Columbine Bicycles?

[ericmurphy]

Anyone ever heard of these guys? Judging my their website (http://columbinecycle.com/), their frames (paint and lugwork) are almost supernaturally beautiful...a little rococo for me, but definitely bike art.

[Peter]

Are you kidding? Columbine's been around for many, many years. Yeah; their bikes are rolling art. You don't ride them; you just sit and stare at them. Personally, I think a bike like this is TOO ornate because it's just going to get beat up if it's ridden a lot.

We have a customer at our shop who brings in his slate blue Columbine with chrome lugs a couple times a year for minor work. Thing looks like it just doesn't get outside enough, which ain't what bikes are for.

[dbrk]

John Murphy of Columbine builds rolling art, even a bit too ornate for (even) my tastes. But he will scale it back if you like and it's always a beautiful bike; riders rave. I know a fella' with five of them. And each one is distinctive, different, and beautiful in its own way. Columbine might be compared to Hetchins, the old English brand, but the Columbines are hand wrought efforts while many of the old Hecthins lugs were very craftily made by machines (no kidding).

dbrk

[Louis]

I don’t know about other folks out there, but I have columbines growing like weeds in my garden. They’re pretty plants, with nice flowers, but I’m constantly pulling them because they spread all over the place. Too bad the steel Columbines with lugs aren’t as easy to come by…

Louis

[Todd Owen]

You can buy the standard model for about $2000 frame and fork and get beautiful lugs but not ornate. sort of like the pacenti? lugged frames or a richard sachs. they are beautiful but not outrageous. I find the web site sort of ornate but the real beauty of a columbine is how it rides and the thought that goes into a custom frame. Mine is built from true temper platium steel and the only extra was a painted pearl headtube and painted pump. I come from the school of if you own it, use it and ride mine and get it dirty. I feel this frame is for someone who wants the beauty of lugged steel and if you every get to ride one you would want to own one. enough said. The standard model is one of the best bargains out there in steel and if I win the lottery would love to have a Sachs, Weigle, Kirk, Hampsten giro, and a Waterford. this being said allready owning a Serotta CSi, Zinn, Gios super record, Merckx corsa, and a 1987 Paramount. ALL STEEL LUGGED! The color lt red mist is one of the most beautiful you will ever see! If all the riders in the tour had a Roadmaster like dave Stohler and I had my Columbine they would all still kick my b**t.

[Todd Owen]

Louis. they are an awesome flower and I first saw a wild one at about 10,000 ft on a hike in the rockies.... clinging on to a little bit of dirt in a rock. the violet color I believe is the actual lugged wild flower and the rediish ones are ones that are just welded!

[adavis]

Todd,

I wish I could join you on your ride this weekend. Instead I will be spending my weekend working on the house.

Andy

[Todd Owen]

I am just hoping we don't get anymore snow!
I will have to ride my tyrantasaurasTREK 750 cross bike if it gets too bad! I call it that because it is at least 10 years old! still kicking!