1974 Sears Free Spirit
06-25-18, 10:42 AM
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1974 Sears Free Spirit
i just finished this update of a 1974 Sears Free Spirit for my friend, and I’m hoping there are some people here who will enjoy seeing it! It was his father-in-law’s bike until he died, so his wife’s family likes that he rides it.
I stretched the frame, and changed from the original 590mm wheels to new 650b wheels with 36 spokes. I used a Truvativ bottom bracket adapter to switch from the original one-piece crank to a three piece crank; I put on a stainless steel surly chainring and a silver chainring guard. I used Tektro long reach brakes, and set it up 1x8 with a friction thumb shifter. And I changed to grips and saddle to sportier looking red ones.
The coolest thing about the model is undoubtedly the Ted Williams approved logo on the head tube decal. Why is a baseball player certifying bikes? Just go with it! I saw his mother in law at a kid’s baseball game yesterday, and she told me it looked really nice and that it brought back lots of memories to see Tim ride it. It was very nice, and very touching.
06-25-18, 01:14 PM
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Wow, I saw this thread title, and expected to come here and tell some newb to not bother with a crappy BSO like a Free Spirit.
But you've done a great job with this! Undoubtedly the parts you added were many times more than the value of the bike to start with, but hey, if the 'customer' is happy, that's what counts!
FWIW Ted Williams came from San Diego. I drive (and ride) on Ted Williams Parkway a lot. Ted Williams + Tony Gwynn, we claim the two greatest hitters in history. (Gwynn actually lived in my suburb, I once saw him gassing up his Toyota Avalon. I didn't want to bug him, but by all accounts he was a super person)
But you've done a great job with this! Undoubtedly the parts you added were many times more than the value of the bike to start with, but hey, if the 'customer' is happy, that's what counts!
FWIW Ted Williams came from San Diego. I drive (and ride) on Ted Williams Parkway a lot. Ted Williams + Tony Gwynn, we claim the two greatest hitters in history. (Gwynn actually lived in my suburb, I once saw him gassing up his Toyota Avalon. I didn't want to bug him, but by all accounts he was a super person)
06-25-18, 01:36 PM
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Thanks guys! It’s a nostalgia piece, but it’s also a perfectly useful, versatile bike. It really opened up my eyes on the cheap old frames when I updated a 1973 Schwinn Continental a couple years ago; it’s heavy-ish, but not crazy heavy and it works well for many types of riding. Basically, if you put solid parts on a cheap old steel bike, you can get a really nice, fun bike!
06-25-18, 01:37 PM
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Steel is Real!
06-25-18, 06:03 PM
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Nice!
06-26-18, 09:45 AM
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Nicely done, thanks for showing us your work. Really cool story.
06-26-18, 09:53 AM
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Are those wine corks for bar plugs?
06-26-18, 04:53 PM
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We have an old beater with a quill stem where the bolthead is recessed, so it kind of looks like a skinnier threadless stem missing its stem cap. In order to avoid getting 'cored' in case of an accident, my wife plugged the hole with a wine cork. And drew a little smiley face on it.
