Originally Posted by
ergillma
Possibly the ugliest bike ever made. A 1977 Western Flyer made by Murray. The good news is that the wheels are round and it came with new tires and tubes. The seat and fenders have to go.
I wouldn't call it ugly since it's just a classic 3-speed (Shimano) design from that era. One of my bikes is a similar American-made Huffy, which I enjoy riding around on when cruising in style (when speed is not my goal).
I've refurbished several older Murrays and you really do need tear them apart to lube their bearings. Most older bikes I've restored over the years, the lube in their bearings looks like dirty wax. But in the two Murrays I've restored, their bearings were totally dry. I suspect that the Murray company used heavy oil instead of grease to lube their bearings, and perhaps the lighter oil may have simply evaporated over the years?
In any event, all bikes need to be occasionally torn apart and their bearings cleaned and re-lubed.
Ride your Murray with pride!
:-)