What do you make of this "Columbia"?

[Gartenmeister]

I had this in a different post but got no response, so trying again.

What do you think of this? Is it some sort of reproduction, or a custom bike? What do you suppose would be a fair price for it?

 

[A.S.BOLTNUT]

Purdy Kool I like it , I'd consider it a Customised Columbia , looks to have some aftermarket parts on it , if I were to sell it ,I'd probably start at 300-350 Range
Of course I wouldn't pay that much .

~ Rafael ~

 

[Fv2]

I'm not aware of a repop in that style, so I'd lean toward custom build as well

I'm curious tho, I see rivet holes in the headbadge but no rivets. Do you know what was used to attach it?

 

[deorman]

Cool "Schwinnified" custom. Looks like something someone here would do. 250 minimum imo.

 

[Gartenmeister]

Do you know what was used to attach it?

Ha, a little bit of adhesive apparently. I pulled it right off.

So the "Columbia" might not be even partially Columbia after all.

 

[deorman]

Oh, it's definitely a Westfield (Columbia=in-house brand) frame and tank. The rest of it, not so much.

 

[Fv2]

Ha, a little bit of adhesive apparently. I pulled it right off.

So the "Columbia" might not be even partially Columbia after all.

Oh, it's definitely a Westfield (Columbia=in-house brand) frame and tank. The rest of it, not so much.

Agreed, its got a lot of different parts. I think whoever built it didn't know how to rivet the badge on, or didn't want to.
I dig the tank, just bought one from another member of the site. And honestly I think the whole bike looks cool.

 

[Wildcat]

Nice bike! The chain guard looks like it's from a Tourist 3, another model that is Columbia. If you pulled off the head badge, did you buy it? If it's for your own use, then you couldn't match the quality of that old Columbia frame for under 2 or 3 hundred bucks. It should have a serial number on the left dropout. Here's a website (Mr. Columbia) where you can match up the number to the year:
http://vintagecolumbiabikes.com/id79.html

 

[Gartenmeister]

Looks like F062839....?

According to the link, "F" was in 1941. That can't be right, can it?

I wonder why there is no F listed from '59-'60....? That seems a more plausible vintage.

 

[Wildcat]

That's a good question. Are the two holes in the head tube for the nameplate spaced horizontally or vertically?

 

[Gartenmeister]

That's a good question. Are the two holes in the head tube for the nameplate spaced horizontally or vertically?

There are no holes in the headtube.

 

[deorman]

I believe there was a "Western Flyer" retro cruiser put out by some other company that used the Westfield design, can't remember the name.

 

[deorman]

Emory/Aerofast was what I was thinking of.

 

[deorman]

Note that on original Westfield/Columbia frames, the top bar completely encompasses the seat post tube, as on the bike originally posted.

 

[Wildcat]

The dropouts are Columbia, even the round stamping indents are the same. That style frame came with a head badge, so maybe the black repaint filled in the little holes. You would have to remove the forks to look inside the head tube to see where they are.
The 1941 Columbia bikes show a rear facing dropout from the pics I've seen, so the serial number is a mystery.
Here's one of the repop Western Flyers, made by Columbia in the 80's to look like a 50's bike. That's what I have read on several places on the web. I remember Columbia also made a Columbia branded green repop vintage cruiser in 1983. I saw them in the local bike ship in Alameda, CA, but 500 bucks was too much, and I had a 53 Schwinn back home. They were nice bikes and well made. I would guess your frame is one of those 80's bikes because there are no holes for a head badge and the serial doesn't match up.

 

[deorman]

I remember those green ones. Completely true to the original, a whole different animal than the red one.

 

[Rustinkerer]

It's a 59 at the latest. Chain guard is og. My 59- -Adam