At a garage sale today, I saw and bought a ladies' 26" M.T.D. that is in almost working order (paid $10). The badge is present and clearly identifies it as an M.T.D. it is a three speed in the hub and has hand brakes. Is there anyone out there who knows anything about M.T.D. bikes and their value or collect-ability? The bike is old but I have found no way of telling exactly how old. The bike is apparently rare as I have not yet found anything that matches it on E-bay or craigslist (or any of the other sights I could find).

Any direction or or information would be of great help and much appreciated!



Pictures soon!

MTD was a competitor to Murray. Huffy, etc., and made really cheap, bottom end bikes. No value, no collectability.

Most info you find on bikes on the web is posted by people that love the brand. They take the time, and spend the $$ collecting brochures, etc., and create a site for their favorite brand. No one has stepped up to do this on the various discount brands. You are not finding them for that reason. If it is ready to ride, and fits, then it would make something OK as a recreational rider. As a collectable or something to resell, forget it.

So then I have something that is rare (rare as in no something you see every day) but not valuable. More importantly, if I try to make it cool and succeed, I will have a cool looking bike that I could let my kid ride?

There are plenty of these Wallyworld type bikes out there. It's just kids outgrow them or they rust fast. Most end up at the Sallys/Goodwill/recycling center or in the land fill. They are a throw away bike.

By all means have fun with it. A lot of those department store bikes back then didn't last very long, so they were common then, not so common now.

Welcome Markyboy!

I appreciate your excitement with the bike!

Be careful not to invest too much money into the bike. Sometimes the most expensive bikes are free or $5-10 bikes. If it needs repairs (tires, tubes, brake pads, tune, etc.), you will likely far exceed the value of the bike (especially if you have a bike store do the repairs). On a bike like this, I advise you to keep your total investment into a minimum.

Good luck!

As a minimum, its a good learning bike for you and your kids to spend some time taking apart, lubricating, putting it back together or whatever. Doing a project with Dad is a win/win, even if you spend a little too much doing it.

MTD bought Columbia in 1967. I've never actually seen an MTD branded bike, but it is common on 1970s Columbias to see a little "MTD" under the "Columbia" script on the headbadge. Would you be able to post a pic of the bike here?

I have attached some pics here. The bike, from what I can tell is in exceptional condition. There is not much rust anywhere, the paint isn't all scratched up (there are a few scratches) and it looks as though it hasn't been ridden that much. The front brakes and brake levers are swiped from an old schwinn (Dia compe levers and weinmann caliper that says "schwinn approved) somewhere. But other than that the bike appears original to my newbie eye.

Thanks for the advice! By the sounds of it I could exceed the value of the bike just by taking it into my local repair shop. This one is likely to be $10 spent on learning how three speed in the hub shifters work.

P.S. even if I do manage to spend more than the bike is worth, which is likely, if the kid riding it thinks it is cool, then the bike is priceless , even if it is for a short while.

Looks nice. I'd guess mid to late 1960's, looking at the SA shifter. Everyone here talks about keeping costs down, including me, but really it should be SAFETY FIRST, a new helmet, brakes that work, tires and tubes that are reliable, and a clean and lubed drivetrain.

SAFETY FIRST

A few weeks ago I volunteered to do some wrenching at a kids bike rodeo and I was surprised that these young parents who select their SUVs and minivans based on the number of airbags, NHTSA ratings, cupholders, and a dvd player, put their little children on POS bikes with no brakes, bad tires, pedals that fall off, and loose ill fitting seats. Most of all, most kids were too big for their bikes!

I'm not ranting, just observing.

It would be early 1970s. Sometime between 1970 and 1974 - the 3 speed hub will have a year stamped on it (around the center).

The MTD branding is very unusual, but it probably doesn't make the bike worth anything more than a normal Columbia 3 speed. So the value is about $75 give or take a few bucks depending on how excited somebody is to own it.

The other odd thing is that it is fitted with drop bars, and it looks like they're probably original to the bike.

I thought that about the drop bars as well. I don't see a reason to think that they aren't original but I was also thinking that a cruiser type bar might fit the bike better. Where might I find some good examples of similar bikes ? (even without the MTD branding)

to set your nerves at ease, We ride w/ helmets and I always see that the bikes are working as good as I can make them. We live in a town where there is a rails to trail type bike path. It's wonderful riding.

Check out flickr: https://www.flickr.com/search/?w=all&...3+speed&m=text

Columbia bicycles are exactly the same thing, just with a different brand.


Columbia Tourist 3 Speed by Annie Yiling Wang, on Flickr

It is a 1971 (according to the back hub)! Thanks everyone for your help in figuring out what I have. It should be a fun project bike for my daughter and myself. you all have been so very helpful!