Post-war Rollfast rat.

[horsefarmer]

Picked up this bare Rollfast frame at the 2015 Ann Arbor Swap. Never found any numbers on it but it seems to be post-war.

I have thrown some parts at it and took it for a cruse today and it rides great.

Parts include vintage Columbia wheels, Mongoose crank and bearings, J.C.Higgins seat and front fork, and Schwinn bars, stem and pedals.

 

[deorman]

Throw some blue with stars on the fork, I'll salute.

 

[KJV]

Wild

 

[sludgeguy]

Nice classic rat!

 

[Wildcat]

Good looking rat! And a larger frame than the usual.

Were the drop outs modified?

 

[horsefarmer]

Good looking rat! And a larger frame than the usual.

Were the drop outs modified?

Here is the thread from when I found the frame.
http://ratrodbikes.com/forum/index.php?threads/unknown-maker-frame-please-i-d-it.91813/#post-903585

And here is close up of drop outs.

 

[LukeTheJoker]

Certainly looks taller than the standard frame!


Luke.

 

[Wildcat]

I did a look around for 40's Rollfasts and that frame and dropouts matched up exactly. I thought all Rollfasts had the elongated dropouts where the fender braces bolted up. I'm still learning.
I'll bet that's a 20" frame, just right!

 

[horsefarmer]

I did a look around for 40's Rollfasts and that frame and dropouts matched up exactly. I thought all Rollfasts had the elongated dropouts where the fender braces bolted up. I'm still learning.
I'll bet that's a 20" frame, just right!

I just measured the frame center of bottom bracket to top of seat post clamp is 20 inches.

 

[LukeTheJoker]

I just measured the frame center of bottom bracket to top of seat post clamp is 20 inches.

Score!

Luke.

 

[deorman]

I just measured the frame center of bottom bracket to top of seat post clamp is 20 inches.

This is why I have a Rollfast frame.

 

[horsefarmer]

Cool thing about this frame is as I was leaving Ann Arbor last year I went back to a vendor that had a bunch of frames and I just thought this looked cool. $20 later it was mine!

 

[pholTmonx]

"$20 later it was mine"... I don't even understand... I'm sure was english, I recognize he words.... I know what they mean individually.. but strung together my brain shuts down..

 

[horsefarmer]

"$20 later it was mine"... I don't even understand... I'm sure was english, I recognize he words.... I know what they mean individually.. but strung together my brain shuts down..

I meant the seller agreed to sell it to me for $20.

 

[LukeTheJoker]

I meant the seller agreed to sell it to me for $20.

 

[SILVERKINGPC]

 

[ambrose]

LOVE this build!!

I have nearly the same frame, and I've been sitting on it for years... and this just got my tuchus in gear and made me pull it out.

So, I've JUST gotten back to this build, and I cannot find my bottom bracket parts anywhere! Any chance you could offer a suggestion for replacement parts?

 

[horsefarmer]

Thanks ambrose! I used bearing cups salvaged from a 1980's Huffy 10 speed, and the crank and bearings from a Mongoose 20" kids trick bike. I was worried about finding parts that would fit till I tried what I had and it worked fine. I don't know what the chain ring came from though as it was a swap meet find.

 

[ambrose]

Ah, thanks for the insight!! Definitely makes me more confident in my build, as I'm probably just going to salvage from similar parts bikes.

 

[horsefarmer]

Swapped in a 3 piece crank adapter and alloy chainring. Also some different wheels and tires.