Ask the Experts......... [bicycle history]

srdavo

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Note: I high-jacked JE's thread with the following question....it wasn't my intention.....Sorry!
then it struck me....we have Experts, among us. serious collectors. Historians!!
So.... I started this thread. if anyone has questions or info, about our beloved Bicycles & their manufacturing History.....ask/post here. I trust our humble Experts will have answers and/or links to find the answers.

I'll start it off.............

tell me...what do ya know about this one....? Firestone..boy's..20 incher.
the rear tire has been replaced.....the front tire is a Firestone!
somebody has painted the rims gold.....?

I'm guessing late 50's to early 60's, due to the lack of ape hangers & banana seat.

do you know who manufactured bikes for Firestone? I've had several....thanks
 

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wow...great bike!! you find all the coolest stuff.

tell me...what do ya know about this one....? Firestone..boy's..20 incher.
the rear tire has been replaced.....the front tire is a Firestone!
somebody has painted the rims gold.....?

I'm guessing late 50's to early 60's, due to the lack of ape hangers & banana seat.

do you know who manufactured bikes for Firestone? I've had several....thanks

Dave, a number of manufacturers made bikes for Firestone, notably Columbia / Westfield and Murray. That said, your Firestone is neither a Murray or a Columbia. The chainguard screams Huffy, yet the forks seem to indicate Roadmaster (Cleveland Welding). The peaked fenders are also a Roadmaster trait, so I'm inclined to think it's a Roadmaster. I'm not sure if Roadmaster was still technically CW by that time, as it looks new enough to be produced when Roadmaster was under the AMF umbrella.
 
Thanks for the info, guys. I've spent the last couple hours googling AMF Roadmaster. found some cool stuff on Ebay, too.
as it looks new enough to be produced when Roadmaster was under the AMF umbrella.
Looks like the "peaked" fenders went away, in the early 60's. So I mighta been close in guessing late 50's.

thanks again.

on a side note...looks like Schwinn was in bed with Roadmaster at some point:
roadmasterby schwinn.JPG
http://cgi.ebay.com/SCHWINN-ROADMAS...5|66:2|65:12|39:1|240:1318|301:0|293:1|294:50
 
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Okay. While we're at it, let's see if anyone knows anything about my bike. It's a Columbia ten speed. I replaced the fork with something more modern that would accept a mountain bike wheel. From the looks of it's construction and paint, decals, etc., I'd guess that it came out of the early to mid 70s. One thing about it that was curious is that the front derailleur worked opposite to most; you pulled the cable to shift into lower gears and "pushed" the cable to shift higher. Just like most rears. I can't give a brand name, I took it off and threw it away when I installed my engine.

I'm wondering if this was really of Columbia manufacture or if it's a Taiwanese or Korean bike.
 
Okay. While we're at it, let's see if anyone knows anything about my bike. It's a Columbia ten speed. I replaced the fork with something more modern that would accept a mountain bike wheel. From the looks of it's construction and paint, decals, etc., I'd guess that it came out of the early to mid 70s. One thing about it that was curious is that the front derailleur worked opposite to most; you pulled the cable to shift into lower gears and "pushed" the cable to shift higher. Just like most rears. I can't give a brand name, I took it off and threw it away when I installed my engine.

I'm wondering if this was really of Columbia manufacture or if it's a Taiwanese or Korean bike.

A photo would be nice, but if it's early to mid 70s, the chances are really good that it was US made.
 
Note: I high-jacked JE's thread with the following question....it wasn't my intention.....Sorry!
then it struck me....we have Experts, among us. serious collectors. Historians!!
So.... I started this thread. if anyone has questions or info, about our beloved Bicycles & their manufacturing History.....ask/post here. I trust our humble Experts will have answers and/or links to find the answers.

I'll start it off.............

tell me...what do ya know about this one....? Firestone..boy's..20 incher.
the rear tire has been replaced.....the front tire is a Firestone!
somebody has painted the rims gold.....?

I'm guessing late 50's to early 60's, due to the lack of ape hangers & banana seat.

do you know who manufactured bikes for Firestone? I've had several....thanks


Dave, the Firestone is a neat bike, but the one that really piques my interest is the balloon tire bike with the blue and cream trim that there is just a tantalizing amount of showing in the first two photos.
 
There is a photo of it in my "Picture Gallery" posting from last spring.

But while we're at it, can anyone advise me how to place one of those links in my posts?

I have no idea.

but I have my answer, anyway. Probably US made. That's nice. Thanks, Kilroy.
I suppose it's likely to be among the last true Columbias. They're not around anymore, are they?
 
Dave, the Firestone is a neat bike, but the one that really piques my interest is the balloon tire bike with the blue and cream trim that there is just a tantalizing amount of showing in the first two photos.

hah...I've posted it here a couple time...It's a 1952 BF Goodrich, Schwinn built

bfg schwinn.JPG2.JPG bfg schw2.JPG1.JPG

it's not mine.....yet!! hahaha

the handgrips are Western Flyer..... :mad:
 
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