Late 60s-early 70s Columbia 10 speed

[hortonbikes]

I had a burst of inspiration while working in the lab last night.

I picked up this bike this week off craigslist (unfortunately I didn't take any proper "before" pics, so this is the only one that I have):

The ad said the seller was cleaning house and wanted to get rid of some "projects" for $10 apiece. I'm a bit of a nut for Columbias, so I jumped on this one. The seller said this one had spent some time outside, but most of it was there, except for the stem, headset lock nut, and brake levers (he did have the original drop bars). The stem and handlebars in this picture are from a Schwinn Speedster that I'm building up as a klunker.

Last night, I spent a few hours in my barn, intending to work on other stuff. As you can see here, it was a bit chilly and some of the snow from the Blizzard of '13 had made its way into the lab.

But I kept looking at this new bike, and it ended up being my focus.

 

[hortonbikes]

I have a '76 Columbia Roadster that I'm not fond of, and I've been robbing it for parts. I took the stem and bars off it, repacked the headset on the 10-speed, and put it together.

I also had a speedometer that I had taken off an exercise bike. The Columbia has a high-flange front hub, and the tabs from the speedo unit nested into it nicely. The cable is really short, though, so I had to mount it on the fork.

I used a U-bolt just to mock it up. Can't decide if it's "rat" or "bad".

 

[hortonbikes]

This was my favorite little detail.

I needed a seatpost bolt, and I had this disassembled quick-release seat bolt. With the lever out, it will make a nice cable guide for the rear brake cable.

I had this cable guide for the top tube (also from the Scwhinn).

 

[hortonbikes]

Not sure what the next step is. I was planning to remove the freewheel and replace it either with a fixed cog (a la the Sheldon Brown conversion method) or a regular BMX freewheel and run it that way. I do have the rear derailleur, though, so it might make a cool 5-speed.

I'm planning to remove the center pulls, since I don't have the cable hardware for them. I'll probably run the Schwinn caliper brakes on this, but I also have this modern brake that I could use on the rear:

The brakes aren't lined up correctly in the picture, because it was getting cold and I needed more nuts to get the drop-bolt tight. I've seen ss road bikes like this with rear brakes only, and I kind of like the look. But I'm not sure the neon green fits. My goal is for this bike to look like a Tom Waits song.

I have some really crusty fenders off a 60's Armstrong that I'm going to mock up today. They were originally red, and then the previous owner hit them with some blue house paint, and now they're a rusty mix of the two colors (which, incidentally, matched the decals on the frame).

Thanks for looking.

 

[LukeTheJoker]

Nice build, it will be interesting to see what you end up deciding on re: brakes and gearing...

Luke.

 

[hortonbikes]

Thanks Luke, I appreciate the kind words.

Just spent a little more time with it, checking out the fenders. My memories of them were a little off; all of the red was gone, so it was just blue and some metal showing through. I still think it looks cool with the blue on the decals. I think I'll try some red line tires to go with the red on the decals.

If I keep the fenders, I will definitely need to run the caliper brakes off the Schwinn.

 

[hortonbikes]

Haven't done much with this build except think about it and add this bar/stem combo:

I'm looking to do a cyclocross race in a few months, and I think this will be the bike I use for it. I'm probably going to swap out the one-piece crank for a three-piece setup just to shave off a little weight, and then change up to a 7 speed freewheel and MTB brake/shifters on the bars. It won't be a especially light 'cross bike, but then I'm not an especially light 'cross racer either.

I'll add pics as I do more.

 

[hortonbikes]

This one is nearing the finish line. I scrapped my cyclocross idea, and now it's built up with 26" cruiser wheels and slick tires. It's more of a true rat now, with lots of crusty parts. I'm loving it...

Added a rack and a true speedo instead of the RPM gauge:


Very rusty wheels and a little accent piece (still in progress):

I like how it has a bit of a klunker/MTB stance with the moose bars and the diamond frame:

I'm working on the chainguard and a few more finishing touches, but I'd say it mostly there.

Thanks for looking.

 

[Hamza Angsa Dacuma]

Hi there, the handle bar and speedo looks awesome to your project, now if i can just convince my Dad to turn out his first road bike into wicked rat rod (wink).