Built by Puch in Austria it is original except for saddle ( I have the original but it failed when its' leather rotted). Sears wanted to offer a full range of bicycles; this was their best. Original tires (not shown) still hold air but not used for riding. Not bad for its day.
Frame:
Puch alloy 56cm
Fork/Headset:
Puch alloy
Crankset/Bottom Bracket:
Nervar cottered
Derailleurs/Shifters:
Campagnolo Gran Sport
Saddle/Seatpost:
Campagnolo seat post
Brakes:
Weinman Center Pull
Accessories:
Original pump
More Info:
Back in 1964, my first road bike was the cheaper version of this bike. It looked the same but differed in having Huret derailleurs instead of Campagnolo. You can see it in my photos, it is the last catalog entry. In 1964, I was 13 and my buddies rode Schwinn Continentals. My bike was lighter, quicker, had better handling and better workmanship. Big thrills when you are 13. Did I mention that it was also cheaper? My little buddies still teased me for having a bike from Sears.
Added by OldRoadieTehachapi. Last updated 3 months ago.
9 Comments
Around 1970 my buddy around the corner lusted after a Sears Ted Williams with a 531 frame. He never got one, but the both of us knew what was desirable in a bicycle early on. I've seen photos of those Austrian Sears bikes and they were way better than the Varsity tank I had to ride back then,
Posted over 8 years ago
Photos
BrentP says:
None of Sears bikes were branded J.C. Higgins in 1964. Beginning in '64, Sears dropped the J.C. Higgins name and began branding their bikes as Sears. The Gran Sport equipped 10 speed was produced as a J.C. Higgins bike in 1962 and '63, and the Huret Alvit equipped 10 speed was added to the lineup in 1963. From 1964 forward, though, the J.C. Higgins bike brand no longer existed (Sears actually began phasing it out across their sporting goods in 1962, hitting the bikes in '63). The catalog scans you posted are from the 1964 catalog (note the round Sears head tube badges instead of the oval J.C. Higgins badges from previous years).
Posted over 2 years ago