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Sears, Roebuck & Co.
Sears was the dominant retailer in the world from the 1940s through 1991. The Amazon of its century, it built its business via mail order items it out-sourced from a constantly shifting set of manufacturers. It's first bicycles appeared in it 1894 catalog and its last catalog appearance exactly one hundred years later in 1993. They were the first department to sell mass produced mountain bikes. From 1981 → 1983 Sears sold their “10 speed Trail Bike” under their own Free Spirit brand, and later stocked their stores and catalogs with department store mountain bikes from Murray, Huffy and Spalding.
Sources: Smithsonian, history.com, history.com, musetechnical.
Sears mtbs did not exist in 1984, as Sears sold Murray branded Bajas from 1984 → 1986 and no Sears branding was visible. Hence, they're not Sears bikes. Sears reintroduced an own branded Free Spirit Dynasty in 1985 and kept selling Sears labeled mtbs up through 1991+.
1897 Sears, Roebuck & Co. catalogue
onlinebicyclemuseum.co.uk
28“ wheels, “Messenger Tires”, 14-16 butted spokes, “rat trap” pedals, 23 pounds in weight.1) It would be at home with today's fixies. All for $43, which equals $1200 in 2022 dollars.2)
3)
Sears building, Hackensack, New Jersey nnorthkersey.com
Sears, dominating the landscape.
1981 Free Spirit Trail Bike
26×2.125 knobbies, 10 speed “gears with a ratio of 36 to 96” 4), “motorcycle brake levers”, and side pull brakes. For 1981 and $149.99, this is a real mtb.
It's also identical to the Murray Baja, which also debuted in 1981. Given that Sears would soon sell labeled Murray Baja's, it's almost certain that Murray supplied Sears with American made, rebadged Bajas in 1981.
1981 Free Spirit Trail Bike
1981 Spring Sears catalog