The Rollfast Project: Gaining Speed

Collectamania is a flea market/ antique store located on the east side of Des Moines. One of the dealers has a booth selling bicycles and bicycle parts. I knew I might be able to find some vintage Raleigh parts when I spotted this Huffy chain guard.

Raleigh bikes were the king of the English three-speeds, but their bicycles didn't have to say Raleigh to be a Raleigh. Many Raleigh bicycles were rebranded and sold under a different name, but they had a Raleigh frame and a slight cosmetic change. Rudge, Humber, Hercules, Robin Hood, Phillips, Rollfast, Triumph... and yes, Huffy bicycles, all knew they were Raleighs deep down. 

I wanted an English front brake caliper to replace the incorrect Japanese unit that came with the Rollfast. I found a rear caliper right away, but not the needed front one. I thought that was weird, so I went back yesterday and searched floor beneath the shelves. The right caliper was wedged between the bottom shelf and a cardboard box full of softballs. Yesss!

I didn't need the attached brake lever, but it is kinda cool.

 I tore the caliper down for polishing.

Suspicions confirmed.

Whew. I like this so much better that the more modern caliper. Only trainspotters would see the difference, but it was bugging me.

Before:

After:

I also got the bottom bracket sorted out. I soaked the loose ball bearings in isopropyl alcohol to remove the dried grease. The cups that hold the bearings went into my vibration tumbler to remove the rust and to smooth their surfaces. (It's cool when my hobbies collide. I bought the tumbler for pinball restoration, but I use it for other things all the time.) When the Rollfast arrived, the crankset would barely make crunchy turns. The greased bearings now spin with ease.

Crankset installed.

After installing the crankset,  I noticed that the left crank arm was almost touching the frame. There was about two mm of clearance. Man, how did I miss seeing how badly the crank was bent? I removed that crank arm again, and placed in on the garage floor. I placed an old t-shirt  over the crank, and I used a sledge hammer to encourage it to straighten out. The crank arm is much better now.

I also bought this 26" front wheel from Collectamania. It's rust free, and looks much better than what I currently have on the bike. It's hard to see the difference in this picture, but it's pretty obvious in person. I'll still be on the lookout for a "Made in England" wheel, but this should be okay for now.

I think I have all the parts I need to complete this bicycle, but I'm in no rush. When the Rollfast is done, I'll just have to find something else to work on, and I don't have room for another bike. 

The Rollfast Project: Forward Momentum

The Rollfast project is picking up speed. 

I got a replacement spoke from Kyle's Bikes for $1.49.  I wondered if the shop guy would look down on my 53-year-old rim, but he only gave me a little good natured grief. Then he told me about a world record that had been set by Tommy Godwin. In 1939, Tommy rode a three-speed 75,000 miles in one year. Impressive. I just want to get around the neighborhood.

(For my own reference, it's a 284 2.0/14G.) My new, shiny spoke sticks out among his galvanized brethren:

I swapped the old 18 tooth sprocket with a new 22 tooth sprocket. This should help me climb the hills to our house. It's a five and five upgrade: five dollars to buy and five minutes to install. 

This time I used tire levers to install the rear tire. The tire went on much faster than the front one did, and I didn't get any blisters. Work smarter, not harder. 

I like the look of the gum wall tires. Too bad I put the rear wheel on the wrong way...

The three speed shifter that came with the bike was about two decades newer than the Rollfast, so I bought this more period correct shifter on eBay. The seller commented that it should clean up well.

I think he was right.

 I can start installing these parts once I get the rear wheel turned around.

I'm glad there is still work to do. I'm having fun, and this bicycle gives me something new to think about.

The Rollfast Project: Slowly, but Shirley

I have been working on the Rollfast, but progress has been slowed a bit by the size of the British hardware. Neither my SAE tools or my metric tools fit all the bolts on this bike. I suppose I could buy some Whitworth spanners, but I'm getting by with my adjustable wrenches. They just take more time to use.

The bike arrived partially unassembled in a large shipping box. I think the seller was in a rush. He included a small, sealed box of parts, but I could see nuts and bolts rolling around at the bottom of the shipping container. This large bicycle box also had open holes for handles, so I have no idea what may have bounced out. That also slows things down.

For example, I wanted to install the fenders Monday night. This should have taken five minutes.

The fenders are secured by the brake calipers and four fender bolts. The bolts weren't in the small box. I shook the shipping box, and one popped out from under a cardboard flap. I banged the box on the floor, and found three more bolts. They didn't match, though. Two were longer. But they were all the correct 26 TPI size, and they screwed directly into the fork and frame. 

