Styled to resemble the streamlined motorcycles,automobiles and airplanes of the day, it sported balloon tires and deluxe features, such as a sprung leather seat, tank, fenders and built-in light and horn. It was so popular in fact, that the likes of Ronald Reagan, Bob Hope and Bing Crosby would proudly show off their Schwinns. This is an entry-level Schwinn mountain bike that costs $450 and features an aluminum frame, front suspension, and 26″ or 27.5″ wheels. The Zoom fork has 100mm of travel, which is great for XC rides and light trails.
Various takeover made Schwinn one on the big players, and retailing through mass merchants allowed the Chicago-based company to achieve big sales. In 1928, the in-house brand for motorcycles that had been acquired in 1912 and 1917, Excelsior-Henderson, even ranked 3rd in the national motorcycle industry. 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. As a result, Schwinns became increasingly dated in both styling and technology.
Careful effort was also made to include plenty of wholesome “All-American” athletes, film stars, and other celebrities as Schwinn endorsers. And so, despite the rough economy and clear warning signs that the bicycle bubble was doomed to burst, Ignaz made his big move. He found himself a business partner—a well connected moneyman from the meat packing industry named Adolph Arnold —and together they launched a new company in 1895 called Arnold, Schwinn & Co.
It was the first picket line in the company’s history, and a death blow to Schwinn’s 85 year relationship with Chicago. Schwinn thrived through this hard time building a modern factory and buying other smaller bike firms; this allowed the company to engage in mass production of bikes that could be sold at lower prices. The company was founded in Chicago in 1895 by a pair of German immigrants, Ignaz Schwinn and Adolph Arnold, amidst the nation’s halcyon days of bike riding and manufacturing. Ignaz Schwinn, with his partner Adolph Arnold, incorporated “Arnold, Schwinn & Company” on October 22, 1895.
Although the market was becoming hostile to investors, Schwinn was flourishing thanks to its motorcycle division. In fact, the company was doing so great that in 1928 it was placed third after Harley-Davidson schwinn bicycles and Indian. Unfortunately, the market got saturated and as a result, the short-lived bicycle boom came to an abrupt end. In 1891, he made a big move to the U.S in search of greener pastures.