# What is this?



## Western Auto (Oct 8, 2008)

I have visited my father in law in Florida many many times over the past 20 years.  Every time we go down there I ride his old Sears bike.  I have been riding this bike for 20 years.  I know very little about it.  Anyway, last week, my father in law surprised me in that he GAVE me this bike that I have LOVED and enjoyed.  He says he is too old to ride it and that I should have it becuase everyone in the family knows how much I love it.  Why do I love it?  Three reasons, 1.) It is one speed, no shifting and is perfect for my combination of uphill ease and downhill speed. 2.) It't not very heavy, especially for a bike made 30'ish years ago. 3.) It is comfortable to sit on with a great handlebar position and great seat design. 

The point of my post?  Ok.

Here are a couple of pics...
http://my.att.net/p/PWP-bicycle321

1.) How do I find out what model and what specs this bike is?


2.) How do I find out what I need to restore it and what needs restoring and what does not.


3.) I just want to ride this bike more or less daily, what components and specific areas should I make certain are fully functional NOW concerning safety? (I know very little about bikes) 



Thank you.


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## jason_perry (Oct 8, 2008)

I just rode the exact same Sears bike last week, though it was a ladies' frame and red in color. I agree, it was very comfortable and just the right gear ratio for a hilly town.

I can't help you too much with the ID, other than to look for a serial number and see if Sears can help you out.

One thing I notice from the photos is it looks like the coaster brake linkage is missing (there should be a metal arm that connects the rear hub to the clip hanging from the left chainstay in the top right photo). How does this bike stop?

You should overhaul (clean and re-grease, and replace bearings if necessary) the headset and the bottom bracket. These are easy to do on your own but any bike mechanic can do this for you in a jiffy. 

Have a mechanic check if the rims are true (straight). They may be difficult to true if the spoke nipples are seized, which is likely, so if they're wobbly then you might consider new rims. If they're straight, those rims should clean up with some fine steel wool and elbow grease. Overhaul the hub bearings too. 

The tires are probably dry-rotted, which means they show cracks if you squeeze them. Get some new tires and inner tubes on there; fortunately you can still get tires to fit these old cruisers, should be 26 x 1-3/8 (the originals will be marked on the sidewall, replace them with the same size).

Finally, I highly recommend Glenn's Complete Bicycle Manual from the early 1970's. There's a lot of lost knowledge about old bikes in there which you can't find in modern bike repair books. 

Good luck,
Jason


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## Western Auto (Oct 9, 2008)

Wow!  Thanks so very much for the information.  As for the brake thingy, yeah I did notice it doesn't stop unless you jump off.  Just kidding,  It's there, just tucked up under the frame rail where you can't see it. There is a couple of holes in the little bracket thing and the arm is fastened to the top one out of sight.

I think I had best take her to a bike shop and let a mechanic get her running right again and greased up and everything.  I think I will take some steel wool to the rims after he lets me know if they are true or can be true'ed.  All the spokes are there, all the bicycle original parts are on.  I think it's a great cadidate for resoration.  Honestly, it really is the perfect gear ratio for my tastes and the seat is very comfortable. 

Also thanks for the info on the manual.  I did manage to get an education on the various tires available for this old cruiser.  It turns out that there are 4 sizes that call themselves 26 1/8th.  I found the right ones and tubes to go with them on some bicycle tires web site that I found on Google.  They were around $10 each tire and around $2 per tube.  

I appreciate the information and am going to take it to the bike shop later today.  The guy there may have further info on restoration.  Most people would look at this bike and barf at the thought of restoration, but I also collect old arcade games, and I have learned that restoration is great for ANYTHING that any particular person wants to restore and for whatever reason.  My most prized posession is my all original, near mint (for a 1980's game) Frogger.  Yeah I know, imagine that, Frogger.  Well at least that explains somewhat why i want to restore this old bike.


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## Western Auto (Oct 9, 2008)

Oh and you know... I would bet that this could be lead based paint on there.  Yikes!


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## mre straightbar (Oct 9, 2008)

*lead based paint*

just dont eat off it or sleep with it and you should be fine


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## JLarkin (Oct 9, 2008)

Nah, it's probably just plain 'ol enamel.


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## kunzog (Oct 10, 2008)

Just my opinion but I think people over react when they hear about "lead base paint". I have been sanding, chipping, grinding, scraping lead base paint for over 50 years and I am still around. Along those lines, I can remember when soup and vegetable cans all had a solder (lead) seam, toothpaste came in a lead tube.


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