jeb814

Huffy, Free Spirit, Murray.................not exactly the names found in the "Searching for the Holy Grail" bike threads. Although most kids of my generation learned to ride on these department store bikes, most of us following these threads today yearn for rides that are a little classier. Yet, I spent this evening disassembling and re-greasing the hubs and bottom bracket of a Free Spirit (distributed by Sears Roebuck) that was a give-away. I'm not going to keep it and will probably have a hard time selling it for what it costs me to put it back on the road. Why?

As a kid in the 50's I lived on my bicycle. As a young parent in the 70's I returned to cycling as a way to stay fit and balance work and family responsibilities. After all the kids were through college I began to spend more time on the bike and finally, after about 20 years of planning, cycled across the country on the Southern Tier Route in 2009 to celebrate my 65th birthday. I continue to work 3 days per week and generally commute the 6 miles to my office on my Centurion Pro Tour 15. My point here, is that for most of my life, I have been riding a bicycle. But, for most of my life, I have been very timid, if not downright cowardly, about trying any serious wrenching.
I can change a tire (not skillfully), and somewhere over the years learned to use a chain tool, and I was able to jury rig a pannier rack that broke in the middle of New Mexico. But, rebuild a bottom bracket...............not a chance. Too scared to screw up. Dr. Freud would have suggested that my reservations were a function of my father who forbade me to use his tools and was highly critical of my early efforts during childhood. So here I was, 67 years old and feeling a lot embarrassed by my mechanical phobia when I found Bike Forums and my courage.

So what do I have to lose by tearing down and trying to rebuild a cheap bike that someone has thrown away? I can learn some skills by trying some wrenching on bikes that were going to end up as junk anyways! The Huffys, Free Spirits, Murrays and all the junk yard bikes are perfect as teaching tools. While they tend to be the Rodney Dangerfield of bicycles, they are perfect projects for the risk adverse would be mechanic. And, they are every where.

Completed projects thus far consist of a 1977 UE-8 Peugeot moving sale find, and a 1988 Zebra, thrift store find. I'm currently working on the Free Spirit. I also have a Huffy Mixte frame, that was given to me, that I am anxious to get to.

elboGreaze

Great story , sounds like you're having fun with the old bikes ! I would like to do some long touring like you have done, and at 65 , that's pretty amazing.

bluegoatwoods

Personally, I like the bikes you've mentioned. Everyone knows that they're not top-of-the-line, but they have charm. They are, perhaps, the Beetle or the AMC Hornet or the Plymouth Valiant of bicycles; not fancy, maybe even ugly, but lovable nonetheless.

And those Huffy's tend to have 50 or 52 tooth front chainrings. If you have a decent power/mass ratio, then you can really get moving.

ThimbleSmash

Good luck on the Free Spirit project. I got into cycling not long ago and as anything else I get into if its go mechanical aspects I wanna know to how build/fix/maintain everything, so I took a Free Spirit I had to happen laying around in the backyard and started to clean it up and convert it so single speed. I'm almost done with it for right now but plan to do some more cleaning and tweaking down the road. Can't wait to show it off even know its nothing special to most people but its the satisfaction of knowing the work I did to it that makes me want to show it off.

Chris_in_Miami

Even the cheapest bike can be a useful tool for learning the ropes of maintenance. The more often you do it, and the more deeply you dig into the innards, the greater your understanding of the process. Congrats on getting the hardcore grime under your fingernails!

r0ckh0und 

A great way to get your feet wet jeb814. It took me a few years to aquire the knowledge and tools to do things the right way. I have "Drew"ed a couple of frames in the process. All it really takes is a strong apreciation for old bikes and the willingness to learn and hopefully from any mistakes we make along the way.

Amesja

I have a hard time throwing a bike in the scrap pile. If I can get it going again for someone to use I will do it if the cost is mostly just my labor, some bearings and grease.

jack002

I had a Huffy "the Rail", a banana seat schwinn knockoff and I rode that thing till I was too big for it. Years and years of abuse and miles on it. Hated to see it go. It was great and I'll never know what an upscaled stingray type bike would be like.

RubberLegs

Need to build up a 27" Huffy, banana seat, fixie! Though I think I HAVE seen one of those cruising around here! The local CL has had Free Spirits and Huffies for up to $175 around here lately...REALLY!?!?!?!? Too much American Pickers I'm thinking. They are fine starter bikes for kids, or good to bash about the neighborhood, but do even "Showroom Condition" have ANY kind of value? Crazy Numbers!!! (like a Huffy was ever in a Showroom!)

JReade

My first attempt was on a 79 schwinn continental. I learned a LOT that go round.

wahoonc

Huffy made decent bikes for the price point up until they went offshore. I have a few Huffy Baypoint 3 speeds under my care and they do a great job as a weekend MUP/around the neighborhood cruiser. One is being used on a 4 mile round trip daily commute.

Aaron

Mos6502

Huffy's ok... they did build them to a price, and depending on who they were for there could be a big difference in quality. For instance Huffy lightweights for Sears had araya rims, Huffy lightweights for All-Pro used horrendously flimsy in-house made rims that will never ever stay true. They would even take little short cuts with the frame construction, like squashing the tops of the seat stays on cheap bikes instead of capping them on the slightly less cheap bikes. A penny here, a penny there.

