Columbia Firebolt

[highwheelerboy25]

got this from my good buddie charles. someone gave it to him but he had too many projects so he asked if i would like it and of course i said yes.

with it i also got a columbia fire arrow which i planned to use for parts.

so this was kinda the mockup.

the fire arrow had a bendix aviation corp. lever shift 2 speed that was frozen up. so i removed it to work on and use on another project.

i bought an old spaceliner 24in fork on ebay and was looking for something to put it on and i guess you know what i decided. . . i also had an old firestone 26 x 2.125 so i threw what on with a set of old red rims with a centrix coaster hub.

and this is its current state. . . i found an old electrical box at an antique store and decided to use it for storage.

i drilled some holes in the rear of the box a put in theses red led lights i got from lowes. kinda gives a rocket look at night.

 

[Bicyclerick]

Firebolts are cool bikes, I've had minefor a few years now. I've been looking for a ft fender and the tank for it with no luck. Yours looks good with the spaceliner fork on it. Heres a picture of mine.

 

[highwheelerboy25]

i have a front fender. its covered in rust. if u want it pm me. make am offer.

 

[Markm]

cool bikes!
I have one also, missing tank and guard

 

[fenderhole]

firebolt mania!

 

[karfer67]

these must have been a rare bike at least in northern ca because i have never seen one of these up close. i dig the low front end on yours

 

[highwheelerboy25]

thanks karfer. i like all the firebolts u guys have posted. good to know there are still a few out there!

 

[10~18 Kustoms]

Very strange? I just picked up one of those frames about a month ago but I thought it was a Western flyer Newsboy Special just because that's all I had ever seen before with this frame style. Never heard of a Firebolt till now. So, now how do I tell which mine is? Any serial number info available?

 

[highwheelerboy25]

im sure someone else on this forum can tell you, but i have no clue. mine has a kickstand unlike the lower one in your pic. but the kickstand on yours looks like the common columbia kickstand for that era.

 

[ej599]

Those bikes are cool. Just my meaningless opinion but I'd lose the box. It hides that cool rack. Nice bike.

 

[jodowd]

Here is a pic of my Firebolt. I got it from a guy in Nebraska off of Ebay. Mine is a 1962. Cool old bikes. Have a weird temptation to chop and lower it. But hope to fight that urge. To unique as is.

 

[jodowd]

how are you thinking of chopping and lowering?

Not sure. I don't have any money and I am without a project right now, so the only thing I could do, is chop and lower my bike. If I were to to anything it would similar to what I did with the bike I built my dad (see below). I probably wont, just becuase the frame as is, is so original that I would hate to mess with it.

 

[jwriterman]

Just bought a lot of 10 bikes just to get the Firebolt. Sold all 9 others, but his is a keeper. Built in rear rack is the nuts. Placing a beehive JC Higgins Colorfast bee hive springer front end. Frame in paint right now. Fenders, chain guard, fork, tires and wheels are up for grabs. This is going rat.

 

[highwheelerboy25]

flash forward - before i sold my firebolt i made a few revisions to it: two-toned it red and white and then scuffed it up a bit. Got a japanese foglight, a chainring cover i painted to match, an old columbia tank from a different model and frame. . . but it still fit! And i flipped the fork back to factory. I also switched the bars and flipped 'em and put on some old 50-60s firestone rear and gillette front tires.

 

[highwheelerboy25]

 

[user 13947]

Anyone want to sell their Firebolt chainguard? Thanks...