Classic & Vintage - help ideas advice for truley interested newb, and an old Columbia bicycle

Hello my name is Justin ( this may start out a bit of an introduction, and i may post it there as well). My question is near the bottom.

I have been unable to ride or do and consitant physical activity since i was 18 due to illness, but am 26 now, and have been working myh way back for the past two and a half years. I am not much of a gym rat, (I just like being outdoors to much) I just get bored. I not only want to ride, for economic, health, and whatever other reasons a person could give, but I also need to ride. It has haunted my thoughts since I started my slow return to being a healthy and as much as possible normal person. I had almost bit the bullet a few times at my one local bike shop, but eventually backed out surely to lack of confidence in myself.

I have decided that it is time, and that I do not need try and get my friends interested only to be let down just to get myself to begin riding. I have am starting my 2nd semester of my return to college and will not have alot of money to get a bike, not a lot at all. So, I figured that I would do a build-up, or atleast a restore if possible. I am mechanically inclined and don't think that I will have much trouble working it out.

My neighbor who was a Dr. and 100+ years old recently passed and his family is having an estate sale. I found, but have not bought this old Columbia...

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v142/illumin8em/DSC_0123.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v142/illumin8em/DSC_0124.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v142/illumin8em/DSC_0122.jpg

My question for the bicycle is not the "whats it worth?" that everyone seems to dispise, but "Is it worth buying for 25$ and trying to do the work to?" I need something that is going to be reliable. I would be riding it everywhere possible, especially school.

I have not had a chance to measure it to know if it would fit, and don't really know what size I would need, as I have gotten 3 opinions on that subject. I am 6'2" and 175lbs.

So, anything you can help with is appreciated.
thanks for reading,
Justin

I would pass. that is a pretty junky, huffy-level bike

I also suggest that you pass, to get a comfortable, reliable and well-behaved bike out of the deal your $25 investment could easily become a couple of hundred, and you'd still have an x-mart frame. People are built differently but it also looks small for someone of your height. I would keep looking.

I'm a little taller then you, I would say you need a 56-58 cm frame depending on your leg to torso ratio. Hope that helps some.

Pass.

Where are you located? Maybe someone can help you out.

thanks to everyone for their insight so far


Pass.
Where are you located? Maybe someone can help you out.

I am in West Virginia, Clarksburg to be exact.


I'm a little taller then you, I would say you need a 56-58 cm frame depending on your leg to torso ratio. Hope that helps some.

thanks for the help, your suggestion furthers my confidence to the size. I was told 58cm by others as well, I am pretty proportionate.

my neighbor just gave me a bike that looks similar to the one in the photo except the brakes are centerpull and there is a light generator on it. any idea what year the bike is?

as an aspiring bike wrench, i would totally buy it and fix it up, even if just for the experience, but obviously that's not what you're about. so pass. then keep looking in earnest, you'll find something that suits you.

That bike will only be an exercise in frustration. It will never be what you want it to be, it'll never be fun to ride.

In the end, it's generally cheapest to spend a little more up front and get a bike that is mostly what you're looking for and change as few parts as possible. You can learn to wrench by overhauling your bike, but I'd definitely hold out for an 80s Japanese bike. It'll be the cheapest, most practical, and most enjoyable bang for your bike.

The Craigslist options are pretty thin by by you but I'd bet that there are some pretty good flea markets nearby. I'd hit those EARLY on the the next few weekends. Your other option is to pay for shipping and go for something on Ebay.

Best of luck to you.

my neighbor just gave me a bike that looks similar to the one in the photo except the brakes are centerpull and there is a light generator on it. any idea what year the bike is?

I can not help you with the year, the bike was sold/donated to the local mission before i decided whether i was going to buy it or not.


as an aspiring bike wrench, i would totally buy it and fix it up, even if just for the experience, but obviously that's not what you're about. so pass. then keep looking in earnest, you'll find something that suits you.

I actually would call myself as an aspiring bike wrench as well, which is why i was considering do the a rebuid/build-up for my first bike back into riding. In the process of working on getting a job at the bike shop on campus, i have been able to make some friends and gain some skills.

I think a lot has to do with what you are looking to do with the bike, & what the bike market is for reselling, if you aren't pleased with it. Just from your health decription, maybe a touring/hybrid type bike , with a more upright position , may be a better choice. Then again, $25 is not much & it does look to be in pretty good shape. In my area, where there is a large college, I would snatch that bike up, because it would possibly bring $100 , here.

If you are going to be working at a bike shop - you should have many opportunities to buy a nice used bike, inexpensively, and then get your coworkers to help/teach you what to do to it .

Sounds like a nice opportunity for a college age guy!

That's not a bad bike (contrary to the department store accusations above, Columbia made a fair and reliable product, even into the 1970s; though they are heavy compared to better bicycles), though this one is probably not the right size for you. You probably want to go up in size for the frame a little bit. You may want to go with a wider wheel too, or a more relaxed kind of bicycle. Road bikes can be difficult for people just getting into cycling because of the riding positions they encourage. I would lean more towards a utility type bicycle like a Raleigh 3 or 5 speed sort of thing-- something with more relaxed riding position and maybe a slightly bigger tire. I think upright handlebars and nice sprung saddle would be more comfortable. I know I find that a good sprung saddle and nice set of upright bars are more comfortable for me than road bikes.

I just saw where you posted that the bike was already gone, but I'll post anyway. ;)

I just finished going thru a similar bike (there's a recent thread on it on the site here about it).
I learned a bit about the Columbias, how they're put together, what it takes to get them setup and working well, and so forth. I will probably be taking it to a rummage sale this weekend and will put too high of a price on it mentioning the new tires, tubes, brake pads, and will see what sort of interest it generates.

With that said I'd suggest just watching your local craigslist and see what pops up. Also haunt the local thrift shops and snag something not in the Huffy/Pacific/Mongoose category and see what it takes to go thru one. You could even do this with a small tire kids bike. Start to build your toolbox contents with whatever tools you need to get the job done. If the campus bike shop also gets you a discount on parts then so much the better, but take care to not turn the discount benefits into a competition of the shop (don't bite the hand that feeds, so to speak). My thoughts are that the Columbia would have made for a good learning experience, but probably not so much as a daily campus commuter bike, could be, but probably not.

At 6'2" I would think you would take a 60cm or maybe even a 62cm frame. If the bike were an old Schwinn I would say it might be worth the trouble (if it were yours size) but a Columbia is not too great of bike. I have one sitting outside my garage, that would be ok to ride with tires and some new cables, but I can't bring myself to waste the money or the time on it.

How are you proportioned? What is your inseam (for stand over height of the top tube) and do you have a long or short torso?

At 6'2" I would think you would take a 60cm or maybe even a 62cm frame. If the bike were an old Schwinn I would say it might be worth the trouble (if it were yours size) but a Columbia is not too great of bike. I have one sitting outside my garage, that would be ok to ride with tires and some new cables, but I can't bring myself to waste the money or the time on it.

How are you proportioned? What is your inseam (for stand over height of the top tube) and do you have a long or short torso?

If measured I am a 32", and i have been told before that i am very well proportioned.