How old is my wife's Columbia Clipper?

[RatRodDad]

Does anyone know anything about Columbia's serial numbers? The numbers on the bottom of my wife's bike are 08563 - and then another set that reads 8 044 1576.

I was just curious on when the bike was built. Maybe 1976? I guess it could even be 1986.

If you know how to read the numbers and tell how old the bike is, let me know.

Thanks.

 

[Rat Rod]

I bet 1986 is probably more like it from the looks of the forks and the graphics.

 

[RatRodDad]

I found this post on a bike web site - so it looks like 1986 is probably closer to correct .... assuming the 6 on the last number indicates the year - and maybe the 8 at the beginning of the number indicates the century.

"There were Columbia Clippers actually produced in the '80s (that's 1980. I have never seen one in person but there was one recently on eBay. The seat on your bike looks older, but maybe it was just abused. Also the fork (from what I can see) looks newer in style."

Your and their comments about the fork being a newer style makes sense, because the fork on my wife's bike is more like later model stuff and not like older Schwinns, etc.

 

[Bicyclerick]

You can go to OLDROADS.COM and they have a section on serial numbers for schwinns, raleighs, and i think they have columbias too.

 

[emanon]

That's definitely an '86. I had a mens' Clipper that was an '80 (but don't ask me how I figured out). Last summer, someone dumped it on the lawn @ my sis-in-law's apt. complex on COLUMBIA ST. !!! I was going to spray it flat black (beige & brown don't do it for me), & replace all the other ugly stuff (chainguard, sprocket, seat, etc.) before my sense got the better of me & I gave it to an old man that fixes & sells bikes, so it could rust in his yard, not mine. I saved some stuff off of it, including a nice front basket that I put on my blue Typhoon the day it got ripped off last August...that's a whole other story...