...if it actually says "Sears" on it, it's a lower end bike boom sort of thing. Most of what Sears sold branded "Sears" was Taiwanese entry level stuff, but they also sourced some that were American made and even lower on the quality scale.
In the era when Sears was actually sourcing and selling some quality stuff, they had some Austrian made JC Higgins bikes that were solid, if unremarkable, and the Ted Williams branded 531 framed bike that you see every now and then. Still not great, but at least an attempt at a first level bike. I have a long history as a Sears fan, going all the way back to my childhood in the 50's and 60's when we ordered stuff from the catalog.
What happened to Sears over the years makes me sad.
