1919 Columbia Racer

These are the first photos I took of this bike, without the fenders, which could not fit over the rock hard ancient tires.

I was surprised when I tried to remove the crank the way most cranks are removed. This nut will not come off. The crank is not a one piece crank. It is a two piece. One arm threads into the other inside the bottom bracket. The hole at the bottom is for inserting a screwdriver to lock up the mechanism for removal.

The final photos on this page are of the bike after it is ridable. I could not afford to buy the tires for the original rims. Between $80 and $150 each. So the bike could not be ridden. And I really wanted to ride the bike. The only solution would be to build a set of modern wheels using a rear skip-tooth hub. The closest size tires to the original would be fat 700C rims and tires. The ride would be very close to original, even though the aluminum rims stand out. But, ha! that is what it is all about when you have a hobby like this and are not rich. The original leather seat was falling apart and needed to be recovered. I did this myself, as close to the original as possible, except the color. The fenders have been repainted, as close to the original color, hunter green, as I could find. The bike rides great.