The long bolts looked like they would interfere with the chain out back, but when I installed them up front, they let that fender rattle. I tried them in the back, but they wouldn't screw all the way in. What? Were these the wrong bolts? Were the right ones lost is transit? What were these for? I searched online unsuccessfully for a close up picture of Raleigh fender bolts. 

Then I checked eBay. I found two listings for Raleigh fender bolts. 

They were described as being for the rear fenders, and their extra length was for mounting a rack. I switched the bolts for the fifth time last night and also turned them around. Success!

If the seller would have just screwed the bolts back in place before boxing up the bike, then I wouldn't have spent an hour second guessing myself and chasing my tail.

Anyway, I cleaned and repacked the bearings in the front wheel and the headset, and I hope to replace the broken spoke tonight.

The bronze green color is really growing on me, but I'm colorblind. I initially thought the bike was red. So, I don't know what color I'm seeing, but I like it.

Life is full of little mysteries.

No Ball is an Island

You can see the baseball field at the end of the hallway on the second floor of UHS.

You can also see the top of this small roof.

Last year a foul ball landed on that small roof. The lonely baseball sat there during the summer, fall, winter, and spring. I'm sure the custodians are too busy to worry about retrieving it. I had thought about taking a picture of the ball during all four seasons. I've seen it covered in leaves and in snow. I suppose I didn't take the pictures because I felt a little sad for that baseball.

The ball was still there in August for its second year of school, but this time things are different.

Everybody needs a friend.

By the Light of the Moon...

... Charlotte sledded.

She was playing at a friend's house after school, but there was some 'tween drama. Char came home upset, and by the time things calmed down, it was time for dinner. So, we promised her snow time after that.

Blurry action shot:

Our backyard law requires one snow angle per sledding event. Dues paid:

For me, it feels too early to have a two-hour delay for school, but that's what we had yesterday morning. I have heard that this winter is supposed to worse than last year.

But I think I hear that about every winter.

The Rollfast Project: Rollin' On

What's nice about the Rollfast project is that I'm not on any type of schedule. If it gets too cold in the garage, then the bicycle can wait while I warm up. With that being said, it was nice on Saturday, and Char had an afternoon playdate. I got in some garage time after I mulched the leaves. 

The modified chain breaker successfully pressed the cotters out of the cranks. Kroil helped.

You can't tell from this photo, but this freed cotter is bent. The other cotter's top threads were stripped, so I ordered new cotters from BikeSmith Design and Fabrication.

I was able to free the fixed bottom bracket cup using this bolt/washer set up. Kroil also helped.  I got the idea from RJ the Bike Guy's website, he has several videos where he shows you how to make tools using parts from the hardware store. RJ got the idea for removing the cup from the late Sheldon Brown's website. This exchange of ideas is how the internet is supposed to work.

I now realize that I haven't tried turning the cup back into place. I have no idea if I stripped the frame's threads. If I did, then this project is over. I'll have to check when I get back to the garage.

Dried grease can be removed with the grinder's wire brush. But I got a tip from John's Bicycle Restorations blog: I can also use an old crockpot. I fill it with water and a few squirts of Dawn dish soap. The crockpot is set on low. After 12 hours, I can wipe the grease off with a shop towel. I have to be careful, though. The parts are hot!

I used the wire brush and the polishing wheel method on the left crank. The sprocket / crank was soaked in the crockpot. I don't see much difference in the results.

But there was dried grease caked on underneath the crank, and it came off in the soapy water. That would be hard to reach with a wire brush. It is useful to have both methods available.

I ordered gum wall tires from Amazon. I placed them next to the bike and decided I liked the look.

The front tire was tough to install.  It was such a tight fit. First I got a blister on my palm, and then I tore the blister open. I'm not going to mess with the rear tire until I find the correct spoke to replace the broken one. I'll do the two jobs at once.

I spent the rest of the day polishing the frame's paint with rubbing compound and a clearer wax.

I don't mind the patina, but I bet the bronze green paint was pretty when it was new. 

Now to go out to the garage and see if I ruined the bottom bracket's threads...

Whew. I didn't ruin the threads; they're fine. I don't know why I scare myself like that.

About Time

Flix showed a different Harry Potter film on each day of spring break a few years ago. That was such an awesome idea. It was too bad that the movies would have been too much for Char at that time. I’ve been lamenting that we missed that week ever since. 

