Go Back  Bike Forums > Bike Forums > Classic & Vintage
Reload this Page >

Vintage Kent Rollin' Thunder

Notices
Classic & Vintage This forum is to discuss the many aspects of classic and vintage bicycles, including musclebikes, lightweights, middleweights, hi-wheelers, bone-shakers, safety bikes and much more.

Vintage Kent Rollin' Thunder

Old 02-18-20, 04:13 PM
  #1  
JTSpeedDemon
Member
Thread Starter
 
JTSpeedDemon's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2020
Location: Texas
Posts: 32

Bikes: Kent Rollin' Thunder 10-spd/overdrive

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 17 Post(s)
Liked 7 Times in 4 Posts
Vintage Kent Rollin' Thunder

Hi, I'm new here.

I have a neighbor who collects junk off people's curbs, and one day when I was walking my dogs past, I noticed this beauty. My research indicates it's a late 80s-early 90s Kent Rollin' Thunder, and it's obviously a 10 speed with overdrive. I was really excited when I saw it, since my current bike is a crappy Walmart $80 Schwinn BMX.

Long story short, I picked it up today for only $5!!!!

Obviously, it's missing the seat and pedals, but the tires hold air, I think they're original, and everything looks straight, so no wrecks. The paint is hardly even scratched! There's a bit of rust on the crank arms and the front reflector mount, but I can fix that. The bearings and freewheel mechanism are great, and the brakes work excellently, locking up either tire when I want.
I think the derailer is shot, it doesn't seem to want to shift(although I'm not sure since it's not rideable yet) and it seems to leave the chain a little slack.

I've got a few questions:

I think the front tire is backwards, thoughts?

Parts like the derailer should be fairly universal, right? I just want to make sure Kent doesn't use some weird size.

I've heard only 1,000 of these bikes were made, does anyone know?



Feel free to chat about the bike, but advice would be awesome. I have a nice bike shop nearby, so I'll probably save up some money and take it over there. I also need to see if the pedals on my Schwinn BMX will fit this thing.


NOTE - The site isn't letting me post pics until I make 10 posts, so I'll post pics when that happens. Sorry!
JTSpeedDemon is offline  
Old 02-18-20, 04:50 PM
  #2  
juvela
Senior Member
 
juvela's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: Alta California
Posts: 14,317
Mentioned: 414 Post(s)
Tagged: 1 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3780 Post(s)
Liked 3,284 Times in 2,145 Posts
-----

If memory serves Kent is a chainstore brand.

When you are able to post images forum members may be able to identify the actual manufacturer, in case you are curious.

Forum members have an "album" they can post images to.

If you have pictures of the bicycle you can place them there and folks will be able to pull them out.

Another workaround is to upload them to a host site and post the URL here in munged form (software does not permit posting of URL's until a member has ten posts).

-----
juvela is offline  
Old 02-18-20, 05:10 PM
  #3  
cb400bill
Forum Moderator
 
cb400bill's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: Kalamazoo MI
Posts: 21,321

Bikes: Fuji SL2.1 Carbon Di2 Cannondale Synapse Alloy 4 Trek Checkpoint ALR-5 Viscount Aerospace Pro Colnago Classic Rabobank Schwinn Waterford PMount Raleigh C50 Cromoly Hybrid Legnano Tipo Roma Pista

Mentioned: 58 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3059 Post(s)
Liked 6,376 Times in 3,689 Posts
Pic Assist


cb400bill is offline  
Likes For cb400bill:
Old 02-19-20, 02:30 PM
  #4  
T-Mar
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2004
Posts: 23,233
Mentioned: 652 Post(s)
Tagged: 1 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4719 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 3,034 Times in 1,874 Posts
Even if there were only 1,000 manufactured, this still only a $5.00 bicycle. It's a bottom of the barrel model, typical of those sold at the X-Mart box stores. It looks like everything is steel, except for maybe the rims, so it's probably very heavy. It's a pseudo ATB in that it styled like an ATB to appeal to the lo\west common denominator consumer but it doesn't have true ATB features like cantilever brakes and triple chainrings. It probably is early 1990s. The freewheel looks to be a standard 28T large cog and it appears to have friction shifting, so just about any inexpensive claw mount rear derailleur should be able to handle the job.
T-Mar is offline  
Likes For T-Mar:
Old 02-19-20, 06:47 PM
  #5  
JTSpeedDemon
Member
Thread Starter
 
JTSpeedDemon's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2020
Location: Texas
Posts: 32

Bikes: Kent Rollin' Thunder 10-spd/overdrive

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 17 Post(s)
Liked 7 Times in 4 Posts
Ok good to know. Part of me is disappointed it's not very remarkable, but at any rate, I'm just going to be using it to get around town comfortably, it's not going in a museum, and it's still better than my current Schwinn BMX. Plus it doesn't need specialized rare parts either!
I'm pretty sure the frame is steel, I haven't taken a magnet to it, but it's a little hefty. It's still lighter than my BMX, and the tubing is noticeably smaller.

