Edward Schwinn, CEO, just wasn’t as passionate about bicycles as his ancestors were. Yoshi Shimano, who was Edward Schwinn’s personal translator during his business trips to Asia, described huffy mountain bike him as “a nice fellow“, who “had a lower degree of interest for the business“. Schwinn is the American icon that has built some of the best-known and most-loved bicycles of all time.
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. In 1946, imports of foreign-made bicycles had increased tenfold over the previous year, to 46,840 bicycles; of that total, 95 per cent were from Great Britain. The postwar appearance of imported “English racers” (actually three-speed “sport” roadsters from Great Britain and West Germany) found a ready market among United States buyers seeking bicycles for exercise and recreation in the suburbs.
1955 was the first year in which the Corvette appeared in the Schwinn catalog; it was Schwinn’s top listing in their “middleweight” category. During the 1960s, Schwinn aggressively campaigned to retain and expand its dominance of the child and youth bicycle markets. The company advertised heavily on television, and was an early sponsor of the children’s television program Captain Kangaroo. The Captain himself was enlisted to regularly hawk Schwinn-brand bicycles to the show’s audience, typically six years old and under. As these children matured, it was believed they would ask for from their parents. By 1971, United States government councils had objected to Schwinn’s marketing practices.
This feature, attractive to older riders, soon found its way to other Schwinn models, especially those intended for senior citizens. In July 1964, Schwinn announced the arrival of the Super Deluxe Sting-Ray. This model included a front schwinn bicycles spring-fork, a new sleeker Sting-Ray banana seat, and a Person’s Hi-loop Sissy bar. The Super Deluxe also gave the rider a choice of White wall tires or the new Yellow oval rear Slik tire paired with a front black wall Westwind tire.
This is a great narrative, fully documented, about the Schwinn Bicycle Company from a business development and strategic perspective. There are a couple of excellent chapters here on the history of BMX and mountain biking trends. Relying heavily on the Schwinn archives and artifacts available through the museum, Pridmore and Hurd have done their best to document the highs and lows of Schwinn production. The early part of the book is heavily historical, documenting the history of the company under Ignaz and his successor Frank W. Schwinn, who took the company over from his father in 1931 .
Mesa 3 has basic components, but you don’t need much more if you don’t intend to ride on serious trails. It also gives you 21 gears, streamlined rim brakes, and wide tires for excellent grip on any unpaved road. Models for Road Bikes in Schwinn’s extensive range include the Fastback, the Vantage, the Phocus, the Volare, and the Paramount Force. From entry-level designs, outfitted with baseline, yet durable features, to top-tier products that have the best technology the industry has to offer.
They’re made with quality affordable materials that will last if taken good care of. Every Schwinn bicycle comes with a serial number imprinted on the frame. This allows you to search Schwinn bike models by years and find out what month and year your Schwinn bike was manufactured. All three trailers have a unique folding frame that’s easy to store when not in use.
From the 1920’s until 1938 Arnold, Schwinn & Co. became primarily a producer of heavy-duty juvenile bicycles. Fillet-brazed bicycle frames are strong and have a neat and clean appearance, but they are uncommon because of the additional craftsmanship required. Lugged bicycle frames, for example, are now manufactured by automated machines.