# I.D.my Columbia Military Model



## sam (Jan 11, 2012)

SAM ... please send us a pic of the south-pole of the hanger-bracket on your Military Model Columbia ... also ... a few pics of the fender bridges ... and .. close-up pics 
of the under-tank-bar joins to the frame ... some folks call these trumpet-mouth joins. The spirit-voice in my head says ... "dude .. that bicycle may be a Davis-Built !!" 

........ thata frame ... sheeza drivin' me cray-zee !!!!!!! There is not enough Prozac on the planet to make the spirit-voice take a nap !!!! i gots to know !!! 

Thank you, SAM ........................ patric   Reply With Quote            .


Thanks for the inquiry Patric.This is just the way Collin and I invisioned this group.
a bit of history on the bike: As I said on the G503 forum this bike is a pieced together but I feel ti repersents a Columbia Military Model--and possably it is a Tru military bike.
I got the frame off ebay several years ago--seller said he though it was a Columbia but not sure.The bike came out of Hawaii and came painted in battleship gray paint(not factory)
It hung in my shop several years while I tryed to piece together what it was.I even looked online at Your(Patric)Flying Merkle,Schwinns,Meads etc.Nothing fit.   
So what I.D.s it as a columbia frame? The head tube. Columbia bikes use a Pope or Westfield held pattened head tube.I'll follow-up with some photos.


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## sam (Jan 11, 2012)

This is the bike as I restored it




The fenders and braces are from the era , common 28" style
grips are gray/pedals are late but have white rubber blocks.These three parts are the "best" replacements for Originals I could get.
The paint was coded by Phil Eckman to the color under his headbadge.Military paint code 30118.


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## sam (Jan 11, 2012)

Some photos first of the parts ask for by Patric:












Next the reason I say it's a columbia...the Columbia pattened headtube---as stated in the Columbia Catalog only columbia brazes in an extra reinforcement ring into their head tubes



a second pic of the reinforceing ring


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## Wing Your Heel (Jan 18, 2012)

*Army Motors article*

Here's the article from Army Motors #95, Spring 2001 (thanks, Brian - ww2jeep@gmail.com if you want your own copy)


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## hoofhearted (Jan 18, 2012)

SAM ... thank you for a brilliantly-informative article surrounding your Columia Military Bicycle !!!  The pics of your bicycle 
are greatly appreciated and put to rest any churning possiblity that your wheel is anything other than a Columbia-Built !!! 
WELL DONE, SAM !!!                                                                              .......................  patric

POST SCRIPT .........    COLIN .... if you're out there .... thank you for gettin' this Military Thread started !!!


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## Richard (Feb 3, 2012)

WOW, That is fantastic, I would love to find one.....Thanks for sharing.

Richard


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## catfish (Feb 3, 2012)

sam said:


> This is the bike as I restored it
> 
> 
> 
> ...




Nice Bike! How about a better photo of the badge?


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## New Mexico Brant (Jul 8, 2019)

bump


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## Mercian (Dec 1, 2020)

Hi All,

doing a little research, and came across the original photo for the picture used in the "Army Motors" article in post 4, above.




Detail from Getty Image: https://www.gettyimages.co.uk/detai...renault-ft-news-photo/591970734?adppopup=true

Sadly, the handlebars don't look very 'Military Model'.

The original caption is:

Two US Army calvalrymen seen here watching a Renault FT light tanks towing a truck loaded with bicycles going forward on the first day of the Battle of Saint-Mihiel. 12th September 1918.

Best Regards,

Adrian


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## blackcat (Dec 1, 2020)

Hello Adrian;
Beautiful image, i would say civilian recovery bikes.
Regards;
Serge


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