It's still a neat bike!

BTW - Can someone confirm if my front tire is on backwards??
JTSpeedDemon is offline  
Likes For JTSpeedDemon:
Old 02-19-20, 07:48 PM
  #6  
obrentharris 
Senior Member
 
obrentharris's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2012
Location: Point Reyes Station, California
Posts: 4,715

Bikes: Indeed!

Mentioned: 92 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1504 Post(s)
Liked 3,441 Times in 1,127 Posts
Originally Posted by JTSpeedDemon

BTW - Can someone confirm if my front tire is on backwards??
Yes, The front tire is mounted backwards (not that it makes very much difference unless you're riding on steep technical trails.)
You can remedy that by unbolting the wheel and turning it around. Don't have to remove the tire.
Brent
obrentharris is online now  
Likes For obrentharris:
Old 02-19-20, 09:55 PM
  #7  
JTSpeedDemon
Member
Thread Starter
 
JTSpeedDemon's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2020
Location: Texas
Posts: 32

Bikes: Kent Rollin' Thunder 10-spd/overdrive

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 17 Post(s)
Liked 7 Times in 4 Posts
Great, thanks! I'll fix that soon.
JTSpeedDemon is offline  
Old 02-20-20, 07:24 AM
  #8  
T-Mar
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2004
Posts: 23,233
Mentioned: 652 Post(s)
Tagged: 1 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4719 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 3,034 Times in 1,874 Posts
Many tyres are designed to be directional and in these cases the front tyre is often mounted to rotate in the opposite direction of the rear tyre, on the premise that the rear tyre performs the driving while the front tyre provides most of the braking. Rotational direction is not a concern on hard surfaces but becomes more important as the surface becomes looser and softer. If you examine the sidewalls of the tyre, there may be directional arrows on them. Lacking directional arrows, I would have mounted them as shown.
T-Mar is offline  
Likes For T-Mar:
Old 02-20-20, 08:23 AM
  #9  
DMC707
Senior Member
 
DMC707's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: Norman, Oklahoma
Posts: 5,389

Bikes: Too many to list

Mentioned: 36 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1764 Post(s)
Liked 1,119 Times in 743 Posts
If the derailleur does not work - the first thing I would check is to make sure the cable itself moves freely inside the housing. If it doesn't, that may be the culprit for the shifting issues

Good luck with it
DMC707 is offline  
Likes For DMC707:
Old 02-21-20, 11:13 AM
  #10  
JTSpeedDemon
Member
Thread Starter
 
JTSpeedDemon's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2020
Location: Texas
Posts: 32

Bikes: Kent Rollin' Thunder 10-spd/overdrive

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 17 Post(s)
Liked 7 Times in 4 Posts
Thanks for the input all! I need to get off my tired butt and get working on it! I'm going to try to recondition the parts as best as I can, as I'm on quite a budget. So first off will be a general lube/adjustment, check the tires, find out what the frame's made of, etc.
I still need to check if my Schwinn BMX pedals will fit. I'd imagine pedal threads are fairly universal?
JTSpeedDemon is offline  
Old 02-21-20, 11:36 AM
  #11  
2old
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: socal
Posts: 4,217
Mentioned: 9 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 872 Post(s)
Liked 795 Times in 603 Posts
Size of frame tubes mean very likely it's steel. BMX pedal size frequently is 1/2" and MTB 9/16" so may not fit. Excellent chance that cable/housing change or just lubrication will correct rear derailleur problem.
2old is offline  
Likes For 2old:
Old 02-21-20, 11:50 AM
  #12  
T-Mar
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2004
Posts: 23,233
Mentioned: 652 Post(s)
Tagged: 1 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4719 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 3,034 Times in 1,874 Posts
As noted, there are two common pedal threads, 1/2" and 9/16". Being a department store bicycle with a one piece crankset, it wouldn't surprise me if the subject bicycle has 1/2" pedals. Be aware that the right/drive side pedal is right hand thread, while the left/non-drive pedal is left hand thread. Most pedals are marked with an L & R on the wrench flats or axle end.
T-Mar is offline  
Likes For T-Mar:
Old 02-21-20, 03:46 PM
  #13  
unterhausen
Randomhead
 
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Happy Valley, Pennsylvania
Posts: 24,362
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4 Post(s)
Liked 3,662 Times in 2,496 Posts
Kent was someone's house brand, I think. I never figured out who sold them, but they would show up at the shop occasionally in the early '80s. They weren't the worst, but there wasn't a line of us mechanics hoping to work on them.

