# Gotta See!!! 1953 Columbia 5 Star, Southern Fried Rat Bike!



## The Professor (Mar 10, 2015)

A couple of months ago, I popped on CL Kansas City to look at Columbia bikes for sale. I scrolled down and saw the heading, "1940s Columbia Rat Bike..." Had to look, had to call, had to have it. This super sweet leaf, Mary Jane dispensary delivery bike is now mine  

I'm aware that these bikes were heavily reproduced in the 80s and I thought for sure this was one of those, with perhaps the most clever disguise ever concocted by Johnny Dangerously himself. Upon further inspection, this bike became a score for me in my search for Monark parts. The skiptooth wheels, seat post, handlbars and stem are out of a Monark parts bin. The rest of the bike seems to be real 50s Columbia. When I arrived to pick it up, I immediately checked the horn, it worked. I checked for original color and found Mohawk Maroon on the drop outs, ivory around the headbadge, and I ran the serial number on the Columbia website. It matched to a 1953. When I got it home, I took it apart and searched inside and out for any sign of green... none, all maroon   

I love this bike and I've already done some updates. I would like to clean up the fenders or replace them with original parts, considering they've got holes in them. I have a list of questions for everyone. First off, has anybody ever seen this particular bike, as it is? It seems to me that the person who built this would be or have been on a forum. Second question, would it be better to leave it as a rideable rat, or do a full restoration and bring it back to its former glory? If brought back to its former glory, would it hold the same value as a survivor? Why does it have a Westfield headbadge - I know it was made by the Westfield company, but why doesn't it have a Columbia headbadge? Does this mean anything in particular? How can I tell if it originally had the drum front brake, or if it was like the RX5? Does anybody have a good set of chrome fenders for this bike? 

Any feedback on this subject or this particular bike is MUCH appreciated! I will post updated photos as I have done some work to the bike since these next photos were taken. (Sorry about the photo quality, I will get better photos up as the weather warms up.)


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## mike j (Mar 11, 2015)

That bike is a work of art. I wouldn't change anything, other than a unobtrusive repair on the front fender. Especially when certain laws change over the next few years it may see added value too.


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## the tinker (Mar 11, 2015)

Nice bike professor! If it were mine I would enjoy as is. really like the saddle bags too. you have a lifetime to make back to to original if you want.  I would have fun getting the missing parts needed. couple years from now you could then make the decision if you wish to change it. for the time being enjoy it as is.


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## Freqman1 (Mar 11, 2015)

As the others have said you are best leaving this one as-is. It would cost at least double what it would be worth to restore. There is no way to determine if it had the brake unless you see some marks on the handlebars indicating it had a brake lever. Adding one would be no problem though.  The badge does not really make a difference and you will find these with a number of different badges. Westfield is the company badge and Columbia was their in house brand. A restored bike will rarely ever have the same value as a nice survivor. If you really want an RX5 just buy one--there are some really nice bikes out there and usually pretty reasonable. V/r Shawn


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## rustjunkie (Mar 11, 2015)

That's dope! 
Looks like the front fender might have been cut out for a creative installation of a Persons Siren, perhaps used when making emergency deliveries 





Might find one and put it on there, see if it lines up. 

And: can we please see more pictures of the seat? Especially from the back


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## catfish (Mar 11, 2015)

Somethings can't be unseen......


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## The Professor (Mar 12, 2015)

Thank you for the input everyone! First off, I agree the bike is dope lol. Second of all, @rustjunkie here are some of the pictures of the seat you requested. I'm not sure about this being a seat that's worth a whole lot of money. I think it is a seat off a newer reproduction model of this bike. In the photos you'll see that everything underneath is chromed except what may be an added seat pan. It appears that someone has taken a leather jacket from the 80s with roses on it and stretched the pattern over this seat, then clamped it with this possible additional pan. If you think that this seat is something you've seen before or different than what I think it is, feel free to let me know. What kind of seat were you thinking it might be? 















And as a matter of fact, the guy I got it from actually kept a siren that was on the front fender, where the cut out is, but I'm not sure what kind of it was.


