I picked up my first bike in about 10 years today...here's what the ad said:


The seller told me that their brother built it up as an urban beater, basically (which is pretty much what my intended purpose for it is, too). I got the whole thing with a somewhat rusted rear rack and a Kryptonite U-lock for $80. Rides pretty nicely, although the brakes are pretty squealy. The seller thought that might be due to humidity, but I'm not sure...I know very little about the actual mechanics of bikes, although I am somewhat mechanically inclined, so if anyone has any tips, I'm listening!

Here are the pics from the ad...I'll take some better ones tomorrow.



BTW, the S-A hub has the numbers 71 7 on it...that would be July, 1971, correct?

Boy, more Columbias on C+V in the last week than I can remember in a long time.
Looks like a good solid bike. Nice color too.
The brakes probably need new pads. inexpensive and easy. Yup, July 1971.
Does your Columbia have a chain cleaning/oiling thingy on the back of the chainguard? Mine does. I'd never seen one before. Nice idea.

I haven't taken a good look at the chainguard yet...I'll keep an eye out for that when I'm looking it over and taking pics tomorrow.

I've gotta say, I'm not a big fan of the color myself...I prefer the look of an English bike with a dark main color and the white tail on the fender, but this one was priced within my range, and most of the English bikes I've seen have been a little more, and the longer top tube appealed to me, anyway.

One thing that'd be nice is if the saddle was a little springier. The ones on the bikes I checked out the other day felt a little more comfortable. Looks like upgrading to a Brooks would cost me almost as much as the bike itself, though!

71 sounds about right-- Columbia made these in the 1960s-70s era.

They're not worth much but are very reliable and tough. The overall quality had slipped a little since the 1950s era at Columbia, but these work fine usually, even after 40s years. They're easy to service and fix, and should use 24 tpi threading rather than the Schwinn 28 tpi. I suggest a basic clean up and I would get a new set of caliper brake pads. You can still find fitting pads at your local bike shop probably.

A Brooks probably would be overkill, considering its overall value and cost. What you could do is find one of those black vinyl mattress saddles with springs though. They used them on some of the English bicycles, they look nice enough, and would add a little spring for low money to that bike.

I took some more pictures just now, after taking a better look at the brakes. The pads are pretty worn and could probably stand to be replaced soon, but I switched them to the opposite sides of their respective wheels, and that made most of the squealing go away. The serial number also suggests 1971, according to the chart on www.oldroads.com.

Here are the pics:

When did "cruiser" start to mean "bicycle with upright handlebars"? Oh well.

I love the Sturmey Archer hub.

Did you know that Harris Cyclery sells alloy rims in that size? I just bought a pair for a 3-speed restoration I'm working on.

What would you consider it to be?

Their 3-spd. S-A wheels are nice - if you don't mind some truing work. I think you'll be pleased.

No, I'm talking about rims alone. I just started a thread about the bike I'm restoring. It's called West End. I rebuilt the rear wheel using the old hub and spokes. I'll do the front wheel next.

To my mind, a cruiser is one of those balloon tire bikes with super-duper-wide handlebars.

Alex makes a 650A rim / 26 by 1 3/8ths that does not cost a lot of money.. it is a very nice upgrade for these types of bikes as it lowers the weight and greatly improves braking.

I can't find these Alex rims, Sixty Fiver. Where can one find them?

See my thread on my ongoing restoration of a three-speed. Last night, I built the rear wheel with a Sun alloy rim. Later, I'll do the front wheel. This is a huge upgrade.