I doubt there were only 1000 made of any given model. Maybe per week.
unterhausen is offline  
Likes For unterhausen:
Old 02-21-20, 08:25 PM
  #14  
JTSpeedDemon
Member
Thread Starter
 
JTSpeedDemon's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2020
Location: Texas
Posts: 32

Bikes: Kent Rollin' Thunder 10-spd/overdrive

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 17 Post(s)
Liked 7 Times in 4 Posts
Seems to be a sizeable corporation, at least now:https://kent.bike/
I'm just glad it's not my brother's Huffy!!
JTSpeedDemon is offline  
Old 02-21-20, 09:21 PM
  #15  
RandomlyWest
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Dec 2016
Location: Huntington Beach, CA
Posts: 77

Bikes: 2021 Batch Mountain Bicycle, 1989 Schwinn Impact, 2018 Micargi Avant, 1985 Asahi 790, 1974 Schwinn Continental, 2021 SE Lager

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 40 Post(s)
Liked 16 Times in 12 Posts
Originally Posted by JTSpeedDemon
Seems to be a sizeable corporation, at least now:https://kent.bike/
I'm just glad it's not my brother's Huffy!!
Kent is the "house brand" of Big 5 Sporting Goods. Walk into any Big 5, and you'll see their current fixed gear, mountain, city, and cruiser bikes. Their Thruster model is a very inexpensive fixed gear/single speed bike - I see them repeatedly in Southern California.
RandomlyWest is offline  
Old 02-21-20, 10:52 PM
  #16  
curbtender
Senior Member
 
curbtender's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: SF Bay Area, East bay
Posts: 8,680

Bikes: Miyata 618 GT, Marinoni, Kestral 200 2002 Trek 5200, KHS Flite, Koga Miyata, Schwinn Spitfire 5, Mondia Special, Univega Alpina, Miyata team Ti, Santa Cruz Highball

Mentioned: 52 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1589 Post(s)
Liked 2,486 Times in 1,188 Posts
Too bad it wasn't a Clark Kent.
curbtender is offline  
Old 02-22-20, 05:32 AM
  #17  
T-Mar
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2004
Posts: 23,233
Mentioned: 652 Post(s)
Tagged: 1 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4719 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 3,034 Times in 1,874 Posts
Kent was never a "house brand". The Kent brand dates back to 1958 and since it's beginning has been owned by Kent International. The company is headquartered in New Jersey, where the bicycles were originally manufactured. Over the years, the bicycles also been manufactured by various Asian sources, though the company has recently brought back manufacturing to a California factory. The Kent brand was marketed through various large retail chains, which may have given the impression that it was a house brand but these retailers did not own the brand, so Kent should not be considered a house brand. It's worth noting that Kent International has revived and now owns two brands familiar to many C& V members; Shogun and Takara.
T-Mar is offline  
Old 02-22-20, 09:35 PM
  #18  
JTSpeedDemon
Member
Thread Starter
 
JTSpeedDemon's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2020
Location: Texas
Posts: 32

Bikes: Kent Rollin' Thunder 10-spd/overdrive

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 17 Post(s)
Liked 7 Times in 4 Posts
You guys are THE BEST! I took the pedals and seat/post off my Schwinn BMX, and lo and behold, they fit the Kent! So after some lubing, plus adjusting the derailleur cables, and I got to ride it today! I found out the shifters are the non sequential type, so it's really cool to feel for the gears! Took me a little bit, but I'm starting to get the hang of it.
This bike is SO much better to ride than my BMX! It actually fits me properly(my BMX is too small now), plus the 10 speeds are so nice to use compared to a single speed!
I still need to readjust the brakes, but overall:

Thanks for your help, guys!!!

Oh yeah, and I confirmed that there are no directional arrows on the tires(I'll let it be as-is as far as the front tire), and the frame and rims are steel.