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## The Professor (Mar 12, 2015)

Here are some updated photos. The weather was nice today. Since I got the bike, I've added alloy rims, whitewall tires, ape hangers, a Wald stem, replaced the sprocket with a Columbia sprocket, and rebuilt the bottom bracket with Columbia cups and dust covers. I cleaned up the springer front end and had to straighten out the seat clamp part of the frame and part of the headtube of the fork in order to get the seat post and stem to fit correctly. I've removed some of the gaudy stuff like the dog leash chains hanging from the mudflaps and some of the spikes. I plan on replacing the fenders with a nice set of chrome ones if I can find some. Eventually I hope to remove all of the black spray paint and pick up a nice set of original wheels. 















(Excuse the junk in the background...)


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## mike j (Mar 13, 2015)

Mike, who runs the Dudley swap has nice, reasonable re-pop front chrome fenders for that bike.


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## The Professor (Mar 13, 2015)

Hi.Thanks! Is Mike on this forum? How can I contact him?


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## mike j (Mar 14, 2015)

Try oldroads.com, the Dudley swap will come up, his phone # & email address is on it.


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## vincev (Mar 14, 2015)

OK,someone has to ask .Are those sperm going to the egg chainguard?


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## Boris (Mar 14, 2015)

That comparison could easily be made. The chainguard is a tribute to the late great underground artist Rick Griffin.


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## Jeff54 (Mar 14, 2015)

Dave Marko said:


> That comparison could easily be made. The chainguard is a tribute to the late great underground artist Rick Griffin.





Nice Job, you NAILED it!
In fact  that bike might be inside a magazine somewhere, tribute or maybe even a custom by the man himself. I wouldn't change a thing, tribute or not, and try to find the missing siren to put back inside the fender. 

Interestingly enough, this poster takes me back. My HS math teacher, the guy was a regular pud!. years of being the School's ROTC officer, which my dope brother was in.. in 12 grade I had him and  thanks to me bother, he started right out, not liking me!.. yet by years end I won him over.. with a b+  but that's not the interesting part.. In the beginning of that year he changed his whole profile, from pud  militant, to mod hippy. He had become the manager of the group in this poster 'It's a beautiful day'. He was still a pud but it was fricken hilarious to see this guy attempt to completely do a personal makeover. from hard A militant to hipster.


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## pedal4416 (Mar 14, 2015)

I'd leave it "fresh" how you found it!! Pump up the tires, roll one up and ride!!


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## The Professor (Mar 14, 2015)

That's really interesting. I picked up a Bosch headlight and I am in the middle of turning it into a flying eyeball to mount on the handlebars. I had not made the Griffin connection, just thought it was definitely missing a flying eyeball. Thanx guys.


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## Jeff54 (Mar 14, 2015)

Yeah this bike is dope, man!.. but what's it doing in st louie? from all the ware it's well aged since painted, hippy saddle bag the whole works.. prob somebody migrated from San Fran with it. the roses? are those Pasadena Ca rose parade emblems? sort of resembles em.. was it in the rose parade too? [edit] wait nooo,, for the age of that paint, there's not a chance in hell it would have been in Rose parade, but,, still that seat might be connected to it.


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## Shawn Michael (Mar 14, 2015)

That ride is to cool as it is. I would try to find a replacement front fender and paint it to match the rest. I'm not a smoker but like all the work that went into it. Nice artwork.


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## The Professor (Mar 24, 2015)

I don't know where it originally came from it definitely has that bay area feel. The seat is actually the back of a leather jacket. So maybe the jacket was rose parade themed, but I think it was just an old fringed woman's jacket. I picked this bike up in Kansas city from a guy who had bought out a collection of bikes from 1920-1950. This was the newest bike in the collection and he was selling most of the rest to guy who parts everything out on eBay. He didn't want this one to get parted out. So this bike may have migrated from Cali. It definitely migrated east with my ownership.


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## rollfaster (Mar 24, 2015)

Cool bike man. You need to bring it out to our first group ride of the year. No date yet but were looking at a few Sundays in April. Rob. Rivercityretro.org


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## Jeff54 (Mar 24, 2015)

Whelp either way ya go it's an artistic creation.   Love it just as your 1st photo showed in its originality I'd keep that way. Never change an original work no matter how bad it's been warn down, except for professional touch up restoration. If it wasn't a cop magnet, I'd be spinning it all over, plus make it part of my art collection, whether it's original by or tribute, it totally rocks! That' absolutely the very first bike I've seen repainted  in an artistic style that I liked. #1!


