye out for it.

 

[Classicriders]

According to my lit, your bike was first offered as a middle weight in 1956, but the catalog illustrations do not show that tank graphic your bike has, which is why I think it is a 57-58.

 

[Beaverdam]

Thanks again!

 

[Adamtinkerer]

"We are planning to publish a "revised" Rollfast book hopefully mid 2010. There will be approximately 20 to 30 more pages added to the current book. Several prewar years will be added as well as a slew of Hopalong Cassidy literature along with some middleweight stuff." I hope us folks who bought the first version are offered a discount or something!!