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Accessories for 1964 JC Penney Foremost

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Vetteman61

Finally riding a big boys bike
After owning this bike for almost 30 years I've finally identified what it is thanks to this website. (I could always find bikes similar, but never exact). I believe this is a 1964 Foremost. My question is, did this bike come with no accessories, like no rear rack or the bars that go from the front hub up to the steering shaft.
If this bike didn't come with a rear rack, I'd like to add one to add some utility to the bike because I use it often. Would any Murray built rack from the late 50's early 60's be accurate for this bike? Also, I'm curious if it originally had painted fenders or what else may be missing or different than what is on the bike now? I know the pedals, fenders and seat are not original.
The seat is very uncomfortable (much more now than when I was a kid). What did the original seat look like?

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Thanks,
 
Any 26" Spaceliner rack should fit, but they are very small and not that useful. I'd just get a Chrome Messenger Bag if you need to carry stuff. Truss rods were pretty old fashioned by the 1960's when your bike was made.
 
Some of those Murray rear carriers looked pretty dang cool but weren't all that wide or sturdy. I had a decked out early 60's Kent with a similar type carrier when I was a kid and it was destroyed when my friend decided to hop on the back. And the aluminum fenders got ripped to shreds. If I were you I'd just pick something up that would fill your carrying needs.
 
Google "Foremost bicycle" then click on the images link. You'll see quite a few Foremost bikes and get an idea as to what accessories were available. What would your chances be of finding a JC Penney's catalog for your bike and looking to see how they were equipped. From the pictures that I saw, your bike looks complete except for the seat.
 
Check out the Ultimate Sears Spaceliner Reference thread pinned at the top of the section of the Cabe under Middleweight Bicycles. Incredible amount of info!


Have fun!
 
Vetteman:
As you can sort out from the earlier posts, your bike was manufactured by Murray and has the same frame as a Sears Spaceliner. The rear racks that Spaceliners (and the earlier Flightliners) had were, as Mr. Gorman said, not very useful. That is largely because of the mounting bars that extend above the top of the rack. To illustrate, the three pics below show a Spaceliner (repainted aluminum color), a Flightliner (red and white), and a Murray-built Western Flyer Cosmic Flyer (turquoise girls model). As others have suggested, I wouldn't worry much about authenticity with your bike, which is likely to mean no rack, and set up a rack that will actually let you carry something. Messenger bags (per Mr. Gorman), backpacks, and even fanny packs work pretty well, too.
Have fun!
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Thank you everyone for the responses. I got this bike when I was a child. A man next door gave it to me. At the time it was impossible to tell what color it was because it was all solid rust. A local bicycle shop stripped it and painted it and that is how ti remains now.

I'll check out the links provided. I have searched the google images, which is what first lead me to the Foremost conclusion (pun on semi-intended) but I don't know enough to be able to determine which is original and which is not from all the various additions that show up there.
I'll check out the messenger racks. I hope to convert the headlight to LED and definitely will be working on a new-to-me seat.
 
Here's a picture of a Murray built Hiawatha (Gambles Dept stores) that show a simpler rack that some Murray built bikes came with. I have an aftermarket rack for my Hiawatha that is very similar.

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