'61 Columbia Firebolt, Cyclops

Rat Rod Bikes Bicycle Forum

Help Support Rat Rod Bikes Bicycle Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
Joined
Jun 13, 2015
Messages
1,148
Reaction score
2,143
Location
US occupied MA
70459456_10156868516123191_8993777610790010880_n.jpg





This thing changed ideas a few times, but I finally decided to leave it as a loaner anyone could ride and try to use as much stuff lying around as possible.

Build thread filled with expired links:
http://www.ratrodbikes.com/forum/index.php?threads/firebolt.108719/

As it started:

24176756_10155356653598191_7000384356733434060_n.jpg


Rims were junk and I was only able to save the front wheel's worth of spokes. Added a 6 speed freewheel that I had and a stem shifter converted to handlebar (I'm using the second one for a throttle lever on an old kayak I'm modifying for electric power). Then I added a disc brake conversion to make up for the lost coaster brake. The rear wheel is un-dished by desire, so it took some playing around with washers and a longer axle and such to get it to sit evenly, then I had to double up on the rotor spacers to reach the caliper. Also went over the damaged "Firebolt" paint with retroreflective tape and added some nearly-perfect match green reflective tape on the wheels.
59431876_10156578473583191_1750977404014166016_n.jpg

59376361_10156578473578191_1833135970858303488_n.jpg


It definitely reflects well.
58890829_10156569579978191_5979358786937159680_n.jpg


Head badge (including the green) is all reflective tape. Also replaced worn pedals.
69164048_10156826410628191_4487432760582995968_n.jpg


Made this goofy headlight. I couldn't think of a theme, but I wanted something going through one of these LED ring lights. Then I thought that "Firebolt" is like "Thunderbolt" and a cyclops made Zeus' thunderbolts, so a stylized cyclops made of a wooden egg with thunderbolt limbs (also reflective tape over pieces from a plastic bottle) leaping through a ring of fire is what I came up with. All 12V with the lion battery sitting under the mount. The mount is two aluminum rods I threaded at one end for the mounting hardware and some aluminum sheet metal I had lying around that I formed around it and reinforced with epoxy with yet more reflective tape on it. After this photo, I covered the bottom with a second piece of sheet metal.
68738611_10156832210478191_8920369206587817984_n.jpg


As I ended up putting the two LED rings back to back for lack of a better idea to finish the backside of the ring and they throw a lot of side light, it is unrideable in the dark with it on! Literally could not see past it from the glare. In this photo, I used the flash to attempt to even out the light so the green eye could be seen, but it did nothing except tidy up some graininess in the dark areas vs no flash.
68676386_10156834620878191_7638644510402019328_n.jpg


It looks pretty good during the day, though, and can definitely be used as a being-seen safety light.
69560433_10156866290708191_4265639296502857728_n.jpg
69511772_10156866290718191_4099794120824848384_n.jpg


I think this bike is too shaky, but she liked it and I suppose it's really not meant for anyone my weight and height in the first place. I lost the charger for my good camera in the move last year and only found out the day I was to film this, so it looks like I filmed it with the video equivalent of a box with a hole in it (old iphone), but it rides.

 
Last edited:
Great ride vid! Looks like she's going to enjoy the bike.

Make sure you have a 'Final voting photo' at the very top of this thread. That will be the photo the administrator chooses for the Voting Thread.

Your last photo would work, or use that white wall in the background with some daylight on it, it would show the bike off the best that way.
 
Thanks, forgot about that.
 
The links on the build journal expired. I need to find a real photo hosting site that's free and looks like it might stick around. If you're not seeing the photos on this thread, I don't know why that is.
 
The links on the build journal expired. I need to find a real photo hosting site that's free and looks like it might stick around. If you're not seeing the photos on this thread, I don't know why that is.
All I see here are red X's.

Sent from my SM-J327VPP using Tapatalk
 
When I look at it with the Tapatalk app I get red X's. Opened it up from the webpage and I can see them.
 
Fun build and one of the coolest lights ever!!
That glowing eyeball is killer man!!
BRAVO!!

You probably already know this, but Don't forget that when the Voting thread is created we will use the first pic from your Finished thread. I'm not suggesting anything is wrong with the current pic, just making sure everyone knows.
 
Fun build and one of the coolest lights ever!!
That glowing eyeball is killer man!!
BRAVO!!

You probably already know this, but Don't forget that when the Voting thread is created we will use the first pic from your Finished thread. I'm not suggesting anything is wrong with the current pic, just making sure everyone knows.

Thanks. That's the photo I'm using as I found it tough to get a good shot of the light on with the rest of the bike. I'd take it somewhere for a more interesting background, but the frame is small and too shaky feeling for me to be comfortable (I'm about 175, which is probably close to double the weight of the girls it was built for almost 60 years ago). It rolls nice and the friction shifter is like butter, though—smoother than any shift I've experienced on a more modern freehub with index shifters.
 
GREAT BIKE!! MAN THAT LIGHT IS HYPNOTIZING ME!! MUST...GIVE...IT...A...VOTE........PEACE
 

Latest posts

Back
Top