Classic & Vintage - Anyone familiar with the 531 Free Spirit?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=6564145399

This is new to me. Check the dropouts and the Crane rd.

Man, is that thing original! Looks like dad or gramps didn't ride much, and it got hung up in the garage... They're Puch bikes labeled for Sears. I believe it was one of the top models Sears sold, if not the top. Looks like the killer deal at that starting price!

Are you sure those were Puchs, even that late? It's European at any rate; looks like it's got an AVA stem, an old seat like I've had on old Frenchies, but it's also got an old Japanese SR crankset like the ones on old Rampars.

Boy, that thing's the sleeper of the year though; a high-quality Free Spirit. You could make a fortune with it winning bets at swap meets. :D

Well, the frame is nice. What would you want with the rest of the parts though? The chainring and the guard are the worst.

Just over in Lynchburg; I'd be tempted if it were a 62cm, at that price... friend keeps trying to fix me up on a blind date with some lady from l'burg, tho, I'd have to keep it secret... always thought the hi quality Ted Williams special was columbus tubing, but it's not like I've seen many of them... actually, none of them...

Those chainrings are actually pretty good looking once you get rid of the guard.

Shipping at over $100 is going to kill this as a bargain, in my opinion...

Shipping at over $100 is going to kill this as a bargain, in my opinion...
I was all hopped up til I did the payment calculator and it was 50 cents short of triple digits. No thanks, but still a cool bike. But what the hey did Ted Williams have to do with cycling??? :)

Wow. I had no idea those bikes were wanted. I just gave one away for free about a month ago. Oh well.... I'm sure the woman that took it will enjoy riding it as much as I did.

Koffee

I do have a nice bridge (753) to sell.

ROTFLMAO!

You could buy Decals for a song back then. Just about every shop had em and you could easily get your hands on any of them - Reynolds sold in 1/2 doz lots - Columbus was more exclusive, you could buy 4 or so easily.
We even took my friend's younger brother's Royce Union and 'built' it up with Colnago stickas, World Champ Striping and Columbus. I know I have that polaroid pic in a box somewhere...

That thing is purebred Asian Natural Gas Pipe, and a mighty fine example at that.
luv that seatpost!

I was thinking the same thing. Rather fancy drop outs though. Parts are sure bottom line to be put on such a frame if it were so. Then again odd things happen when department stores make bicycle decisions.

I had a Ted bike that was cromoly but not sure what brand. It was an internally lugged model though. Also had lower end parts on it.

That thing is purebred Asian Natural Gas Pipe, and a mighty fine example at that.
luv that seatpost!


I disagree. As odd as this seems, this is the real deal. It would be even more bizarre to put those dropouts on a gaspipe frame and the Crane r-derailleur is good quality stuff. Crankset may be cheap looking but it is alloy. In ’73, most of the mid-level and under euro-built bikes were still using cottered steel cranks.

...That thing is purebred Asian Natural Gas Pipe...
The components aren't what I'd drool over, nor is the finish or style of that frame, but it most likely is built of butted 531 by Puch. They're not all that desirable, but are collectable just 'cause they're an unusual attempt at offering a quality product by a big US chain store. If I found a clean one that's cheap, I'd pick it up. No doubt it rides very nicely.

As odd as this seems, this is the real deal.

I agree.

I think zen's rush to bum-rap the Free Spirit name (and who among us doesn't enjoy that?) has betrayed his unfamiliarity with older European makes. Look closely at the pics; everything on the bike except the crankset and derailleurs screams 'Europe!'; the axle wing nuts, the stem, saddle and post, the dropouts are the same as on my Motobecane. '73 was about when Shimano came on the European scene, so that checks, too.

It probably is a nice little ride, even if it's not the pick of the litter. That early '60s J.C. Higgins/Puch bossman had last week was the same way; eccentric looks, but light and a solid handler.

