The manufacturer distributed unbranded or rebranded bikes through other companies, especially prior to the 1950s. Starting in 2005, Schwinn also marketed Motorscooters under the Schwinn Motorsports brand. In the December 1963 Schwinn Reporter, Schwinn announced the arrival of the Deluxe Sting-Ray. This model included Fenders, white-wall tires, and a padded Solo polo seat.
This standard is the foundation of their commitment to creating the best fixed gear, single-speed, road and commuter bikes available today. Direct Focus, Inc., a marketing company for fitness and healthy lifestyle products, acquired the assets of Schwinn/GT’s fitness equipment division. During the 1960s, Schwinn aggressively campaigned to retain and expand its dominance of the child and youth bicycle markets.
Developed from experiences gained in racing, Schwinn established Paramount as their answer to high-end, professional competition bicycles. The Paramount used high-strength chrome-molybdenum steel alloy tubing and expensive brass lug-brazed construction. During the next twenty years, most of the Paramount bikes would be built in limited numbers at a small frame shop headed by Wastyn, in spite of Schwinn’s continued efforts to bring all frame production into the factory. Several years ago, a company named Gates introduced a concept never before seen on outdoor bikes – a belt drive that performed like a chain.
Although the selection of merchandise is constantly changing, Craigslist can be a great place to score a deal on a vintage Schwinn. This isn’t the place to go if you need a bike immediately, but if you’re patient and watch the listings carefully, you may just find the schwinn bicycles vintage bike of your dreams. One of the best ways identify an old Schwinn bike is to compare the bike you have to advertising images and photographs of other Schwinns. This can give you some clues about the model, the year it was made, and any options it may have.
They offer various models to serve their wide clientele while still meeting different needs, the models include mountain, electric, cruisers, road, comfort/bike path, urban, and kids bikes. They also produce gear and accessories to match with their bikes, they include pumps, jogging strollers, saddles helmets & pads as well as lights. As the parent company of such legendary brands as Schwinn, Mongooseand Kid Trax, Pacific Cycle delivers some of the biggest names in outdoor recreation. But it’s not just the names customer’s trust, it’s the look and feel of our products, our superior quality, and our outstanding customer service that help us bring these premium brands to the hands and feet of our customers. Most of us have grown up with some exposure to the Schwinn brand.
When the sport’s original inventors demonstrated their new frame design, Schwinn marketing personnel initially discounted the growing popularity of the mountain bike, concluding that it would become a short-lived fad. The company briefly (1978–1979) produced a bicycle styled after the California mountain bikes, the Klunker 5. Using the standard electro-forged cantilever frame, and fitted with five-speed derailleur gears and knobby tires, the Klunker 5 was never heavily marketed, and was not even listed in the Schwinn product catalog. Unlike its progenitors, the Klunker proved incapable of withstanding hard off-road use, and after an unsuccessful attempt to reintroduce the model as the Spitfire 5, it was dropped from production. Schwinn was soon sponsoring a bicycle racing team headed by Emil Wastyn, who designed the team bikes, and the company competed in six-day racing across the United States with riders such as Jerry Rodman and Russell Allen. In 1938, Frank W. Schwinn officially introduced the Paramount series.
The Sting-Ray had ape-hanger handlebars, Persons’s Solo Polo Seat banana seat, and 20-inch tires. Sales were initially slow, as many parents desiring a bicycle for their children did not relate to the new, unconventional design. After a few appeared on America’s streets and neighborhoods, many young riders would accept nothing else, and sales took off.
As time passed, Schwinn would import more and more Asian-made bicycles to carry the Schwinn brand, eventually becoming more a marketer than a maker of bikes. Schwinn fielded a mountain bike racing team in the United States where their team rider Ned Overend won two consecutive NORBA Mountain Biking National Championships for the team in 1986 and 1987. By the mid-1970s, competition from lightweight and feature-rich imported bikes was making strong inroads in the budget-priced and beginners’ market. While Schwinn’s popular lines were far more durable than the budget bikes, they were also far heavier and more expensive, and parents were realizing that most of the budget bikes would outlast most kids’ interest in bicycling. Do your research, both online and at local bike shops, to get the very best deal on vintage bikes or to restore your Schwinn to its original condition.