dddjimenez

I purchased an old Sears and Roebuck bike last week with the intention of restoring it, since I'm on vacations and I have a lot of free time it seemed like something fun. I have stripped it of to remove the paint (I know this decreases the bikes value but since stickers are pealing off and the frame has a lot of rust seems like the best thing to do) I am totally clueless on what to do if I should keep the original parts which are in extremely poor/rusted condition or if I should buy new parts, I really don't care. If I do buy new pars what will guide me in to buying the adequate parts that will fit into the frame is there something I could use to guide myself? I wanted to convert it to a single speed but it seems like it will be too complicated for someone who has no experience whatsoever and has no clue on how to do it. I'd like some advice if it's possible any tips (no insults PLEASE, save them for someone else I already know I'm clueless) bike's frame size is 22"
I've added a couple of photos I don't know if they will be enough but i really hope so.
Thanks a lot for looking and I really hope to get advice from any of you guys.


https://i1351.photobucket.com/albums/...ps53f9fd2e.jpg

https://i1351.photobucket.com/albums/...pse1eb4c82.jpg

https://i1351.photobucket.com/albums/...ps90342ba1.jpg

https://i1351.photobucket.com/albums/...psf0c9b7ed.jpg

https://i1351.photobucket.com/albums/...ps9072fc86.jpg

https://i1351.photobucket.com/albums/...psaf096722.jpg

https://i1351.photobucket.com/albums/...ps41a42545.jpg

puchfinnland

puchfinnland

this bike was made most likely by PUCH in Austria.
the frame was good quality, your chrome has seen better days.

its stil a nice bike..

gmouchawar

You will spend a lot more than the bike is worth if you replace the parts. Learn about Oxalic acid to clean up rusty part. Grease all the bearings and you should be good to go.

wrk101

+1,000,000 do this.

Gravity Aided

Very nice score. A great riding bike, if it fits. I've run across a couple, they didn't fit, but they did flip.

David Newton

This is Puch's answer to the Raleigh Sport, which was selling in huge gobs at the time.
The Austrian made Strumey Archer AW clone 3-speed hub is argueably better than SA.
You have everything there for a good utility bike, except for grease, oil, a new chain and new brake cables, and a shifter & cable. Ask on the ISO thread for any spares you need, and you can get them here instead of ebay.
I have fenders and chaingard but shipping is nuts on stuff like that, and you can ride fine without them.
Please don't bother trying to strip the paint and repainting, you'll never get a better paint than is on it now, unless you are a professional.
Clean up what you have and ride it.

Howard

bronze wool is what I've used for cleaning up chrome. Unless it's flaking off, it shouldn't be a problem to make shiny again.

Sheldon Brown's site ought to have enough info for rehabbing the hub. It's almost certainly a license built or cloned Sturmey AW as others have said.

I'd bet the tires/rims are 26x1 3/8, or "590" - Kenda makes a perfectly useful tire (k-40, I think) that's pretty reasonable - usually under 20 at the local bike shop. Michelin World Tour tires have a reflective stripe and run about 20 bucks, give or take. There are other choices available.

The twist shifter doesn't have a great reputation, but the old standards can be had for just a few bucks.

If you drop a hundred bucks on it, but ride it a thousand miles, you're into it for 10 cents a mile. Good shoes can cost more than that per mile. So if you're careful, and especially if you have a coop nearby, this is a good starting point.

I like that it has a kickstand plate. It's hard to find a Raleigh without some damage to the stays by the crushing of the kickstand. The plate takes care of that.

[edit] simplest way to make it a single speed: just get the hub working again, and use a set of downtube mounted friction shifters - only mount them below the saddle. Adjust the shifter to have it in the gear you want, then don't touch it again. There are other options of course, but don't give up on the 3 speed so quickly. Sometimes you have a tailwind or a headwind, and it's kind of nice to have some choice. "Too high, too low, and not quite right" : -)

Cougrrcj

Looks like the early '60s paintjob. We had three of those in the family - his and hers J.C. Higgins (Sears house brand name) from the late '50s to '60, then in the mid-late 60s, we got another Sears women's three speed with the decals like the OP's. ALl got sold at a garage sale when the parents sold their house in '88.

When I got my three speed in 1970, Sears had already gone to sourcing from other manufacturers for their three speeds with different colors and were sold under the Free Spirit banner with the Shimano 3-spd rear hub.. Mine was originally white, but it got repainted blue when it got too beat/scratched up from my chain and lock at the ballfield . I was helping dad paint his blue car - so the frame/fork got painted at the same time. Not too much later, the frame broke when I hit a had snowbank on the way home from school. I had it welded, but that didn't hold for long... That Spring I bought my first Fuji 'Special Tourer'...

uncle uncle

Don't worry about being clueless... everyone here was clueless at one point. Sheldon Brown's site and Randy Jawa's site (type Ten Speeds into your search engine) will provide you with a lot of knowledge. People here are very helpful as long as you are putting in some homework yourself and are respectful of their opinion. I have a bike just like that, although mine has a lot more "patina" to the frame paint. I want to make a oldtime path racer single speed out of it, but havent found a set of 26" wheels that I'm happy with yet. I want to find something alloy, which is really overkill, since the frame isn't exactly light or anything.

Gravity Aided

'I want to find something alloy, which is really overkill, since the frame isn't exactly light or anything'
Posted by uncleuncle

Stopping in the rain without drama is nice, as well as the lighter weight.

bear_a_bug 

Hey, I have the same 3 speed!

Mine is basically identical to yours, but mine has a slightly different badge up front.

I really cut my teeth learning about bike repair with it, and it can be fun to clean up old lugged steel like this one.

Some things I would swap out immediately: new chain, new cables and housing, new brake pads.

The 3 speed hub cable adjuster is pretty simple to use. Just keep messing with it until your gears no longer slip.

The wheels are indeed 590 (26x 1 3/8), and the rims are heavy-ass steel. Even with kool-stop continentals, I had some terrifying oh-god-why-wont-it-stop moments in the rain.

If you decide you're into doing a bit more restoration with it, I have the original black fenders with the white tail (no reflector: broke off), I could sell to you for next to nothing with postage.

Have fun with it, though!

-Eric

dddjimenez

Thanks a lot guys!! I'm so exited about this, thanks for all the advice I've been researching more and more. I appreciate the help

not_jason

Is it too late to strongly urge you against stripping and repainting? I have very very rarely seen a DIY refinish that looked better than a worn original finish.

Gravity Aided

Lot to be said for the original patina. Takes time, equipment, and skill, along with experience to get the results looking like a factory finish. By equipment, I mean an air compressor(a nice one, with settable pressure), an autobody detail gun, and an oven to raise the temp of that entire bike frame to 140-175 f, so the paint cures. An alternative would be to take it to an autobody paint shop and see what it would cost to have this done professionally. Or a good coat of wax and ride it as is.