I prefer Murray to Huffy. Better frame geometry, generally better frames and components in general. The huffys I've had tended to handle like they were made of lead, wheareas the Murrays came closer to feeling like "real" bikes. I think Murray used slightly steeper frame angles and a lower bottom bracket. Whatever it is it makes a difference. Also Murray frames were brazed instead of welded.

As for learning on - American bikes in general are easier to work on than any other kinds, but the differences mean that when you do start working on other kinds you've got a lot to get filled in on.

brianinc-ville

Keep in mind, too, that many people born after 1985 don't know the difference between a Huffy and a Raleigh, and will pay accordingly.

seedsbelize 

I have a 79 Free Spirit step through frame which I'm currently using as a truing stand. Who knows what its future will bring?

randyjawa 

I learned, a long time ago, that we all cannot have the top dog in the Velo stable. With that in mind, I published my website, focusing on all levels of vintage road bicycles, and roadsters, and antiques and now even mountain bicycles.

I am not a vintage Velo snob. I see value in all old bicycles and even the odd new one. With that in mind, I feel no shame admitting that one of the nicest riding bicycles I have ever owned was a found at the Dump, spent not one penny on, environmentally challenged entry level Legnano...

marley mission

randy - LOVE your site - but i went looking for vintage MTBs and couldnt find any - are they 'coming soon'?

BigPolishJimmy

It was only a few years ago that I returned to riding as a way to get a bit of healthy exercise. I didn't have/want to spend $150.00 on a good bike from x-mart--I didn't know any better--so I put a wanted in my local freecycle. I then built a bike out of 3 junk bikes and fell in love with riding. I'd learned the basics of bike repair when I was a kid, but I had to brush off 30+- years of dust and cobwebs from my memory and the huffy frankenbike was the perfect learning tool. The rear wheel came form a girls bike ...sshhhhhsh don't tell anyone, The handlebars from a garage sale, and I think the saddle from yet another huffy.

Here it is:



after working on this bike, replacing cables, re-aligning the derailleurs, repacking the wheel bearings, I gained the confidence to fix a better bike. Too bad I didn't find this forum sooner, or I would have used better techniques for stuck stem and seatposts.

In any case, I'm glad you're wrenching and enjoying it. I find it a relaxing and worthwhile thing, to sit outside on a nice day spinning a wrench on a bike that would otherwise be sitting in the dump. Oh, and the huffy has since gotten it's old handlebars back and been given to a person who couldn't afford a bike.

marley mission

btw - here is my free spirit - which is now torn down (i could rebuild but its too small - i keep it cause i love that ol cheesey 78 frame)

mainstreetexile 

Hey, it's funny to see this thread, I think you actually picked those up from me!

I rescued them from various curbs on spring clean-up day last year. The Free Spirit was pretty intact. I lubed the chain, adjusted the derailleurs and brakes and trued the wheels a little bit (I think) in plans of giving it to one of my friends as an around-town bike, but she got another bike so it ended up languishing behind my parents' house for a while.

Glad to see you're making good use of it. I thought the Huffy mixte frame was pretty cool too, especially for a Huffy. Most mixte frames are hi-ten so there isn't as large a gulf in quality there. I had pulled some parts off it but I still may have them sitting around somewhere if you need them.

OldsCOOL

I have a metal sculpture planned this summer using an old huffy or schwinn. Maybe I can find the 10.00 bike at a garage sale this spring.

RB1-luvr

I like working on the old 60s-70s single piece crank bikes too. I have a slant top tube Huffy "USA" 10 speed with a 26" rear wheel (with disc cover) and 24" front wheel that I'm in the process of converting to a single speed. It was made to commemorate the 76 Olympic team time trial bikes. Should make an interesting neighborhood cruiser/errand runner.

Joecool85

I have a 10 speed 1978 Free Spirit that I put Tektro center pull brakes on. I love that bike.

Mercian Rider

I rescue bikes like that and donate them to one of the local bike co-ops. For example, late last year I was riding in my neighborhood and a guy was dragging (they wouldn't roll) matching his and hers Free Spirit 10-speeds to the trash. I picked them up and gave them to a co-op.

I see people commuting on those kind of bikes fairly frequently. Almost any bike that's rideable is much faster than walking, and will probably get you to your destination faster than the public busses, at least in my neck of the woods.

Flying Merkel

I commuted to work in 1979 on a Huffy ten speed. Horrible, awful, wretched pile. No redeeming qualities. I could tune it up at night, in the morning it would have twisted itself into a new type of dysfunction. Wheels could not stay trued, brakes would either drag on the rim or not stop at all, sometimes on the same day. Headset bearing were probably made out of wood- cheap wood at that. Shifting was an impossible dream. I ended up walking the mile and a half to work. No idea what became of the Huffster. I literally threw it in the back of garage one day after the stem started to crack and the chain dropped off twice in one mile. Might have even launched a brick after it. It's amazing I ever owned another bike after that.

In my day. to ride a Huffy was to be the object of ridicule and loathing.

I'm sure the Huffy folk made or imported a decent bike or two. Never have seen one myself.

Chris_in_Miami

I had an AMF that made your Huffy look like a Hetchins. AMF couldn't even make a passable single speed.