JTSpeedDemon is offline  
Likes For JTSpeedDemon:
Old 02-23-20, 10:21 AM
  #19  
curbtender
Senior Member
 
curbtender's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: SF Bay Area, East bay
Posts: 8,680

Bikes: Miyata 618 GT, Marinoni, Kestral 200 2002 Trek 5200, KHS Flite, Koga Miyata, Schwinn Spitfire 5, Mondia Special, Univega Alpina, Miyata team Ti, Santa Cruz Highball

Mentioned: 52 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1589 Post(s)
Liked 2,486 Times in 1,188 Posts
Turned out nice. The lettering mimics the Specialized brand. You'll have no trouble upgrading now...
curbtender is offline  
Likes For curbtender:
Old 02-23-20, 10:59 AM
  #20  
JTSpeedDemon
Member
Thread Starter
 
JTSpeedDemon's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2020
Location: Texas
Posts: 32

Bikes: Kent Rollin' Thunder 10-spd/overdrive

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 17 Post(s)
Liked 7 Times in 4 Posts
Haha, that's just to ride it! I'd say it's still far from nice!
It's hard to see in the picture, but there's light corrosion on the cranks and the front reflector mount, and the paint needs some help right around the seat post. Plus it needs the brakes to be properly adjusted, plus maybe some new pads.

As far as upgrades, it would be cool to upgrade to front disc brakes, or maybe even double discs. But that needs more budget I don't have, so for now I'm just going to fix it up to ride nice.
That includes a cushy seat! That Schwinn BMX seat is ROCK HARD!

I'm actually going to be using this bike this fall to get to my early morning religious seminary classes, that was part of my motivation to fix this thing up.
JTSpeedDemon is offline  
Old 02-23-20, 01:47 PM
  #21  
alcjphil
Senior Member
 
alcjphil's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: Montreal, Quebec
Posts: 5,869
Mentioned: 16 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1792 Post(s)
Liked 1,671 Times in 955 Posts
Originally Posted by JTSpeedDemon

As far as upgrades, it would be cool to upgrade to front disc brakes, or maybe even double discs. But that needs more budget I don't have, so for now I'm just going to fix it up to ride nice.
That includes a cushy seat! That Schwinn BMX seat is ROCK HARD!
.
Stop right there. This bike cannot be upgraded economically to disc brakes, front or rear. Overhaul what you have, get your brakes working properly with new cables and brake pads
alcjphil is online now  
Old 02-23-20, 02:06 PM
  #22  
dedhed
SE Wis
 
dedhed's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Milwaukee, WI
Posts: 10,516

Bikes: '68 Raleigh Sprite, '02 Raleigh C500, '84 Raleigh Gran Prix, '91 Trek 400, 2013 Novara Randonee, 1990 Trek 970

Mentioned: 40 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2731 Post(s)
Liked 3,356 Times in 2,034 Posts
Originally Posted by JTSpeedDemon
As far as upgrades, it would be cool to upgrade to front disc brakes, or maybe even double discs. But that needs more budget I don't have, so for now I'm just going to fix it up to ride nice.
That includes a cushy seat! That Schwinn BMX seat is ROCK HARD!
Just typing that in is more than you should have spent entertaining the thought of that "upgrade".
dedhed is offline  
Old 02-23-20, 04:12 PM
  #23  
JTSpeedDemon
Member
Thread Starter
 
JTSpeedDemon's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2020
Location: Texas
Posts: 32

Bikes: Kent Rollin' Thunder 10-spd/overdrive

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 17 Post(s)
Liked 7 Times in 4 Posts
Eh, that's fine. It was just an idea, and like I said, I don't have nearly the budget for that!
JTSpeedDemon is offline  
Old 02-23-20, 10:28 PM
  #24  
ThermionicScott 
working on my sandal tan
 
ThermionicScott's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: CID
Posts: 22,625

Bikes: 1991 Bianchi Eros, 1964 Armstrong, 1988 Diamondback Ascent, 1988 Bianchi Premio, 1987 Bianchi Sport SX, 1980s Raleigh mixte (hers), All-City Space Horse (hers)

Mentioned: 98 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3868 Post(s)
Liked 2,560 Times in 1,574 Posts
That reminds me of the Huffy "White Heat" that I absolutely needed to have circa 1992. I should drag it out of the storage garage and start a thread for it.

BTW, try not to lay the bike on its right side anymore. That's a good way to bend the rear derailleur and mess up the shifting.
__________________
Originally Posted by chandltp
There's no such thing as too far.. just lack of time
Originally Posted by noglider
People in this forum are not typical.
RUSA #7498
ThermionicScott is offline  
Likes For ThermionicScott:
Old 02-24-20, 08:34 AM
  #25  
DMC707
Senior Member
 
DMC707's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: Norman, Oklahoma
Posts: 5,389

Bikes: Too many to list

Mentioned: 36 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1764 Post(s)
Liked 1,119 Times in 743 Posts
Originally Posted by JTSpeedDemon
Thanks for your help, guys!!!


Im glad its working well for you !

BEst of luck with your studies as well
DMC707 is offline  
Likes For DMC707:

Thread Tools
Search this Thread

Contact Us - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Terms of Service -

Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.