1998 Roadmaster (yes, yet another one!)

Starnger · Oct 13, 2020

Hello folks!
Ones of you who do follow my builds a little bit could laugh, but here we go again. I am starting my third Roadmaster before finishing the first two ('51 and '47)
Some of the few reasons (excuses i make for myself) for that are:

i really fell in love with Roadmasters
those bikes are rare in Europe, so why not make another one
i really want one finished and the first two take much longer then i expected, so this is going to be a quick one
the previous reason sounds so ridiculous now when i write it
i have scored mint '98 reissue frame for just 40 bucks from ebay, with cranks, sprocket, kickstand and tensioning bolts already on it
i have collected quite a few extra parts for this bike from my previous builds, mostly from '51 one

I don't yet have a name for it, but the plan is to keep the paint, since it is in such a good shape i see no reason to repaint it. Then quickly put it together on the parts i already have as much as possible. Probably i am going to sell it after a little while to help me fund my other projects and a new workshop.
Parts i have and intending to use on it are: original CWC Roadmaster head badge, Electra Ghostrider 24" wheels, '98 repro chain guard. I am not yet sure about the choice of a seat and fork for this build, but i have options.
And i am not documenting it as scrupulous as i sometimes do, it is a quick build and i just have taken a few photos so far. If you are interested in some particular details - let me know.

Here is the photo of what i got:

Apart from a few rusty spots on the kickstand the condition is flawless. Not a single scratch. The seat tube looks like it never had a clamp installed.

Starnger · Oct 13, 2020

Here is how the bike looks now:

Most surprising thing i found out: instead of EC33 headset the reissue bike runs EC34. The original ones featured 32.5mm 1" cups, like old Schwinns and older BMX bikes. The new ones are 34mm, also known as 1-1/8". They put adapter headset in them to run 1" forks. It is impossible to notice the difference by the naked eye, but it is quite interesting! By one hand i am happy i can keep my precious EC33 headsets that are nearly impossible to get in Europe for my other projects. By the other hand i am now aware even the frame does not reproduce the original bikes exactly.

Featuring Dyno Deuce fork, GT Piston stem, Ghostrider wheels on 24x3 Cruzo tires, Electra moon bars, Dia-Compe seatpost clamp and home made 16mm stainless bar seatpost. Again, 16mm fitted perfectly, unlike on the older frames. Maybe because of a different shape of the clamp i used.

By one hand i like the overall look of the bike, but by the other i may prefer to change the fork for something simpler. Maybe the Schwinn blade fork reproduction? I'd be happy to get a blade fork for this build. I have a 1930's Roadmaster blade fork, but i think i'd keep it for some other project. My 1947 Roadmaster fork is another candidate, but it is in such a bad shape it would take me a while to restore it. Dyno fork is cool and i think it is the best triple tree fork for a frame like that: modest small legs, nice offset. But the bike sits a bit too high on it and i don't want to cut those legs, and in the end i think it distracts the attention from this beautiful frame shape too much.

That's it for today, let's see where is it heading

I hope i will manage to finish this one somewhat soon

Dr. Tankenstein · Oct 13, 2020

My favorite frame!
Looking forward to seeing you build it up

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Chainmaker2 · Oct 14, 2020

Ive come to really like Roadmasters..used to prefer Panthers

Phil Fink · Nov 3, 2020

GT Dyno was another manufacturer that used 34mm head tubes with either 1+1/8” or 1.00” steerer tubes. For the 34 & 1” combination, a special headset was used; and may be hard to find today. One aftermarket 2mm-wide adapter sleeve converts the 34mm to 30mm, allowing the use of a 1”-30mm headset for road bikes.

Verrt · Nov 3, 2020

@Starnger future generations of bicycle enthusiasts are going to wonder why there are so many roadmsters in Poland and won't know that it all came down to one man.

Starnger · Feb 1, 2021

Hello everyone!
Though it wasn't easy, found some time to work on this Roadmaster. Here is how the bike sits now:

After waiting for a couple of weeks for the fork to be powder coated, i've put this beautiful wannabe-bladefork from early 2000's Schwinn. I think it fitted the bike great, now it looks more classy then on the triple tree forks. That also meant i hat to find some 1-1/8" gooseneck, and same Schwinn stem seems to fit the best for now. Yes, it is not same 50's look any more, but that's closest i can get to it without doing some funny stuff like 1-1/8" botom and 1" top on here

Thompson grips look cool here on some modern moon bar, but the white color is so delicate and gets dirty easily, that i am thinking about switching to another option actually. Maybe some Felt grips. The wider moon bar actually fitted well too.

Here is what i've made to attach the shifter without needing to guide cables through the frame. Some Project 346 stick shifter, motorcycle 1" handlebar mirror clamps, M10 bolts drilled through and tapped to hold an m5 bolt inside and voila. The best thing about it is that it is adjustable and i can move the position of it if needed. I actually do need to do it now, since despite of the cool looks the position it has now is quite uncomfortable to shift

I've also switched to the straight seat rod and put some nice NOS Persons seat from 1980's i believe.

So, despite of needing some changes and adjustments, i think the bike looks quite good now

Starnger · Feb 28, 2021

Ok, so i have extended the shifter line and put the shifter to more comfortable position. Valve caps are on, so now it is only left to put a chain on and probably some pinstripe darts on the fork

Then i consider it done and ready to sell it and move on to the next project!

I love how it turned out a lot!

MattiThundrrr · Mar 1, 2021

Very clean, very cool. Great job, boss!

Starnger · Mar 4, 2021

Two closeup shots of an original Roadmaster headbadge i've cleaned up and tried to colorize. Done a try with One Shot enamel first, but it didn't dry too well, so i've cleaned it up and did a second try with some markers.

Verrt · Mar 4, 2021

Starnger said:
Two closeup shots of an original Roadmaster headbadge i've cleaned up and tried to colorize. Done a try with One Shot enamel first, but it didn't dry too well, so i've cleaned it up and did a second try with some markers.
View attachment 152115
View attachment 152116

How about acrylic model paint, then a spray of clear coat?