Classic & Vintage - Free Spirit Greenbriar (Sears)

I have a bike and would like to find more out about it but don't seem to be having any luck. It is a Free Spirit but saw a sticker on the downtube that says Sears on it. Anyone have any information on these bikes. How well were they built? Is there a good way to age it? etc.

Let me start by saying that you'd never catch Ivan Basso riding one of those. It was Sears' branded bike during the bike boom. They felt they needed to have a bike to sell when bicycles were taking off in the 70's and that's what the boys in marketing came up with. They sold quite a lot of them, mostly to people who didn't know, or couldn't afford better.

I've heard that some of them were made by Puch in Austria. If you have one of those, it's halfway decent. If not, the best way to age it might be to leave it outdoors and let Mother Nature perform her magic on it. :p

Another point, is that one of the vans based on the infamous Corvair was called the Greenbriar... So, if you are superstitious, look out! Greenbriar vans were famous for rolling over... ;)

Clean it, tune it up, give it to a neighbor to use as a campus bike: fine for basic transportation, no need to spend a lot on a lock.