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## The Professor (Mar 24, 2015)

I think if I do anything. I'd just like to get it as close to original as possible without jeopardizing the artistry. I'd like to get chrome fenders. Custom mud flaps, a nice original headlight. And if I ever do any painting to it, it would be back Yellow and I will have the artistry copied and made into vinyl graffix To put back on it. In time I may put a multi speed rear end and a shifter on it. For now it stays like this though. it's my #1 rider. Every time I get a new bike I ride it and then I ride this one and I wonder why I even have 20 other bikes.lol.


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## The Professor (Mar 24, 2015)

Hey Rob! I met you after the Collinsville swap meet when you were loading up. My gf and I approached you because I thought you had a columbia bike.


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## rollfaster (Mar 25, 2015)

The Professor said:


> Hey Rob! I met you after the Collinsville swap meet when you were loading up. My gf and I approached you because I thought you had a columbia bike.




I remember. Sold that huffman, you guys are cool people. Look forward to seeing you at the next ride, I will post them here also as they happen. Rob.


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## bikejunk (Mar 25, 2015)

Why would you think this could look any better than it did when you got it .. It's real folk art...


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## Jeff54 (Mar 25, 2015)

The Professor said:


> I think if I do anything. I'd just like to get it as close to original as possible without jeopardizing the artistry. I'd like to get chrome fenders. Custom mud flaps, a nice original headlight. And if I ever do any painting to it, it would be back Yellow and I will have the artistry copied and made into vinyl graffix To put back on it. In time I may put a multi speed rear end and a shifter on it. For now it stays like this though. it's my #1 rider. Every time I get a new bike I ride it and then I ride this one and I wonder why I even have 20 other bikes.lol.




It's your bike do what ya want but, You're ruining an original work. All the changes/additions you're doing, have planned, ya might as well acid dip it. 

Even with the scuffs and scrapes, pealing graphics the design belongs to whoever created it. If you make copies "vinyl graphix" it's ruined, a copy.

There's only 1 original, ever.

You should contact the family of Rick Griffin try and discover provenience.. Even if he didn't do it, the craftsmanship 'art' on it is terrific. It's got historic era artistic elements that are museum quality. In terms of capitalization, value or worth, every time you change the slightest original thing, you're decreasing its potential.


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## The Professor (Mar 25, 2015)

Ya know that's what this thread is about. If someone knows how the bike originally was built. I'd love to restore it back to its original artist rendering. But when I got it, the man I got it from stripped it of its accessories, and threw the wheels, stem, handlebars and seatpost from an older monark on it, and it was not sizeable the rear cog was skiptooth, front was half pitch. It's to my belief that someone did this while the bike was complete and then it was parted out. the graffix are paper taped on to the bike. I feel that finding original parts and copying the graffix to a waterproof format are the best possible preservation for this bike. Btw, maybe I didn't mention this but, when I got the bike it was not rideable. I'm confident that the artist would be very happy to know that I have taken the bike from an unrideably damaged wallhanger to a very nice rideable bike For many to see. I just put the right #49 bearings in the fork so it is very solid. I'm pretty sure Rick Griffin himself would approve of correct bearing installation. I like the idea of contacting someone to see if it is related to him in some way. I think he would have hand painted the graffix rather than taping paper images to it. I fear that taped on paper could come off in the rain Or just over time. Thanx for the great info Jeff, if you find anything more out about this bike definitely lemme know.


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## Jeff54 (Mar 26, 2015)

> the graffix are paper taped on to the bike. I think he would have hand painted the graffix rather than taping paper images to it. I fear that taped on paper could come off in the rain Or just over time.




Yeah, noticed that in your photos. The application is called: 'Mixed media'. It's been cut out of poster stock paper.  Mixed media art is made by famous and un-famous. So, ya donna wanna mess wit it. Don't coat it just try and keep from messing it up more. 'Don't "restore it" unless you're a professional conservator. (a person responsible for the repair and preservation of works of art, buildings, or other things of cultural or environmental interest.)

