rollfast???

[pjc5150]

Just curious...

I already have one of these bikes that I previously identified as a 58 or 59. It was a $30 craigslist special that was rideable when I picked it up. Has a kinda funky cantilever frame with two thin top tubes instead of one big one. It's a neat little rat. Anyway, I may have an opportunity to purchase another.

I know that there are obviously some bikes that were pretty well made back then and some that well, weren't. From what I've heard from some, the old chicago schwinns are nearly indestructable. What is the general consensus of the quality on the Rollfast brand? Good? Bad? Average???

 

[Anonymous]

I'd rate them almost as good as a Schwinn

They werent junk.

 

[Spokeshave]

Is it like this?

It's my '59 Rollfast with the skinny tubes. After some work it's one of my favorite rides.

 

[pjc5150]

Here's mine.

Different badge though. My badge (which is metal) is a *correction* metal/silver letter "R" in a red circle with "ROLLFAST" underneath.

Perhaps mine is a 60's model after all?

 

[pjc5150]

I just figured I'd bring this back around for one more try...

...anyone know if this is a 58?

59? 60? 61? 62?

 

[jaysmo]

i just picked up a cool girls frame roll fast mine has the ball bearing badge and fluted stem trying to find out the exact year on it too.. so im gonna stick to this to see if theres any way to date them if i come up with anything i will let you ..GL

 

[pjc5150]

^ post up a pic, bike & badge ^

 

[jaysmo]

^ post up a pic, bike & badge ^

i will i have to load them from my camera ill try to do it tonight..

 

[Rustinkerer]

Rollfast was a brand name, owned by the D.P. harris Hardware co. They made ball bearings, and roller skates. Somewhere around 1930, they started selling bikes, but contracted the Snyder co. to build them. Snyder also built a lot of Hawthornes for Ward's, as well as Amrican Flyer, Keystone, Yale, Peerless, and several other badges. Classic Bicycle News has published a Rollfast book, covering these bikes from 1932-1958. So, there's some information, and catalog pages that help narrow down the year. There's no serial # list for any of these, though our Intrepid ID Guru, Phil/rms37 has found that late prewar bikes have the year stamped in reverse on the BB, ie 04-1940. The twin bar frame came out in late 1958 or early 59. They phased out their 5 spoke chainring and started using one similar to Murray's, except it had triangular cutouts in the center, shown on the 2 bikes pictured. The series started out with the round bullseye badge, and transitioned to the big R badge, likely in the early 60s. That's where I'd date the red bike. Sometime in the mid 60s, they changed the chainguard style from the JC Higgins-esque style shown here, to a smaller, angular guard. And in the later 60s, they went to a white badge decal, and a three spoke chainring with holes in the spokes. The company closed down in 1976. -Adam (I'm gonna repost this in the bike id section for everyone)

 

[jaysmo]

i had a page of the catalogue emailed to me that stated mine was a 1949 roll fast model number is 6264..