Yes, I'm passing the Monarch along. I gave it serious thought and for one thing realized I would not have the money or skill required to do this bike justice. So I toyed with the idea of putting it up for sale on ebay for the collectors out there, but decided against that, too. There are people on our forum who have a kind of love affair with certain makes and models of bikes. Bairdco comes to mind with his line of Colson jewels, one great build after another. I'm guessing if Barely ran across another Rollfast he'd be tempted. I know he really likes his build from last winter. And why not? It is a Rolls Royce of motored bicycles. Then I think of Norm of Venice Bikes and I know how much he likes the straight bar Schwinns (Sportscarpat, too), and when I think of Worksman Crazy Horse comes to mind with his passion for board track racers. I have my own love affair with old Elgins, but most are out of my reach. I think every so often though I will do one of the 1930's step through models with the art deco skirt guards like my 39 that burned last spring. I have a 34 which is getting the treatment this winter as a real ladies bike this time with the idea of selling it. Now I know how to build them right. So some of us have real preferences in what we like to work with.
And when I think of Monarch I have to think of Fasteddy. He restored a 1950's Monarch Silver King Super Deluxe this past winter and super it is. Steve worked as a restorer of antiques in his working life and is meticulous with the skills, knowledge and patience to make things perfect. He also restored furniture and is a master woodworker. He built a replica of a Chris Craft 40's or 50's speed boat, scaled down to be the sidecar for his spectacular Monarch... gleaming mahogany deck... oh man. When Steve visited last summer to help me build my canoe sidecar he spoke of being a boy in Canada and seeing all the wonderful cruisers which came along with the young tourists from the United States... Schwinns and Roll Fasts, no doubt some Colson's and Shelbys... and the shining Monarch Silver King, a jaw dropping display of Chrome doo dahs suggesting speed and class. He said all the boys he knew only had the single speed plain Jane bikes from England which were not so cool. It took him half a century, but Steve got the fancy bike of his boyhood dreams and did it up first class.
So that's where the Monarch is going, this time to become a gas bike. His other is electric. So this is perfect. I don't have to spend a dime or do any work at all to see this bike come alive and ride off into the sunset under motor power. Plus I get to further feed an addiction, contributing to the delinquency of a senior adult, a partner in crime. I'll spend some more time today in dismantling it to send off to Canada. I can't think of a better fate for this old bike... saved from the dump by my Indian friend who passed it along to my friend of twenty years ago, Scott, who gave it to me and now it is being passed along to my friend Steve from another Indian giver. The Monarch will live on. It will be fun to follow Steve's build thread this winter.
I think we did OK on this treasure hunt. And all winter I'll be wondering what is in those sheds...somewhere around a hundred and fifty bikes to look through... I can hardly wait.
SB