1942/43? Wartime Columbia Sports Tourist

[prewarmachine]

Just going off my burgandy 44' Huffman. No badge and no holes. Thought I heard that was pretty normal to reduce the use of brass being used.

 

[Krakatoa]

@Muji

 

[gkeep]

Wow! That is a beauty! Original wood pedal blocks, painted rims and all the wartime features. A real museum piece.
All the random things dropped off in my yard are from the neighborhood pooches.

 

[SirMike1983]

Sailorbenjamin's wartime tall frame Columbia had the same type of badge.

In his case, the badge was made of steel with paint over it (to conserve brass).

 

[Jewelman13]

Hi @Jewelman13

The serial number certainly isn't under the paint.

You can see from this one made a couple of months earlier how the number is stamped after the paint is applied, which is why the numbers are rusty. They are also big and bold - difficult to miss!

View attachment 1819034
Photo credit @mikecuda

Best Regards,

Adrian

Yes sir. That’s how my other Columbia bikes are stamped. This wartime bike is unique

 

[GTs58]

Manufacturers probably had thousands of badges already made before the war. I still don’t understand any significance of not having a badge on a civilian bike, it probably wasn’t saving nothing as far as materials go. I can understand if it was being used by the military and some were even painted over.

 

[Mercian]

Isn't it also a bit strange to have all of the blacked out components, but still have the badge on it?

Hi @prewarmachine. Thanks for the thought.

Blacked out parts seem to have run through to the end of the war (I'm sure there were stocks that needed to be used up), and you see mixtures of chromed and black parts on 1945 bikes.

Late 1943, like this, it should be blacked out, as it is.

Certain parts were also absent, for austerity, so no racks, no chain guards, and no rubber pedals, which again, is correct on this one.

The badge question is an interesting one. As I think you know, civilian bikes lost their badges (military continued), and the serial numbers of Westfield and Huffman reflect this by being prefixed W for Westfield or H for Huffman.

This late 1942 (frame is July 1942, but it was built up after a large batch of G519 in Oct-Nov 1942) from @Goldslinger is the first W prefix Westfield serialed bike I have listed. It has no badge.

26x1.375replacement | Vintage Lightweight Bicycles

Looking for ideas for replacement tires for my daughter’s war era Elgin sports tourist. I know they don’t make the that size anymore.

thecabe.com

To confirm, this is the first H prefix Huffman I have listed, from @Wards Guy.. built about Sept 1942.

Blackout (Huffman??) bike greasy too! | Archive (sold or withdrawn)

Who needs a blackout build. A 26” bike with no headbadge or holes. Cool front fork. Straight frame with kickstand crank, seat and post, wheel with blackout hub and beat up fender $250 shipped

thecabe.com

Your comment has made me look back at those survivors I have listed to try to find when badges returned.

From the end of 1942, regardless of model, only MG and W prefixes are used.

MG are Military bikes, and have badges.

W are civilian bikes, and do not have badges.

From the end of 1943, MG, MC, W and G prefixes are used, in mixed batches, such as at the end of 1944 here:

The first of these later G prefixes I have recorded is this Compax F92L. The serial number is Nov to Dec 1943. It has a badge.

Original U.S. WWII 1943 Westfield Compax Model F 92-L Marine Corps Paratrooper Folding Bicycle

Original Item: Only One Available. On December 23rd, 1937 a U.S. Patent was filed for a collapsible bicycle. The patent had six unique features to make it fold into a small space for easy storage and transport. The Patent was awarded on August 13th, 1940.In 1938 the Compax Mfg Co. Inc...

www.ima-usa.com

This Sports Tourist of @Krakatoa made only a couple of days earlier is W prefix, and no badge.

~ 40'S Westfield Lightweight Military Bicycle Frame/Fork/Blackout Bars/Blackout Sprocket! ~ | Sell - Trade: Bicycle Parts, Accessories, Ephemera

What's left of a very interesting W175245 serial number Westfield Manufacturing lightweight step-through type war era bicycle. Has extra brazing over all frame junctures, looks like og light blue was painted over olive drab under the red housepaint. PM me questions regarding this bike. I have...

thecabe.com

So, is this when badges returned?

Sort of.

From then on Sports Tourists are W prefixed with no badge, until the end of 1944. From 1st January 1945, W and G prefixes are dropped, and the date code letter prefix J is used for all bicycles. And they all seem to have badges from then on, such as this Sports Tourist of @Krakatoa , which is still using blackout parts.

Sold - ~ '45 Columbia Ladies "Sports Tourist" Blackout Lightweight~ | Archive (sold or withdrawn)

Offered is a rare and unusual 1945 Columbia Ladies "Sports Tourist" lightweight bicycle. Serial # J58489, 20" crank center to top of seat tube measurement. This nearly all original survivor was produced just as Wartime restrictions were being lifted and is fitted with a full compliment of...

thecabe.com

So it seems that the Austerity Sports Tourists were W prefixed with no badges up to the end of 1944.

Things seem to have relaxed at that time, since we start to see ballon bicycles again. Although W prefixed, they have badges, such as this December 1944 example from @DonChristie

Wartime Columbia Spitfire redo | Project Rides

I figured I would post pics and progress on my Columbia Spitfire bike. This was a CL score about an hour away and a good price! At first it caught my eye because It was all original, well except for the tires. It had a certain character, so it was mine. My plan is to clean, grease and ride her...

thecabe.com

The other bike being produced in large numbers by Westfield is the Compax. The numbering for this is odd, since (from the survivors list I've compiled below), the G to the end of 1942 have badges (and unreinforced frames). In 1943, the W149035 has no badge. This one I own, it's not even drilled for a badge, as the photo below shows.

Those frames prefixed G have badges.

Perhaps because the Compax was not an austerity pattern bicycle, the rules did not apply in the same way? They were being bought by the government for rest camps, etc, so were they badgedbecause they were under Government regulations? But then, the Sports models were bought for the same reason, and they were not badged. I don't have an answer yet.

A further Compax oddity is that G43404A above is badged, the next survivor is W54793A, which isn't.

Incidentally, the Compax reinforced 'Military' frames ran though to the end of 1945. I have not found any K prefixed 1946 Compax's with the reinforced frame.

Best Regards,

Adrian

 

[Jewelman13]

Here’s something I noticed that’s different from the other bikes posted, is the down tube decal is missing the Columbia manufacturer decal… Compared to @sailorbenjamin