If bikes could talk; O, the stories they would tell. Here is a sweet piece of history with this “blacked out” 1942 Columbia. Because of the events and shortages caused by WWII, automobile and bicycle manufacturing came to a screeching halt as manufacturing plants pivoted to making tanks, planes and jeeps! This is one of the few 1942 bikes around and it was made mainly of stockpile parts and where new components needed to be added they were “blacked out.” Check out the crankset, hubs, stem, and handlebars – no chrome – black out. The owner received this bike from his grandfather and had us give it a good going over to make it rideable and in keeping with the original spirit of the era. Note: the wheel hoops are NOT original, but the anealed New Departure hubs are – at some point the original hubs were laced into replacement hoops. The original hoops were an off-white color. The headbadge is not original (we have it, but it was not legible.) The black springer saddle is not original, but is period correct. The black rubber grips are not original, but are period correct. This is a beautiful, rideable survivor of an important time in our world history!
