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.