Prewar Rollfast on the road again
Posted: November 11, 2013 Filed under: Balloon Tire Bikes, Recent Acquisitions | Tags: DP Harris MFG Co. New York, EA headlights, HP Snyder, New Departure, Persons Reflectors, Prewar bicycle, Rollfast bicycle, Troxel saddle Leave a commentThis Rollfast, which until recently lived in Pennsylvania is fresh of the Buzz Bomb workstand. Apart from crusty tires and a little rust, the bike was in wonderful condition. After some buffing and shining the paint is as good as we’ve run across and the Troxel saddle looks virtually new.
Our favorite part of this streamlined beauty is the transition between the tank and the rear carrier. It’s about as seamless and slippery as any bike we’ve ever seen. We’re also quite fond of the twin headlights. …And the Persons reflectors. …And the tank itself. Lots of shiny metal to look at here.
The bike runs like a champ, which isn’t always the case with these old balloon-tire bikes. With all the mass and extra sheet metal they often creak, groan and rattle. Not this one, though; it’s quiet as a mouse.
A couple of acknowledgements: Thanks to Mark from Bike Line of Lancaster for such an amazing packing job. Also a thank you to Addison, Casey, Dan and Greg of the Reno Ramblers for escorting the Rollfast on its maiden voyage. Only, next time can we avoid the hills? 60+ pounds of bike climbs under much protest.
Vintage track bike
Posted: October 7, 2013 Filed under: Other Bikes, What's Up | Tags: fixed gear, Lobdell wood rims, New Departure, Track bike, vintage track racer 2 CommentsAround the shop, fall is the time when bikes are always getting moved around to make room for winter storage. This old fixed gear was in transition from one garage to another so we took photos of it while it was out. It was originally found in a shed in Silver Springs, NV of all places, about as far away from a velodrome as it could ever get. It’s amazing that the Lobdell wood rims didn’t cook during the many summers it sat in storage. Thankfully they (and the rest of the bike) weathered pretty well.
As far as what it is, we’re not really sure about the manufacturer or year of the bike. It has New Departure hubs which were pretty standard on bikes in the 1930’s-1940’s so there’s a hint if they’re actually original to the bike. It also has reverse dropouts so it looks like it was a purpose-built track bike rather than a simple conversion. Hopefully some helpful reader will chime in with some information.
Rollfast from PA
Posted: October 5, 2013 Filed under: Balloon Tire Bikes, Recent Acquisitions | Tags: Delta headlight, DP Harris, New Departure, Rollfast bicycle Leave a commentOn its way from Pennsylvania is this nice old Rollfast. Among its many virtues are the various aftermarket headlights, the most we’ve seen mounted on a bike.
God and FedEx willing, it’ll arrive here safe and sound sometime in mid-October. Then it’s into the shop for an overhaul and cleaning. If all goes well it’ll be ready for a Thanksgiving Day ride (burgundy bikes being our favorites on “Turkey Day”. That whole cranberry sauce reference and all.) That gives us time to start stocking up on “D” batteries (the bike will need 8).
Buzz Bomb Bicycles 