The front-wheel bearings are adjustable double cones, fitting into hardened boxes in the hubs. Straight handlebars carry pear- shaped grips of Siamese buffalo horn and a brake lever on the right side that operates the spoon brake on the front tire. At the upper end of the forged-steel front fork is the open steering head containing the long steering spindle, which can be adjusted by means of a bolt passing through the top of the head. On the left side of the backbone, under the seat, is a brass manufacturer's nameplate. The 1881 catalog states that this model came in two colors. This Standard Columbia has a 54-inch front wheel with 44 radial spokes, and an 18-inch rear wheel with 18 radial spokes, weighing 49 pounds.

By 1890, the company was so successful it had bought the factory from Weed because it needed all the space. Pope had previously sold bicycles exported from England, but began building bicycles under the trade name 'Columbia' in the Weed Sewing Machine Company's factory in Hartford Connecticut in 1879. Pope founded the Pope Manufacturing Company, the first company to manufacture bicycles on American soil. Waring used this in the Washington, D.C., area. This particular Standard Columbia has a 54- inch wheel and sold for $95. The Standard Columbia was available in models with front-wheel diameters ranging from 42 to 58 inches. The number of bicycles in use boomed as production rose from an estimated 200,000 bicycles in 1889 to 1,000,000 in 1899.ġ881 Columbia Bicycle Description This is a Standard Columbia bicycle made by The Pope Manufacturing Company of Boston, Massachusetts around 1881. Soon after the advent of the Safety bicycle, John Boyd Dunlop patented a pneumatic tire (in both England and the United States). These cycles had two small wheels of equal size, a chain driver, and gears. The latter path won out as “Safety” bicycles became more popular. Some people tried to modify the Ordinary to make it safer, others put their efforst into redesigning the bicycle. Because of the Ordinary's inherent danger, efforts were made to design a safer bicycle. But it was also hazardous, since the rider's center of gravity was only slightly behind the large front wheel and the rider was in danger of taking what came to be called a “header”-flying over the handlebars. The Ordinary, or high-wheel bicycle, was light weight and fast.

Pope, president of the famed company bearing his name, manufacturer of the Columbia bicycle.

Pratt, noted bicycle author, coorganizer, and first president of the League of American Wheelmen, and later attorney for the Pope Manufacturing Co. Ordinary Bicycle Tour, Readville, Massachusetts, 1879.The first rider is Charles E.

Columbia bicycle serial number location