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Antique Rollfast Bicycle
#1
    I inherited a Rollfast men's bicycle from my grandfather. It is in working condition. A little stiff on the pedals. I have no idea how old it is. The only markings are on the axle: Perry England 36 - 13. Does anyone know how old this bike is? When I measure the tires from rim to rim, I think it measures 20" or 22". Can that be right?
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#2
(08-07-2021, 04:57 PM)ATIMEFRAME Wrote:  I inherited a Rollfast men's bicycle from my grandfather. It is in working condition. A little stiff on the pedals. I have no idea how old it is. The only markings are on the axle: Perry England 36 - 13. Does anyone know how old this bike is? When I measure the tires from rim to rim, I think it measures 20" or 22". Can that be right?
Don't quote me as this is far from my forte regarding cycling history, but I think the first 2 numbers are the year in reverse so yours would be from 1963 if that was the format for that era. With those markings on a wheel axle it would be the hub manucfacturer (Perry) and the hub/wheel spoke count (36); the other # ?. It is not a frame serial number. Looks like you are missing a few spokes. Also, be careful with that hub (are both hubs Perry?) since the hub nuts are an English size and I know they are hard to find if damage the nuts or wheel axle threads; at least for early hubs. English hubs regularly used 26 tpi threading whilst USA used 24 tpi threads. I know this from experince after trashing some very rare alloy hub wing nuts.
There is an older bike guy who would definitely be able to ID the year and model, and tell what is original or not. I cannot remember his site name since I came across his site by accident, and I was dealing with European racing bikes and he is a USA made balloon tire/cruiser bike aficionado. He is very persnickety based on reading his site info; quite redundant in his irritation about fakes/reproductions, misidentifications, etc. If you find the site be patient and just find the section about what info he needs. Don't waste time reading through everything like I did. You just can't look-up your bike; you must submit info and detailed photos to him. I can't rember if he charged for the service, but after reading his info I would be very confident with his ID. My best guess as to the site name is National American Bike Archive, or something like that.
By the way nice bike, it deserves to ride another day. Also, if the saddle is original it would have some value even in its present condition since they are getting hard to come by, and they can be reconditioned or restored. I can't tell from the photo, but if the rims are aluminum they would not be original. Also, I would not expect to find English hubs on a USA made bike unless entire wheels were replaced or rebuilt.
If your grandfather is still alive you should try to glean some info from him as to if he got it brand new or used, year he got it, etc. Maybe another older family member remembers something about it that could help to date it, or at least get you in the correct decade.

Good luck!

PS. Other sites more dedicated to these bikes are: Ratrod bikes (a killer site for custom bikes, and early US balloon tire restorations), and The CABE (Classic and Antique Bike Exchange). Both sites have very knowledgeable members, but it may be hit or miss with your specific bike although you will be able to compare yours with many examples if you take the time to review the voluminous posts related to your query. I would just post your bike on one or both of those sites with a few more photos showing details (serial number, headbadge, frame conjunctions, etc.) and I'm sure you will get plenty of feedback; quite possibly a spot on ID if lucky.

Edit
I checked my email history for the old bike guy since I did say hello (he likes that), and found his site name: National Bicycle History Archive of America (NBHAA). Check it out, probably will be the most accurate ID you can get regarding the entire bike, and not just a year and model of the frame itself.

Please post any information you get so others here may reference it. Thanks!
Take care,
Jesper

"I am become Death, the destroyer of bicycles." NJS
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#3
Thank you for your reply. I think everything is original except the tires? and the pedals. Nothing else has been replaced as far as I know. My grandfather has passed in 2012 and I finally dug this bike out of the garage. I can now see the walls :-) I appreciate the time you took to reply. I had no idea the 36 -13 was in reverse. I've done some research since posting and think it could be 1936 according to my research. I will keep "on" it. I know one spoke is missing. I will check again to see if there are two missing. The saddle is original and a bit "chewed" up. Thanks for the info.
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#4
(08-09-2021, 07:23 PM)ATIMEFRAME Wrote:  Thank you for your reply. I think everything is original except the tires? and the pedals. Nothing else has been replaced as far as I know. My grandfather has passed in 2012 and I finally dug this bike out of the garage. I can now see the walls :-) I appreciate the time you took to reply. I had no idea the 36 -13 was in reverse. I've done some research since posting and think it could be 1936 according to my research. I will keep "on" it. I know one spoke is missing. I will check again to see if there are two missing. The saddle is original and a bit "chewed" up. Thanks for the info.

I don't think the number on the hub itself is the actual serial number unless it is also stamped on the frame somewhere. Check the bottom bracket shell, rear dropouts, head tube and seat tube (usually near top); all common places for a serial numbers. I don't know if Perry utilized date codes like like Sturmey-Archer did on their rear hubs, but it may be the case. I still believe that the 36 just identifies the spoke count for that specific hub; again, no idea what the "13" indicates (could be a date code, but for the hub not the frame). Not knowing much about those bikes, I think the the curved tubing might indicate a specific time frame (unknown if early or later model) between a straight tubed frame; the monostay seat stay design may also help you in that area.
Take care,
Jesper

"I am become Death, the destroyer of bicycles." NJS
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