# garage sale find. any help i.d.ing this old ballooner?



## Metal Militia (Aug 4, 2009)

hi.  i hope i'm in the right category with this.  i picked this up at a garage sale.  i was hoping someone could help with any info on what it is, and what's original to the bike.
the rims do not match.  the rear has a new d hub.  i think the rack is a colson?  nasty patch job on the seat stay i'll have to get repaired.  looks like the fork might be chrome?  i'll have to dig for the serial # if it helps, it's buried on the bb under at least 2 coats of red paint.  
thanks for any help or advice, will


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## Strings-n-Spokes (Aug 4, 2009)

Ok I am not sure and stand to be corrected, but...

I think that it looks kind of like an Elgin Blackhawk w/o a tank
Or maybe the Hawthorne that was so similar.

IDK

Did Phil go on Cabe vacation?


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## redline1968 (Aug 4, 2009)

yes hawthorn or elgin. tank is gone and looks like the fork is bent nice rare bike. i am going to say hawthorne now that i looked closely.


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## Oldbikes (Aug 4, 2009)

The rack is NOT Colson and is original to the bike.  Needs a lot of work, but a nice find!


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## STRADALITE (Aug 4, 2009)

The Elgin Blackack and Falcon have a double top tube. The rack wraps around the seatpost and attaches to the tank. 
Page 57 of 'Evolution of the Bike 2' has a 37 Columbia that is very similar to this bike.
Josh


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## RMS37 (Aug 4, 2009)

It?s great to stumble back in here after spending the last few days building for and then recuperating from the Ratrod build-off and find this post. 

The bike is a Westfield Manufacturing built bike and one of the rarer of the versions they produced.

Westfield Manufacturing produced the top of the line Twinbar Airider for their in-house brand, Columbia. A version of the same bike but with some slight differences was produced for Sears as the Blackhawk or Falcon. The bike you have which is again similar but with a single top tube and wishbone seat stays was produced and marketed under both in-house (Westfield) and second tier brands (Rugby for one).  There was also a tank-less arch-truss version of this frame.

I have a bike with the same frame as yours badged Rugby. My bike is a 1935 model and has a tank and Stainless rain gutter fenders. I wouls guess your bike is probably a 1936 with the later style crescent fenders.  

The serial number on the bottlom bracket will tell you the year it was produced.

Your bike would have originally had a tank like a Blackhawk but with slightly different mounting holes and two hanger straps (Blackhawks use the front end of the rack to hold up the rear of the tank). 

It will be hard to tell how it was originally badged as the hole placement will be your only clue.

The largest percentage of production of these similar models seems to have been absorbed by Sears. The Columbia badged ?Twinbar? frames and the single bar frames are much less common in the hobby today.

Great Find!


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## Metal Militia (Aug 4, 2009)

wow, thanks for all the great info.  if anyone has anything wlse to add, i would appreciate it.
the serial # is on the bb, it reads                A9
                                                        M90245
and looks like it is handstamped.
the headbadge screws are located on the right and left sides of the headtube.
i gave it a 20 min tune up and took it for a ride tonight.  it's a tank to get moving, but was very smooth and will really cruise with an overhaul.
phil, i'd love to see pics of the rugby if possible.  i also just finished the ratrod build off, lots of great bikes, and i am ready for my next project.
thanks to all, will


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## RMS37 (Aug 5, 2009)

A9/M90245 is earlier than I thought. The serial number translates to fall of 1934. I was unsure about the fenders when I looked at the picture, the braces are not the flat braces I would expect and the front fender doesn?t have a duck tail. The likelihood is that the bike originally had rain-gutter fenders and they were replaced at some point.

Here is a picture of my Rugby. This is what was left of the original paint under a thick red 60?s house paint ?refurbishment". It's hard to pick a single favorite out of my collection but I have a strong attachment to this one.


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## slowroller1842 (Aug 6, 2009)

Both of you guys have some nice bikes there.  Is it just me or do bicycles look better in the snow?


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## Adamtinkerer (Aug 7, 2009)

I believe those rewelds fall into the "bubble gum and bird poop" category!!!! But that's a super sweet find Metal!


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