In my teens, we used to ride by buddy's sisters Free Spirit off a dock into a pond ala Evil Kenevil..........ahh the glory days!

Anyway, unlike our hero's vehicles, we always were able to ride the Free Spirit back home

+1. My first was a Huffy banana bike; my second was a small Free Spirit 10-speed. I remember the shifting was very difficult to master. Not sure what happened to that bike after I outgrew it.

Sears Best!!!!

I was a Sears Mechanic between 70 and 73 and repaired and assembled thousands of Sears 10 Speeds during that time Looking for the Ted Williams Free Spirit 10 speed versions on that time period in Gray which was the 445 model number made by PUCH, White Made by Murray of Ohio, and the lime green version made by PUCH which did have the Reynolds 531 frame. Anybody have one let me know

'Just bought a 1984 Free Spirit, NOS. It has never seen the road. I especially like the unit generator: head lamp is part of the generator body. I plan to give it to someone who will ride it and take care of it. It is valuable for local transportation, and to a student... might be their only transport. Derailleurs are Sachs, Dia-Comp brakes, nice lugs with gold paint detail, large chain ring is pressed steel. I replaced the peddles, might add after market fenders. Still has the original made in USA Carlisle nylon tires. Fun!

Those 531 Free Spirits would only be "really good" in comparison to the gas-pipe models such as the OP's bike. Don't expect fine craftsmanship. That said, the Austrian-built models, including the 531 Ted Williams, are always nicer than the USA built models.

BTW, the Austrian Sturmey-Archer clone hub was actually built under license from Sturmey-Archer, no "ripoff."

Back around 1970 when I was in college, I bought a used Sears 3-speed. I remember that it had a decal stated it was made in Austria. It was a very nice bike, and served me for a few years until I moved across country. I gave it away to someone who needed a bike.

big time junk
good for scrap metal PPP

Remember, SEARS never "made" a bicycle....they only placed their decal on it. So it was many companies that actually made their bicycle over the years. Some domestic, some foreign.
Early ones from pre-war were badged ELGIN, and right after WWII, labeled JC HIGGINS. BTW, Higgins was SEARS first accountant and named after him.

I believe it is Taiwanese, but there is no stamp or sticker. The brand name is a simple decal. The paint is very nice, crank arms are alum alloy, but that large chain ring is goofy, pressed so that the larger diameter guard is from the same piece of metal as the cog. I will grease the bearings, true the wheels and oil stuff... and take it for a spin.
My '72 Raleigh is also Taiwan, which was another NOS from an estate sale, and it has chrome steel crank arms and alum handlebars, with lots of pin striping.

I got an '85 Free Spirit 3 speed a few months ago. Threw away the horrible stamped steel brakes, ordered up new tires, and squirted some oil in the hub. Works surprisingly well. It's heavy, but lighter than my Continental.

Has anybody replaced 590 rims with 650b alloys? Forgot how hard it is to true steel and how bad a t stopping they are.

Dynasty 930se

[MENTION=232813]eschlwc[/MENTION] -- You can count me among the "first bike was a Free Spirit" crowd. Probably the second bike too. We beat the hell out of those things and they took it all.

EDIT: Awwwww, I just got suckered into following up on a 3-year-old post. Bad zombie! BAD!

Heck!, one of those S&R Free Spirits got me through my first two years in college. As long as you kept everything on it in lubed properly and in good adjustment and keep all the nuts and bolts tight, they were pretty reliable rides.....
I was the second of two brothers who used the bike for college, it eventually went to our younger cousins to continue its school tranpo service for many more years. I would not be surprised if it's still being ridden by some kid somewhere....

Hi,
I am new to the forum, but I was cleaning up an old apartment, and buried was a J C Higgins Sears and Roebuck 3 speed in pretty good shape. It has the J C Higgins front chain wheel as well. It is not mint condition, but with some work it could be.
Just curious what something like that is worth.

...there's a different forum for valuations. > Classic and Vintage Bicycles: Whats it Worth? Appraisals and Inquiries

Maybe a moderator will move this for you, or you can start another thread in there.

i am wondering where i can get new decals for this bike that look like the original ones

talk about a time capsule!

Here is my Asian built Free Spirit 12. It is now a 6-speed with moustache bars and a Suntour barcon shifter; it weighs about 26 pounds.

My JC Higgins with a 3 speed IGH, circa 1959 was made in Austria by A-D Puch.

Pre-Free Spirit 1968 SEARS "10 SPEED".

Dare I say that it seems to ride perhaps more sprightly than my '73 Super Course, likely due to it's low-trail fork rake. Both have 71-degree HT angle, but the Raleigh has a steeper seat tube so this Sears gets the zero-offset post to get my weight in a more-sporting position above the bottom bracket.
I've put about 4k miles on my Sears and Clubman bikes, both built at Styria.

Doesn't ride like a pig, then.

Dream ride of mine... in the "sleeper" category... either this one, or this:
John G?s Sears Ted Williams Sports Racer | Old Ten Speed Gallery

I remember someone in our group of riders, back in the late 80's, who had an Asian made Sears Free Spirit, which he had flipped on some alloy rim/alloy hub wheels (a practice many of us did to our entry level bike shop bicycles, to soup up their performance). His bike seemed just as competent as just about anyone else's ride in our group, give or take. So, I guess it depends on what circles you ride in...

Is this beauty available for sale?

Tim Lewis Winchester Va

lewis22602@comcast.net