Originally Posted by
sykerocker
For years, Sears had a contract with Ted Williams for it's top of the line sporting goods: Bicycles, shotguns, badminton sets and Lord knows what else. Once the contract ran out, they started using Free Spirit on the bicycles, and I think some other stuff - at this time they quit dealing in lugged bikes, and I don't think I've ever seen a Free Spirit frame that wasn't an American made cheapie.
Pretty much throughout the 60s and early 70s. Ted Williams was a member of Sears Sporting Goods Advisory board which included Edmund Hilary. I'm not sure how much influence they had on Sears sporting goods, but Ted Williams was certainly more knowledgeble about baseball, hunting and fishing than bicycles. I have a couple of the 531 Sears frames; ok but no Colnago or even Raleigh. Most were pretty much what you might expect from a department store.