There's certainly no reason to think the frame was made in Asia. I know nothing much of Free Spirits, other than my best friend during my junior high years had one (a red, white, and blue color scheme, probably a '76 bi-centennial model; I'd be willing to bet BIG money it didn't have 531 Reynolds tubing, though!). At the time, I rode an Otasco-branded ten-speed. We were true bike snobs. Anyway, with the recent post regarding the old "made in Austria" Sears three-speed, and with this bike having a decal stating the same, I see no reason to think Sears didn't have some folks in Austria making some bikes for them. And as the experts have said, there are some uncommonly nice things about this frame, for the time period, particularly the dropouts. For whatever it's worth (not much), my opinion is that it's the real deal. To me, once again, it just shows how much things have changed since '73.

"That thing is purebred Asian Natural Gas Pipe, and a mighty fine example at that."

Nah. Sears did offer a higher end machine. You just don't see a lot of them. This is likely it; a quick question about seat post diameter would be the clincher. The dropouts are another clue; look again. I'd be asking were I intending to buy.

That said, shipping is (Very) high, but L'burg ain't far from me, so if it were the right size, I'd be picking it up, mostly on the curiosity. 94$ for under 100 miles, I'd be driving.

One thing I've learned on this board is you can't often make sweeping assumptions by Brand name. Ross, king of the beach cruisers, made a very nice line of Signature bikes, and some of the grand Tours aren't bad. There are Serrotta built Huffys in existence. Good god, the otherguy has even made it impossible for me to slag Murrays, for god's sake. Next thing you know, Roadmaster might be rebadging Rivendells or something.

Anyway, with the recent post regarding the old "made in Austria" Sears three-speed, and with this bike having a decal stating the same, I see no reason to think Sears didn't have some folks in Austria making some bikes for them.


Puch absolutely made bicycles for Sears, rebranded as Free Spirit. They also made motorcycles & mopeds for Sears during the same time period that were branded as Allstates, which are pretty collectable these days.

If I'm not mistaken, some Puchs were also rebranded as Murrays.

And who could forget the early 70s Carlton built Huffy...

I'm fairly familiar with the bike. They were indeed nice 531 frames, but had a very long top tube. Had a friend who had a very long torso who had 2 and was was always keeping an eye out for another.

Puch absolutely made bicycles for Sears, rebranded as Free Spirit. They also made motorcycles & mopeds for Sears during the same time period that were branded as Allstates, which are pretty collectable these days.

If I'm not mistaken, some Puchs were also rebranded as Murrays.

Puch did make stuff for Sears, as noted, and also made higher end stuff for their own AD label. But mixin the 2 - 'higher end' and sears...
there are no COMFIRMED specs or product that are 'free spirit' production and any form of higher end frame tubesets. - I would even qualify Ishiwata or Tange in that group.
You guys find bonefide specs for one - I'll eat an Allvit...

gas pipe

Puch did make stuff for Sears, as noted, and also made higher end stuff for their own AD label. But mixin the 2 - 'higher end' and sears...
there are no COMFIRMED specs or product that are 'free spirit' production and any form of higher end frame tubesets. - I would even qualify Ishiwata or Tange in that group.
You guys find bonefide specs for one - I'll eat an Allvit...

gas pipe

I too would like to see product info and specs, but unfortunately it's rather hard to come by. Hopefully someone else will chime in with more detail. I did find one small mention at John's Vintage Bikes:

http://johnsvintagebikes.com/dating/JC_Higgins_Sears_LW.html

I think zen's rush to bum-rap the Free Spirit name (and who among us doesn't enjoy that?) has betrayed his unfamiliarity with older European makes. Look closely at the pics; everything on the bike except the crankset and derailleurs screams 'Europe!'; the axle wing nuts, the stem, saddle and post, the dropouts are the same as on my Motobecane. '73 was about when Shimano came on the European scene, so that checks, too.


rush... more just a high cadence kinda guy.
as for 'unfamiliarity', that is relative. I'm not here to enter a pissin match or concern myself on other's estimates. I've happily learned a few new things here and easily acknowledge that. You're also welcome to 'evaluate' any smack comment I make here.
'Certainty' is however quantum mechanics when it comes to this topic; unless there's some solid evidence of Sears spec-ing butted framesets. the probability of this being 'gas pipe' is still quite high.
There is the possibility that itz a high quality gas pipe, as in Reynolds 501 (common on the continent) or similar, seamed straight tubes of similar composition using chromium as a major constituent.
501 was a common tubing for the '10 speed' craze days when a little cache was nice. Owned a '71 CCM of 501 - stronglight, huret, normandy, wingnuts and all - that I used as a commuter for over a year - nice.

