In a message dated 10/13/2002 3:10:47 PM Eastern Daylight Time, sachs@erols.com writes:
>
> The good news (I guess) is that Sears really did sell 531 DB bikes for a
> while. I just acquired one that had been posted, in modified form, on
> E-Bay some weeks ago. It is interesting:
>
> Still has the Reynolds stickers, much worn, nice 1/2 chrome fork with
> chrome crown (oval blades, not round like the earlier Ted Williams). Nice
> lime green finish with black striping on simple lugs that weren't thinned
> at all. Shimano drops fore and aft. And it came with the Original Sears
> Lightweight Owners Manual, dated 1973, printed in Austria, with nice
> illustrations of the SR maxi-style cranks, stem shifters, and suicide brake
>
> levers (UGH). All the "spoor" I'm used to seeing on
> Austro-Daimler/Puch/Steyr bikes. (I think, but am not sure, that Steyr was
>
> part of the same group). At the seat tube to top tube junction, there is
> the same sort of 1 cm tall trapezoidal punch-out of the seat tube instead
> of a hole for gas relief (?) while brazing up. Same cylindrical brake bolt
>
> seat on the seat stay/brake bridge. Has the proper Shimano Crane and
> Tourney derailleurs.
>
We called the color something less-repeatable than lime brown. This bike came out during the first bike boom when I was a bottom-fed go-fer college graduate working in the Schwinn shop in college Park. It was at a time when a bike without centerpull brakes was a tough sell.
I remember hubs were either roughly cast or pressed steel and nutted.
Also very long point lugs- very long.
The bike was designed to attract the buyer not to the rear derailleur (like
many of today's 'oneohfive' bikes but to the reynolds decal. Sears had an
insider in marketing and design that extracted as many buzzes as he could,
but no buzz, not even the center pull brakes, was the buz like the
'on-the-slant' five three one decal.
That was coveted thanks to Eugene Sloane and his book. Even though Schwinn
had the famous 'gour-star' decal made that didn't mislead one into thinking
the stays and forks were butted when they were mostly taper guage.
In any even, the lime sears 'pro' represents a missing yet mildly significant
puzle piece in my time line exhibition. If anyone finds one mostly intact
with as many decals that can be saved, please consider it being among good
company for many to see in my shows and exhibits. Trade or purchase.
It will be among friends in the Sears section with the Higgins, Free Spitits,
and Ted Williams examples.
Thanks in advance
Larry Black