Can you tell me about my Murray Le Mans bicycle?

K

Kaitlin D

New member
I recently purchased a vintage bicycle for $20 at the thrift store. There are two names on it, "Murray" and "Le Mans," and from the small amount of research I have done it appears to have been made in the mid 60's. Does anyone know any more information about this type of bicycle? I am interested in learning more about it.

Also, it is a single-speed bike and I am having trouble riding it long-distances. I know I should probably just work out a bit more, but can anyone tell me whether it's possible to add gears to a vintage bike like this? Difficulty and cost would be good to know. Thanks for your time!
 
Murry is a well know as a department store brand as is not really a collectors item. The bike is what it is, a single speed bike. The print ad's are just as valuable as the bike if not more.

If you want a multi-speed bike I would look around for one. I found a pair of his and hers Bianchi road bikes at a Goodwill store for $8 each they needed tires and a little tlc but that is what you should look for if you want a bike with gears.

If you want to work out on the Murray I would take every thing off that's not needed and take everything apart and lubricate it. It would be a way to learn about bicycle maintenance.

Here is some history.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murray_(bicycles)
 
The Murray LeMans, I am pretty sure it was made in 1965/66 as I recall them new in the store. This bike was also branded for Sears, then later as a Free Spirit, also for Sears. This particular model was unchanged except for color under various model names until the mid 70s.

Anyway, you can pretty much bet that any bike with the Murray nametag on it are bottom of the barrel as far as quality. In short, you overpaid.

The ability to ride that bike long distances, say, over a mile, is pretty impressive by itself.

Regarding an upgrade to multispeed you would get into hundreds of dollars if new parts were used. You would need to replace the rear wheel, chain, and chainring, then add brakes, shifters, cables, derailleurs, and a freewheel (since you couldn't go more than 5 speeds in the back). Just not worth it.

Alternately you could find another used bike and swap parts but you might have compatability problems so if you are unsure about your bicycle mechanic skills I would avoid this as well.

Sorry for the bad news.
 
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