All these bikes are made by Steyr Daimler Puch of Graz, Austria. A very old company, they made, during the timeframe, military vehicles, guns and bicycles. They may have also made their own steel tubing. The military focus is why you see some unusual and top grade finishes on some of the bikes. The bike lines were from lowest to highest Steyr, Puch and Austro-Daimler. The Sears models corresponded to the Steyr grade I suppose. I think these all were good honest bikes at the various price levels. One quirk was that the small bikes had rather long top tubes.
Joe Bender-Zanoni
Great Notch, NJ
<dmorrell@nomise.com>; <samclingo@hotmail.com> Sent: Friday, July 16, 2004 7:24 AM Subject: [CR]Ted Williams, was A lucky find today
> Jerry Moos wrote:
>
> There are several other Ted Williams's, including a CR list member who is
a nephew of "the" Ted Williams. But the bicycles were indeed endorsed by
the BoSox slugger for Sears just as you say. And there was a 531 version
made in Austria by a company somehow connected with the makers of Puch.
This has been discussed here before. I think the consensus was that these
frames were a bit rough for a top 531 model, and that they aren't extremely
valuable, but there is something neat about a Sears Free Spirit with 531 and
top components.
>
> +++++++++++++++++++++++++++
>
> "A bit rough" is an elegant understatement, probably somewhere between the
boom-era Raleigh "Record" (lowest end model) and the Peugeot UO-8.
>
> Both my 65 Ted Williams and the 74 Reynolds 531 are Austrian-made. The
'74's owner's manual has a small reference to "Sears Sports Center, Home of
the Ted Williams brand" on the cover. More interesting, both of these and my
Austro-Daimler Vent Noir have a rather unusual trapezoidal punch about 1 cm
tall, near the top front of the seat tube, as an air pressure and drain port
to the top tube. I think the Sears were Austro-Daimler. This would be
further supported by the model number, 503.474480, since Sam Lingo's note
says that "Sears had a code for each supplier--the Austrian bicycle
company's Sears code is 503.
>
> I hope that we've done enough on these for now, and I return to my laconic
"grieving" for my short wheelbase (buckled) '74.
>
> harvey sachs
> mcLean va
>
>
> Jerry, with all due respect, I think there is something more than "neat"
about "Sears Free Spirit with 531 and top components." I think it is close
to the essence of funk. Particularly since only the tubing and rear
derailleur were top stuff.
>
> harvey sachs
> mcLean va