# The Controversial Columbia Compax



## Jesse McCauley (Mar 6, 2013)

My Columbia Compax Sports Traveler.
A before and after picture

I am told by an authority in the field that this particular Compax, and others with the extra support bar in the rear triangle, were made specially for military training/testing use. They apparently are not represented in any catalog in this style. 

The bike is in fantastic condition, nearly everything is original aside from the grips, with the added speedometer I haven't removed yet. 
Blacked-out crank and hubs, canvas saddle. 
The adjustable bars are down in the 'after' photo, I'm tempted to buy another pair to try to duplicate.


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## Stony (Mar 7, 2013)

Thanks for posting the info and the pictures. Good to know that this is a rare model with the extra support.


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## scrubbinrims (Mar 7, 2013)

I came across one of these just a week ago that I assume is rare because it is a balloon tire model (plug... as it is in the for sale section)
There are also different ways these are labeled/badged which could also be interpreted as rare.
Maybe the prewar version is more rare than the postwar version.
Me thinks a variation here and there does not constitute rare or just about every bicycle could be considered rare having unique characteristics and condition.
This model generalized is not rare.
Chris


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## fordmike65 (Mar 7, 2013)

Is that the correct seat? I picked on up a while ago just like that & bolted it to a rat build.


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## MrColumbia (Mar 7, 2013)

This style frame was only made during the war in both lightweight and balloon versions. That is the correct seat. As rare goes, pre-war models were only made by Columbia 2 years and those are probably the rarest of the Columbia Compax bikes. These wartime Compax bikes come in a close second on the rare list of this bike. There was at lest 7 years of postwar production making those the least "rare".


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## Jesse McCauley (Mar 7, 2013)

*Followup*

Speaking of the professional in the field, thanks Mr. Columbia. 

Any indicators as to how many of these were made?


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## MrColumbia (Mar 8, 2013)

Jesse McCauley said:


> Any indicators as to how many of these were made?




    I have no idea. The little information I have came from Harold Mashin, the engineer at Columbia who designed this frame. He told my father and myself that it was designed for military application even though every one I have ever seen is in factory wartime civilian colors with blackout hubs. My father searched the archives at Columbia for more information but never found any records of this frame. No catalog reference, sales flyer, blue print...nothing. A letter from the columbia sales department to dealers that I have posted on my site even states that Westfield never made any Compax bikes for civilian use during the war. 

   I have come across several in both lightweight and balloon tire versions myself and have one of each in my collectiion. I have no doubt there is quite a few of them out there. 

 Even though my lightweight was maroon from the factory I know it was originaly owned by the navy and used on the base at Lakehurst NJ during the war. The balloon tire Compax I have is black but has the correct OD Green grips that were suppied on all military bikes during the war. My _working theory _is many if not most of these were sold to the military during the war and used on stateside bases. There would be no need to paint them in OD for that use either by the factory or by the base once they received them. Look at old pictures and movies, there were lots of vehicles in civilian colors used on bases here at home.


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