But sears wasn't selling to the 'Reynolds' shopper. FreeSpirit was about 'Mod-Squad' and "You find the nicest people on a Honda". It was about Colt45 and Annie Green Springs not Dubonnet.

Zen,

I don't have it yet but I've requested a copy of the Sears spec for the
Reynolds 531 Free spirit.
Yes they existed.
Go to : http://catfood.phred.org/query.asp
enter "Free Spirit" in the search criteria and "Classic Rendezvous" as the list to
search, 3 pages of results (75 posts) by some of the most serious afficionados
in the country.
How would you like your Alvit served?

...There is the possibility that itz a high quality gas pipe, as in Reynolds 501 (common on the continent) or similar, seamed straight tubes of similar composition using chromium as a major constituent.
501 was a common tubing for the '10 speed' craze days when a little cache was nice. Owned a '71 CCM of 501 - stronglight, huret, normandy, wingnuts and all - that I used as a commuter for over a year - nice....
No offense, but you're sure it wasn't 531? I was under the impression that 501 (which is supposedly like seamed 531) wasn't on the scene 'till the early '80s.

Free Spirit was just the label Sears used during the '70s; they'd been importing bikes from Puch with some sort of Sears labels since the '60s. Some of the bikes were quite good. Sears had been using JC Higgens & later Ted Williams names for years, and when the '70s came along, Free Spirit sounded pretty hip to their ad people... Not all Free Spirit bikes were junk. No Cinelli, but not bad either.

...How would you like your Alvit served?
OOOOhh... I don't like Alvit.

"There is the possibility that itz a high quality gas pipe, as in Reynolds 501 (common on the continent) or similar, seamed straight tubes of similar composition using chromium as a major constituent.
501 was a common tubing for the '10 speed' craze days when a little cache was nice. Owned a '71 CCM of 501 "

If you're talking Reynolds 501, I believe it was not introduced until 1984. Never seen a bike earlier than that with 501. It is possible your CCM has a degraded 531 sticker (not unusual). Certainly never seen a seventies boom model with 501, and I've seen plenty of them.

This bike is too early for 501. Unlikely as it seems, the bike is a better Sears model. At the time, their catalogs often advertised levels of a given item, "Good", "better", "best". I suspect this is the middle grade, given the components. Not positive on that.

One good way to verify the quality of the tubing is to measure the seat post; 26.4 to 26.8 probably= Reynolds (or other good tubing); in the 25s would indicate lesser tubing on a bike of this vintage.

I'm not much on Hurets for dinner, or even Campagnolos.

And now for the REALLY important question: does Puch rhyme with book, Luke, or luck? This question plagued me all through high school, when those blasted mopeds got so popular-

One good way to verify the quality of the tubing is to measure the seat post; 26.4 to 26.8 probably= Reynolds (or other good tubing); in the 25s would indicate lesser tubing on a bike of this vintage....
I think (not positive though) 26.4 or 26.6 if the "metric" (French) sized 531 was used, and 26.8 or 27.2 if in the "regular" 531 tubing. It seems that the French enjoyed using a slightly smaller size tubing... I believe that the smaller sizes listed above for each metric/non-metric tubset were for straight gauge 531, or if a down tube was used as a seat tube. Seat tubes are normally butted thicker on only the BB shell end, but some builders liked having a little more "meat" at the seat lug junction, and used a down tube there, or just used what they had in stock...

