Originally Posted by rustystrings61

Ted Williams was their star athlete endorser, though, and many of Sears’ outdoorsy items were fitted with his name. I once owned a Spanish .22 target pistol manufactured by Star but branded “Ted Williams.” It seems to me some of my friends growing up had sporting goods with his name affixed. This was back when the massively thick Sears catalog fueled pre-teen boys with ideas for camping gear, bikes, sports equipment - pretty much everything.

Steyr-Daimler-Puch’s bicycle story in America is told here - My Austro-Daimler "Vent Noir II" Bicycle And Brief History of Steyr Daimler Puch - and I will note that the A-Ds were super nice, the Puchs were nice but definitely 2nd fiddle. The paint of the Austro-Daimler Vent Noir was stunning, the comparable Puch Royal Force was nice but not as striking, and the same frame with humbler parts (Royal X) got a downright shoddy paint job by comparison. It’s okay, the ride is exquisite.