Western flyer Cruiser(aka AMF)
- Thread starter Don P
- Start date
I found a homerun explanation in a history of M. O. Manufacturing (Murray Ohio). Murray made bikes for Western Auto AND Sears. So this explains why one could see a 1970s era Western Flyer bike with "an AMF" chainring or "a Sears" chainring. As we mention above, there's no doubt AMF made bikes for Western Auto. I don't have enough hair to pull out, so I'm glad that thanks to this web site AND the history of M.O. Manufacturing that I could finally figure it out. My current Western Flyer build has a model number MOM 0276A17 - I think it's a no brainer that the "MOM" means M. O. Mfg. plus "M.O. MFG. CO" is stamped on each chrome rim. Come to find out Arnold Schwinn sued Murray (and lost) in 1950 because Murray replicated his knurling technique when joining each end of the rims in-progress. Schwinn's new approach at that time minimized the necessary deburring of the weld. His lawsuit was based on the claim that his technique is a trademark. So these rims I have with the aforesaid stamp thereon are like riding a piece of history. I thought about getting other rims so these don't get trashed, but I lucked out and just got 2 NOS rims - exact rims. My goal is to reconfigure my wheelie bike. I have a nephew who doesn't believe my exploits were possible. With 40 more years and as many more pounds, he may be right - but I plan to deliver.
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Point of clarification: My original 1972 WF Buzz Bike had the "AMF chainring" and "AMF" was not on the headtube sticker. I was fortunate to find another WF Buzz Bike this past April 2023 on eBay - and the eBay Buzz Bike looks like a later model and it came with what I call a "Sears chainring," because my oldest brother had that exact same style chainring on his Sears clunker back in the 1970s....so I was highly confused. But now it makes sense.
To All,
I train new employees where I work. One of my standard quotes to new staff is - and you can quote me on this - "The problem with writing something down is that someone might actually read it." Point being, context is EVERYTHING!
So let's reel this thing a bit. I don't want to leave anyone with the impression that what I've shared over the past weeks about Western Auto and Western Flyers is a complete history. For example, Columbia also made bikes for Western Auto.
My research on Western Auto was quite skewed, and I will always be grateful to THIS web site for saving my chestnuts. My ONLY concern in my research was proving that AMF was a player in the Western Flyer history. And this web site and Don P. (and thanks to all for liking my past posts btw) to-date provides the only definitive proof I've been able to locate - to the extent that I am no longer looking for anymore proof. Talk about beating a danged dead horse: You guys need to know that if has bothered me MY WHOLE LIFE not having any proof about the AMF/Western Flyer connection.
Now just like Adam West will always be known as "Batman," hereafter I will probably known as the "Western Auto boy" or something like that. But the whole thing makes me sad overall: from Schwinn Chicago selling out to a foreign company to Murray-Ohio closing it's plant in Lawrenceburg. TN. The Ashtabula Bow and Socket Company - who made those one-piece cranks for Schwinn and others - now closed and the town being like a ghost town. It's like that song Elton John sings about Marilyn Monroe - I would've loved to have visited all those foundries and manufacturing plants when I was a kid - but I was just a kid and didn't understand or even care about the business side. And now they're gone or idle.
My Pop is 92 years old. He and my Mom still live in the same house they bought in '59. They have 5 boys. I'm the middle child who came out singing' with long hair and an electric guitar in my hand (as opposed to my 4 Brainiac brothers) and no doubt they were like, "what the **** happened to this one!?! Before my Pop started his own successful business, he was a truck driver. So there's a reason we all had Western Auto, Huffy, and Sears bikes. My parents couldn't afford to get us Schwinn bikes. And there was a silver lining. The lighter weight of the Western Flyer coupled with the happenstance of the gearing (46T front chainring/18T rear cog) , helped me spank all the other Schwinn riding "would be" wheelie kings in my neighborhood around 1975 or so.
Thanks again guys, I will keep you posted on the Buzz Bike progress. The only motor on it will be me, so I hope you don't fire me from your web site.
I train new employees where I work. One of my standard quotes to new staff is - and you can quote me on this - "The problem with writing something down is that someone might actually read it." Point being, context is EVERYTHING!
So let's reel this thing a bit. I don't want to leave anyone with the impression that what I've shared over the past weeks about Western Auto and Western Flyers is a complete history. For example, Columbia also made bikes for Western Auto.
My research on Western Auto was quite skewed, and I will always be grateful to THIS web site for saving my chestnuts. My ONLY concern in my research was proving that AMF was a player in the Western Flyer history. And this web site and Don P. (and thanks to all for liking my past posts btw) to-date provides the only definitive proof I've been able to locate - to the extent that I am no longer looking for anymore proof. Talk about beating a danged dead horse: You guys need to know that if has bothered me MY WHOLE LIFE not having any proof about the AMF/Western Flyer connection.
Now just like Adam West will always be known as "Batman," hereafter I will probably known as the "Western Auto boy" or something like that. But the whole thing makes me sad overall: from Schwinn Chicago selling out to a foreign company to Murray-Ohio closing it's plant in Lawrenceburg. TN. The Ashtabula Bow and Socket Company - who made those one-piece cranks for Schwinn and others - now closed and the town being like a ghost town. It's like that song Elton John sings about Marilyn Monroe - I would've loved to have visited all those foundries and manufacturing plants when I was a kid - but I was just a kid and didn't understand or even care about the business side. And now they're gone or idle.
My Pop is 92 years old. He and my Mom still live in the same house they bought in '59. They have 5 boys. I'm the middle child who came out singing' with long hair and an electric guitar in my hand (as opposed to my 4 Brainiac brothers) and no doubt they were like, "what the **** happened to this one!?! Before my Pop started his own successful business, he was a truck driver. So there's a reason we all had Western Auto, Huffy, and Sears bikes. My parents couldn't afford to get us Schwinn bikes. And there was a silver lining. The lighter weight of the Western Flyer coupled with the happenstance of the gearing (46T front chainring/18T rear cog) , helped me spank all the other Schwinn riding "would be" wheelie kings in my neighborhood around 1975 or so.
Thanks again guys, I will keep you posted on the Buzz Bike progress. The only motor on it will be me, so I hope you don't fire me from your web site.