Last week I received an email that Flix was going to show the films again! I was so pumped. We checked our schedules, and purchased tickets for last night’s showing of Goblet of Fire. That’s my favorite film in the series, and it’s fair to say I’ve been waiting to see it at Flix for years. 

They had a special Hogwarts menu, and everyone received a pin that represented the horcrux made out of Salazar Slytherin's Locket. 

A drawing was held before the movie. There were winners from the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, the Durmstrang Institute, and the Beauxbatons Academy of Magic. But then a fourth name was magically drawn. How did that happen?

None of our names were chosen, but Char did get a butter beer. I asked her what it tasted like, and she replied, "So good!" Charlotte drank the whole thing. That doesn't usually happen. She often pushes away from the table halfway through a shake.

Charlotte really liked seeing Harry Potter on the big screen, but the film is 2h and 32m long. She was shot by the time it was over. We got home about an hour later than her bedtime, and she fell into the covers. It's all good; eating breakfast in the car this morning gave her an extra 35 minutes to sleep.

That did confirm that I don't need to buy her concert tickets next month to see JD McPherson's Christmas show. It's an all ages show at Wooly's, but it's also on a Thursday night. I don't think JD will hit the stage until after 9. There's no way she make it through that one. We'll just enjoy his CD in our car.

Maybe I'll just have to wait a few years for JD to come back to Des Moines. That worked for seeing Harry.

The Rollfast Project

Is this turning into a bicycle blog? No, but my newest project is another bike.

I've been looking for an English three-speed ever since I saw this picture of a Rollfast bike on Etsy. For some reason I really liked the look of the fenders and the chain guard.

I spent a couple of weeks checking thrift stores and creepy Craigslist, but I couldn't find any three-speeds. I checked the Etsy ad again for inspiration, and the Rollfast was 20% off. Plus, shipping from New Jersey was $50, and that's actually reasonable. Hmm...

I knew the Rollfast wouldn't look as shiny in person as it does in the ad's pictures. The seller had sprayed the bike with water, and it was still wet when the pictures were taken. That's a parlor trick that I've seen before. The saddle looked rough, and the handlebars weren't correct, but I have parts sitting on the bench that would love to get into game... Sold!

I bought this after parent-teacher conferences last Monday (that might explain the purchase), and it arrived on Friday afternoon. That was pretty fast. When I opened the box, I knew the bike wouldn't be on the road that quickly.

I tentatively assembled the bike. It was better than I thought it would be in some spots and worse in others. I wanted a project, and that is exactly what I got.

 The drop-style handlebars were put aside. I'm using a tourist-styled handlebar from a Murray 5-speed.

My first job was drilling out the head of the bolt on the kickstand. The stand didn't work, and it weighed about five pounds. Bye for now, stand.

I didn't bother installing the grungy, rubber block pedals. They don't even match.

These aluminum pedals have a rubber block vibe, so I'll go with them for now.

I haven't removed crank cotters before.

To make a cotter press, I drilled and hacked a chain breaker tool from Harbor Freight. I'll save about $60 if it removes and installs the cotters.

I couldn't tell from the Etsy pictures if the fenders and/or the chain guard were rusted out. They have their scratches and dents (don't we all), but they are solid.

I also couldn't see the head badge in the pics. It doesn't look too bad. I might swap out those brakes calipers for something more interesting.

"Guaranteed Genuine English Lightweight" - you'll just have to trust me.

If the New Jersey bike license (1977) sicker was straight, I would have left it. But I thought the crooked sticker was a bit of an eyesore. 

Three layers of license decals were gone after an hour with a hair dryer.

The saddle is not without its charms, but this seat is beat. That's too bad, actually.

The red reflector on the rear fender was missing. I went looking for something to fill the void at a flea market. I bought a Saint George of England medallion for a buck. Saint George is the patron saint of England. That seems perfect for an English bicycle. The medallion popped into place, and I tapped a small nail it the hole at the top of the medallion to keep Saint George from turning.

This is what it will look like. (I hope using the medallion like this isn't disrespectful.)

The Rollfast is stuck in 3rd gear. The seller didn't have the cable or the indicator chain for the 3-speed hub. I knew that going in. The Sturmey Archer hub is marked AW, so I ordered parts for that style of hub from Amazon. If the hub is original to the bicycle, then the Rollfast was manufactured sometime around 1966.

There's a broken spoke on the rear wheel, so that will have to be dealt with. 

I've got a lot of work ahead of me, and I hope I have fun. I'm excited to see how this guy turns out.