And now for the REALLY important question: does Puch rhyme with book, Luke, or luck? This question plagued me all through high school, when those blasted mopeds got so popular-
I think, none of the above...but probably closest to Luke. I believe it's "pookhh", with the khh having a sort of "clearing your throat sound".

"It seems that the French enjoyed using a slightly smaller size tubing"

Oooh, those darn French :D. Anyone having an evil French bike with tubing of this difficult size can ship it to me and I will ensure it is properly disposed of for a nominal fee. 62cm frames are especially dangerous, but I'll dispose of them for free.

I'm not really sure what size Puch used, although there's a 531 framed Austro-D in front of me, and if I got off my lazy duff (hah) I could measure it, so I threw in the French sizes at the bottom end of the range to be sure... I think your measurements are likely correct... measuring the post a pretty good way to determine tubing quality in bikes of this vintage. Won't claim it's absolutely foolproof, but works pretty well in the absence of any tubing stickers.

...I'm not really sure what size Puch used, although there's a 531 framed Austro-D in front of me, and if I got off my lazy duff (hah) I could measure it..
No idea about the Free Spirit, but a SuperLeicht and 3 Ultimas I've had were all 27.2. Pretty sure the Vent Noir frame I recently sold was too (I didn't measure, and misplaced that seat post long ago...don't ask).

I think, none of the above...but probably closest to Luke. I believe it's "pookhh", with the khh having a sort of "clearing your throat sound".

Thanks, TheOtherGuy.

Zen,
I don't have it yet but I've requested a copy of the Sears spec for the
Reynolds 531 Free spirit.
Yes they existed.
Go to : http://catfood.phred.org/query.asp
enter "Free Spirit" in the search criteria and "Classic Rendezvous" as the list to
search, 3 pages of results (75 posts) by some of the most serious afficionados
in the country.
How would you like your Alvit served?

HAHA!
so it seems
did the search, and does it seem likely that there are 2 'rebadged' free spirits? - possible, but less likely ...
so - something new every day and I stand informed (until the MilleVanilli moment...)
I like that
anyone have an allvit they want send me? I seem to be fresh outta them...

will make a feast of it :p

as for my CCM, was definitely badged '501' - gonna contact reynolds and see what gives on them...

this is way fun!
and bikes, even Free Spirits, itz all good.
been busy on some 'new' old stuff... check my next post

I've seen some very well-made "Free Spirits" from Switzerland and Austria. It seems as though, from around 1970 to 1980 or so, Sears was buying bikes from ten or twenty different sources, and slapping the "Free Spirit" decal on them. The best of them were as good as the Raleighs and Motobecanes of that same era.

The "coolest" thing about "Free Spirit" bikes: they were sold in every village in the USA that had a post office. Back in the 70's, Sears still had an enormous catalog operation. A kid in some blinking light village in North Dakota could buy a ten speed bike made in Europe, just like folks in Los Angeles or Chicago. Of course, the kid in North Dakota would have to assemble it and repair it himself, but...he still had a bike. There are millions of us "old folks" who can remember their first "real" bike, and for many of them, it was a "Free Spirit".

One of the "Free Spirits" that I had was made in Europe in the "style" of the typical Dutch commuting bike. Sturdy, heavy...built to last a hundred years. But, I could not get the tire off the rim of that "Free Spirit". The guys at the bike shop could not get the tire off the rim. It turned out that a prior owner had somehow mounted a "standard" size 26 inch tire on the rim. But, the rim was about half an inch taller than the tire. The rim was some "odd" size that had never made it to the USA, except on a "Free Spirit".

No idea about the Free Spirit, but a SuperLeicht and 3 Ultimas I've had were all 27.2. Pretty sure the Vent Noir frame I recently sold was too (I didn't measure, and misplaced that seat post long ago...don't ask).


I have a Luzern, a Mistral, and an Ultima that are all 27.2.

I pm'd Puchultima requesting any info he may be able to provide. Hopefully he'll chime in.

And yes, it's pronounced in the same fashion as Luke.

It was also my understanding that Reynolds introduced 501 in the early 80's.