That bike was very carefully thought out. It's not just some pothead dope who created it. Not some silly folk art craftsman. Whoever made it is/was an artist. It could be a tribute work, but don't discount that it could be by the master too. Either way, it's art, and ya nebber, ebber wanna be messin wit an artists touch. You don't know whether it was even ride-able  when created too, a mixed media sculpture.

Had a kid in my high school art department who could have made something like that but, I am certain did not. . He was awesome, but got tossed out of back of truck when slamming into a telephone pole, and lived only 3 days more. . 1971/2, the school had even let him paint his pop-art graphics inside the smokers head (bathroom) and other places, out-door lockers etc. .Prob would have been famous as, it was in the period when ya'd get suspended for having hair touch your shoulders, come to school without a bra or too high mini skirt. If you can imagine, A high school during the period,  allowing a kid to paint pop art anywhere on the buildings  is defacing public property, it would have been quite a stretch.   His H.S. work wouldn't be famous but, it was awesome just the same. He could have painted a bike like that but, I'll guarantee ya, I was in the top of the art class and Teacher's assistant for 3 years, knew him well enough, he could not fix a flat or harness a fricken fallen chain. 'mixed media sculpture' ya got a ton of questions to be answered. but start here: The chain guard, is it coincidence that it happens to fit evenly on it? I tried to discover the poster which Rick Griffin made that it was cropped from, but couldn't. 

Is it a rare poster or made for this? It's his little firey spermys, no doubt, a little off center too, but art aint perfect.  . 




 

Ya got a ton of questions to be answered and his family, Ida Griffin wife, he's got 5 kids, this may be his daughter; works at Santa Clara university Allia Ida Griffin   would likely, be more than happy to answer em.

In short, if Rick did this, you could be owning a $5,000-30,000 art piece.

Get in touch, galleries who specialize in his work, family, friends, Rolling stone mag, whatever. 

I sense that I've seen this bike somewhere.

This looks like a good place to start: http://www.myraltis.co.uk/rickgriffin/links.htm

ROBERT BEERBOHM, knew him 1973 until his death, "Rick's last art agent
and semi-partmer when we opened a
Rick Griffin Art Gallery in The Cannery
at San Francisco's Fisherman's Wharf."
sells some of his original work, he may know of this bike too:


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## rocketman (Mar 26, 2015)

*I like it .*

A one of a kind. If you do a little or a lot to it, remember that the before images are so important to this bike or for anything about to be changed or modified. That's how I am with my restorations and or facelifts.  Good luck..................


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## Jeff54 (Mar 26, 2015)

Doing some of your homework for ya, I e-mailed Robert Beerbohm ask if he'd let me send a photo; here's his reply: 

 "DAMN! Please do send ASAP ! And please do not let the present owner destroy it! I am a co-Mod on a Rick Griffin FB page - I will inturn repost it there for the many experts to ascertain. If it is Rick's work, your friend could sell it for a lot of money, buy quite a few OTHER bicycles. Best, "


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## The Professor (Mar 27, 2015)

Sounds cool. Thanks for the info and legwork. Anything I removed from it is still in my possession (I never throw bike parts or hardware)and it can be put back how I bought it if need be.  lemme know what your guy thinks. Let's keep our fingers crossed cause $30,000 would definitely help pay some of my art degree loans. Till then I'm happy just riding it. 
Thanks for keeping me posted Jeff.


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## rollfaster (Mar 23, 2016)

After seeing this bike in person, it is a killer work of art on wheels. I got lost in the innovative artwork this beauty possesses. Maybe you should bring this out to our April 3rd ride at 370 lakeside park?  Even though you brought it out to our season end ride/BBQ last year, I never get tired of looking at it.


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## spoker (Mar 23, 2016)

sounds like that morton dude took the other bikes


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## Boris (Mar 23, 2016)

If any part of that bike was painted by Rick Griffin, I'll eat my hat.


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## rickyd (Mar 23, 2016)

Did I see that in The Big Lebowski?


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## CrazyDave (Mar 23, 2016)

only thing better than a 30K bike is if they woulda filled up the saddle bags with a lil sumthin sumthin for the ride to its new home.


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## mike j (Mar 24, 2016)

Yeah, hide it in plain sight. Almost forgot about that dude, glad to see it's still truckin' on.


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