Old Columbia

[the tinker]

Some folks may recall the bike I built last year called "Cowboy Columbia" I built it for my grandson, unfortunately this new generation thinks that it's unsafe so.... I fooled around with it some and here it is.

That's my neighbor Brian riding it.He really liked it.

I stuck a springer on it...re-pop tank....recovered the saddle with leather from an old chair... bought some fenders from rustjunkie......a rack from Howard Gordon...... a light off a Columbia from big Don.....picked up the re-pop bars from Memory Lane......I originally bought this bike because of the wheels. Nice originals. The bike was missing the fenders and had wrong fork. Price----$80 at a swap. Folks that think these project bikes aren't out there, yes they are and are cheap.

If you are looking for a close match for this bikes original paint, buy this:

Opps, sorry, a faded photo of my dad.....how did that get in here? memories, memories ......

I cut the end off a clear Christmas tree ornament , bought from Hobby Lobby for the headlight lens. The big round ornaments are great for a Rocket Ray Light. The plastic is thick , like the originals.

Anyway, this is this bikes first day out. I may add some striping to the guard and add decals to the tank.
Thanks for looking!

Good Old Dad

 

[MrColumbia]

So you're no longer "horsing around" with this bike. Sorry for the bad pun but someone would have said it eventually. Anyway. good looking bike.

 

[the tinker]

So you're no longer "horsing around" with this bike. Sorry for the bad pun but someone would have said it eventually. Anyway. good looking bike.

Thank you for the compliment! after I built it my daughter did not think it was safe. It was a really big hit on my block with all the kids. They had never seen real 50's cap guns[I put rolls of caps in them and the kids loved them!]
Unfortunately one busy body lady, that has No kids, seen me out front, by the sidewalk with the kids all around looking at this crazy bike with an old man [me] on it, and called the mother of the three boys who were looking at my bike.
Always got to be people looking for problems. Two days after the bike's first ride, I dismantled it.That's the sad world we live in.

 

[MrColumbia]

Don't get me going on this politically correct, over-protective, diapered and emasculated mommy state we now reside in. Kids now are going to grow up afraid of their own shadows if they are protected from that which needs no protection from!

So seeing a cap gun is harmful to a child but playing pretend rape and murder on video games is good wholesome fun. A well meaning neighborhood guy on a bicycle with a horse's head is unsafe for children to be around but it's ok to let the little ones talk to unknown strangers on the social media. It's all upside down.

 

[MrColumbia]

Oh, and I found a clearer picture of your dad.

 

[bicycle larry]

Oh, and I found a clearer picture of your dad.

View attachment 488267

o tinker!!!! good looking dad!!!! ha ha from bicycle larry and the Columbia its super nice like the head light and paint job , you do nice work on these bikes !!!!

 

[partsguy]

It's a damn shame that bike had to be dismantled. A plastic horse, cap guns, and a kind neighbor is harmful to children, yet strangers stalking them on Fakebook is perfectly fine? We have DATING APPS aimed at junior high age kids. These kids are 12, and going on DATING APPS and having sex (WTF?!?!)

My father told me a tale of a nice old lady, who, baked cakes for the neighborhood kids. It was a small, rural farm town in southern Kentucky. Truly "Dukes of Hazard" area. She was just being nice, and loved to cook as much as she loved children. She baked cookies too for Halloween too and let the kids eat on the porch or in the kitchen. These days, the lil old lady would be arrested for child endangering (cake and cookies) and kidnapping (letting kids eat in her house)

Video games that promote theft, murder, and rape are socially acceptable, yet watching the old Looney Tunes and seeing Wile E. Coyote fall off a cliff is unacceptable animal abuse.

DON'T get me started!

 

[kreika]

It's always the old hags with no life's just staring out their windows causing problems. It's called, "Get a life already!" I say add the fun stuff back on and then some. Then ride back and forth in front of her house smiling and waving. I mean lord forbid the kids were actually outside in the first place and interested in a bike. Wow!

 

[partsguy]

It's always the old hags with no life's just staring out their windows causing problems. It's called, "Get a life already!" I say add the fun stuff back on and then some. Then ride back and forth in front of her house smiling and waving. I mean lord forbid the kids were actually outside in the first place and interested in a bike. Wow!

I remember having bicycle demolition derbies as a teenager in our solemnly-traveled cul-de-sac.

Spokes, chain gaurds, fenders, reflectors, derailleurs, and sometimes chains or kickstands would fall off. A retired old lady thought we were being too rough and she decided to threaten the cops on us. Thing is 'tho, we had MANY of these derbies and we cleaned up after every single one. How do I know? What was left of the trash-picked bicycles were often left in my backyard to dispose of.

We later had our own figure 8 races in a farm field behind the neighborhood. LOTS of wheels and forks were mangled in these crazy things. My favorite bike to beat on was a 1970's or 80's Free Spirit. I beat the metal out of the walmart huffy's my friends found in the trash and dumpsters! The worse thing, that we soon agreed to never use again, were BMX pegs. Those proved to be extremely dangerous in our demo derbies and figure 8 races.

I digress....kids today need to be outside. A few cuts and bruises build character!!