# 1942 Columbia Sports Tourist



## ohdeebee

Not even sure if this is the right place to post but...
Blackout hubs, stem, handlebars, chainring, 26x1.375 tires, great seat and I'm pretty sure its all original


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## sam

Could be late 40s , the first bikes build after the war used black out hubs too---and yours is the nices one I've seen.Collectors don't seem to have a lot of interest in L/Ws and the roadies don't care for 
American L/Ws.I like it.Hope others on this site do too---sam


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## MrColumbia

Very nice! I have one myself but not in that good condition. 1942 or 43. The pedals on mine are all metal (no rubbers). I've seen others with wood block pedals. Your pedals may have been updated. I have never seen a leather seat on a wartime Columbia either. I wonder if these updates were done when it was new by the original owner. In any case it's the cleanest wartime Columbia I've ever seen.


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## Andrew Gorman

It is a nice looking bike!  How do the Columbia lightweights compare to a Schwinn New World as far as weight and quality? Columbia ballooners I've had have all been heavyweight tanks, and a Roadmaster lightweight I have  is pretty heavy and clunky as well.


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## PCHiggin

Beautiful lightweight,  I don't see any brake levers,does is have  a N/D coaster brake? Maybe you can date the bike by it.

Pat


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## MrColumbia

Here is the scans of the wartime sales flyer/catalog from Columbia.


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## RMS37

As a Westfield bike, the serial number should be all that is needed to date the frame.

One of the things I have noticed that interests me is that this bike and a Westfield military issue balloon I saw last summer both have true, manually welded head tube joints as opposed to the standard internally lugged construction one expects to see on Westfield bikes. 

I wonder if this was due to manufacturing exigencies brought about by building during the war (conserving the  brass used in the internal lug brazing process), training exercises in welding for the new wartime workforce, or perhaps this was part of meeting a government specification in the contract for military bicycles.


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## ohdeebee

Thanks everyone for the compliments and info. It has a very clean ND Model D rear hub. Here is a pic of the serial number under the BB. Thanks again!


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## bud poe

*My lightwieght Hawthorne*

I posted this here before, but didn't get much interest...I learned it was wartime, not pre-war like I had thought originally.  Mine looks similar to yours with the "blackout" components, skip-tooth sprocket and
N/D coaster brake.  I was wondering if these handlebars would've been stock, they look a bit out of place to me...You're lucky no one has tried a "rattle-can restoration" on yours...nice bike!

http://blackdotmetal.blogspot.com/2010/04/had-to-bring-at-least-one-bike-home-pre.html


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## ohdeebee

bud poe said:


> I posted this here before, but didn't get much interest...I learned it was wartime, not pre-war like I had thought originally.  Mine looks similar to yours with the "blackout" components, skip-tooth sprocket and
> N/D coaster brake.  I was wondering if these handlebars would've been stock, they look a bit out of place to me...You're lucky no one has tried a "rattle-can restoration" on yours...nice bike!
> 
> http://blackdotmetal.blogspot.com/2010/04/had-to-bring-at-least-one-bike-home-pre.html




Your bike isn't too shabby either. I really like the reach on your bars, plus you have a nice deep sprung saddle. I believe the handlebars on mine are original. In the brochure above (very nice by the way) it shows those bars and I have two WWII advertisements for the bike showing the same bars.


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## sam

One of the things I have noticed that interests me is that this bike and a Westfield military issue balloon I saw last summer both have true, manually welded head tube joints as opposed to the standard internally lugged construction one expects to see on Westfield bikes. 

I wonder if this was due to manufacturing exigencies brought about by building during the war (conserving the brass used in the internal lug brazing process), training exercises in welding for the new wartime workforce, or perhaps this was part of meeting a government specification in the contract for military bicycles.


FYI---schwinn L/Ws of the war era are also steel welded---they have leaded joints to give them the "schwinn" look.And both Schwinn and Huffman produced L/Ws in Cro-Mo tubing---Late 30s


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## sailorbenjamin

That's the nicest one of those I've seen.  I had a late 30s Shelby lightweight for a while.  It was a great looking bike and it really was light but the level of finish was not up to Schwinn standards, grinder marks at the joints and such.


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## jeep44

I'm opening up this thread, because I just brought home a Columbia Sports Tourist, and I would like to get an idea of the vintage. The serial number is stamped on the side of the dropout, and it is M430566. The frame has "Sports Tourist" on it, like the photo above, and remnants of the "American flag" on the downtube of the seat. There are no chain adjusters-just backwards-facing dropouts. Whether it is original to it, it came with a '49-dated Sturmey Archer 3-speed hub, and a leather Mesinger saddle.

Edit: never mind, I found "Mr Columbia" -apparently this is a 1949 bike.


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## hwstem

That is really sharp bike.


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## HARPO

I have the woman's version in Burgandy in beautiful condition that came from the home of the original owner. 100% original, right down to the wood pedals and tires that say "WAR TIRE" on them. It matches exactly to the ad posted above. I have photos home (not here at the office) so I'll try to remember to post some pics tonight.

fred


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## HARPO

Wait! I found a few!......

fred


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## HARPO

Hmmm.....they wouldn't enlarge just now. Hope this works.


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## ohdeebee

I have an original Schwinn ladies Wartime bike if you're interested...


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## jjwithers

great find!  I have been keeping my eyes peeled for something similar and have had zero luck.  jealous!!!


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## linhely

It is a nice looking bike! How do the Columbia lightweights compare to a Schwinn New World as far as weight and quality? Columbia ballooners I've had have all been heavyweight tanks, and a Roadmaster lightweight I have is pretty heavy and clunky as well. 













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