A piece of Americana
09-17-23, 06:27 PM
#1
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A piece of Americana
A Sears Ted Williams 10-Speed, seen in a thrift store. $55.
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09-17-23, 07:06 PM
#2
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Clean it up, change the tubes and tires and cable and it's good as new. 
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09-17-23, 07:16 PM
#3
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If you remove the rear wheel, take a picture of the face plate on the freewheel. I'm guessing it might be a Shimano and it could have a date code.
Great find and the lug lining is a nice touch.
Great find and the lug lining is a nice touch.
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09-17-23, 10:56 PM
#4
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What oxalic acid wouldn't do to get on that bike for a good soak.
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09-18-23, 07:25 AM
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It's about 50 years old. It's nice that it has a lugged frame. It's similar to a Raleigh Sprite. It will require a D-I-Y guy to spend at least $60 for tires, rim liners and brake pads, plus some work (but it's a hobby...it's what we do). It may also need new tubes. For that reason, $35+/- would be a more realistic price.
09-18-23, 07:36 AM
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A French made piece of Americana.
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09-18-23, 08:16 AM
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not much American about a Motobecane
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not much American about a Motobecane
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09-18-23, 09:32 AM
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but, but, but,......the head badge.
edit: Oooopps, head tube decal.
edit: Oooopps, head tube decal.
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09-18-23, 10:01 AM
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That's a lot better than the piece of junk Free Spirit I had, with its Ashtabula crank and full-length cable housings zip-tied(!) to the frame. $10 yard sale "treasure" that I kept at work for noontime errands and exercise rides, until it was stolen.
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Capo: 1959 Modell Campagnolo, S/N 40324; 1960 Sieger (2), S/N 42624, 42597
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"Far and away the best prize that life offers is the chance to work hard at work worth doing." --Theodore Roosevelt
Capo: 1959 Modell Campagnolo, S/N 40324; 1960 Sieger (2), S/N 42624, 42597
Carlton: 1962 Franco Suisse, S/N K7911
Peugeot: 1970 UO-8, S/N 0010468
Bianchi: 1982 Campione d'Italia, S/N 1.M9914
Schwinn: 1988 Project KOM-10, S/N F804069
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09-18-23, 11:54 AM
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09-18-23, 11:55 AM
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09-18-23, 12:25 PM
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09-18-23, 12:43 PM
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Manufrance product?
09-18-23, 01:07 PM
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The thrift stores must be pricing the Free Spirits by the pound, my 531 bike was only $30!
as found Sears Ted Williams Free Spirit 531, made in Austria
as found Sears Ted Williams Free Spirit 531, made in Austria
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09-18-23, 01:32 PM
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Motobecane
they employed this construction for lower models in the 1960's and early 1970's for such models as Nobly and Mirage
head lugs are BOCAMA
fork crown is NERVEX Pattern Nr. 4
crown often receives the Motobecane cap with the cutout M regardless of how cycle badged
seat and shell are lugless construction
lugless shell is CH thread and is NERVEX Ref. 3300
seat binder collar is NERVEX Ref. 852
plate style chain stay bridge is ESGE
Universel chainset from A. Duprat, bottom bracket assembly from REWAX MD in black oxide finish, fixed cup is octagonal - the REWAX code for CH
frames employed for Astra, Orly, Dynamax, Sears & Wards
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Motobecane
they employed this construction for lower models in the 1960's and early 1970's for such models as Nobly and Mirage
head lugs are BOCAMA
fork crown is NERVEX Pattern Nr. 4
crown often receives the Motobecane cap with the cutout M regardless of how cycle badged
seat and shell are lugless construction
lugless shell is CH thread and is NERVEX Ref. 3300
seat binder collar is NERVEX Ref. 852
plate style chain stay bridge is ESGE
Universel chainset from A. Duprat, bottom bracket assembly from REWAX MD in black oxide finish, fixed cup is octagonal - the REWAX code for CH
frames employed for Astra, Orly, Dynamax, Sears & Wards
-----
Last edited by juvela; 09-18-23 at 02:19 PM. Reason: addition
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09-18-23, 02:09 PM
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Crazy. Looks like somebody bought it, put it in the garage, then forgot they had it.
As a kid we had a huge multi-story Sears store and catalogue fulfillment center, and the bike section seemed to be acres large. So many shiny bikes. It and the toy department are why I didn't mind being dragged there.
As a kid we had a huge multi-story Sears store and catalogue fulfillment center, and the bike section seemed to be acres large. So many shiny bikes. It and the toy department are why I didn't mind being dragged there.
09-18-23, 04:21 PM
#17
Senior Member
Great for neighborhood rides and errands. Bet the white paint will pop out with a simple clean and polish.
saddle not so much good and the serrated brake surface on the rims are awful!
saddle not so much good and the serrated brake surface on the rims are awful!
09-18-23, 09:00 PM
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and I thought they imported from Austria, but this bike does not appear as such.
need to stop looking at images on a phone.
thanks.
way way back I saw a Ted Williams 10 speed at the local Sears in Santa Monica. It was after I read the Complete Book of Bicycling, so some features appeared decent, Reynolds 531.
I held off, I wanted a bike with Tubulars.
need to stop looking at images on a phone.
thanks.
way way back I saw a Ted Williams 10 speed at the local Sears in Santa Monica. It was after I read the Complete Book of Bicycling, so some features appeared decent, Reynolds 531.
I held off, I wanted a bike with Tubulars.
09-18-23, 11:33 PM
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I believe the Ted Williams label bikes started around 1965. Prior was the JC Higgins label. Think from 1962 to 63, one could get the top racer equipped with Campagnolo Gran Sport. Later years having Huret. But going further back, bikes could be from England, France and Austria. The Austrian made by Styer.
Who couldn't wait for the Big Christmas Wish catalog?
Who couldn't wait for the Big Christmas Wish catalog?
09-19-23, 07:22 AM
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I grew up in a small town in rural Ohio, so the Sears catalog was like our Amazon. You could get almost anything from them. Over the years they have sold cars, farm tractors, and even houses. We did have a small store front where you could place and pick up orders, so at least we didn't have to send the order form in the mail with a with a money order and hope for the best. Once or twice a year, we would travel to the city and visit the big Sears store. For Christmas, they would transform a big area of the store into the toy department so you could see all the stuff in the Wish Book up close.
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09-25-23, 06:19 AM
#21
Recovering Bikeaholic
Ted Williams
We all know Ted was a legendary cyclist, right??⁰
09-25-23, 07:44 AM
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I would buy that for $55 and have a grand time cleaning and restoring.
09-25-23, 10:52 AM
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09-25-23, 11:57 AM
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Come on! Everyone knows that Ted was an ace mountain biker. 
09-25-23, 12:04 PM
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