Online, you can purchase Schwinn bikes directly from Schwinn on the official website (schwinnbikes.com) or on Amazon, where there’s also a huge selection of models from different categories. One of the best ways to transport things with a bike is using a bike trailer. Schwinn makes bike trailers for kids, pets, or cargo, so you can get the right model regardless of your needs. The electric models fold down, so you can easily bring them inside the building once you reach your destination, or store them in a corner of your home. This is an advanced indoor Schwinn exercise bike with Bluetooth connectivity and a full-color backlit LCD display.
Bikes built by Waterford run the gamut from pure racing bikes and criterion or stage-racing to road and sport-riding. Schwinn never played it conservative with their ad budget, but their best sales agents were always their customers. Popular mid-century models like the Streamline Aerocycle, the AutoCycle, the Continental, Panther, Jaguar, Hornet, Black Phantom, and Sting-Ray all generated word-of-mouth buzz at bike shops, playgrounds, offices, etc. The Chicago factory was basically producing huffy mountain bike the bicycle equivalent of the Mustangs and T-Birds coming out of Detroit, and the biggest challenge was just keeping up with demand. Along with the inescapable masculinity of this operation, there was also an intensity and pressure that came with maintaining an impossibly high standard of quality. Schwinn bikes were pricier than a lot of the other brands on the market, but “German engineering” was a popular selling point then as it is today, and that reputation was vital to the business.
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. Ideas like balloon tires were introduced in 1933 and soon became the standard of the industry. In 1934, Schwinn’s Aerocycle hit the streets rescuing a declining bicycle market. 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. 1963 saw the introduction of the iconic Sting-Ray model with ape-hanger handlebars and a banana seat.
In late 1980, the Schwinn Chicago factory workers voted to affiliate with the United Auto Workers. Plant assembly workers began a strike for higher pay in September 1980, and 1,400 assembly workers walked off the job for thirteen weeks. Although the strike ended in February 1981, only about 65% of the prior workforce was recalled to work. By this time, increasingly stiff competition from lower-cost competition in Asia resulted in declining market share. These problems were exacerbated by the inefficiency of producing modern bicycles in the 80-year-old Chicago factory equipped with outdated equipment and ancient inventory and information systems. After numerous meetings, the board of directors voted to source most Schwinn bicycle production from their established bicycle supplier in Japan, Panasonic Bicycle.
Financed by Tom Kartsosis, the founder of Fossil watches, the company opened in Detroit two years ago, making high-end watches and bicycles and focusing on the American-made appeal. It opened a trendy shop in Detroit and a fancy boutique in New York City to sell its watches and the luxury bikes, the lugged, silver brazed Runwell and the tig welded Bixby, at $2,950 and $1,950 respectively. Chicago was a major bicycle manufacturing center at the height of the “golden age” of bicycling in the 1890’s.
In late 1997, Questor Partners Fund, led by Jay Alix and Dan Lufkin, purchased Schwinn Bicycles. Questor/Schwinn later purchased GT Bicycles in 1998 for $8 a share in cash, roughly $80 million. The new company produced a series of well-regarded mountain bikes bearing the Schwinn name, called the Homegrown series. On bikes with original paint the model decal, “CrMo” decal on the seat tube, bullet-pointed seatstay tops, and round “Schwinn-Chicago” badge on the head tube will indicate one of Schwinn’s fillet-brazed 10-speed bicycles. If these tubes are less than 1 1/8 inch in diameter, it is not a fillet-brazed model.
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.
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 Schwinn bicycles from their parents. By 1971, United States government councils had objected to Schwinn’s marketing practices.
They also come with universal couplers that attach to almost any bicycle, making them the perfect addition to your Schwinn bike. This is a fun way to commute that combines a 26″ front wheel with a 20″ rear wheel and comes with front and rear disc brakes and even a basket to carry stuff. The Roadster tricycle is made around a durable steel frame that has a low center of gravity, so it’s easy to ride which builds confidence. In particular, this balance bicycle rolls on tiny 12″ wheels with puncture-resistant foam tires and lightweight rims. The RXe model is basically a gravel/commuter e-bike with drop bars, disc brakes, 650B x 47mm tires, and a SRAM Apex 11-speed drivetrain.
Get one of the Schwinn eVantage bikes if you want a good-looking and even better-performing e-bike for city or gravel riding. The eVantage FXe models differ in that they have flat bars instead of drop bars, so they are more suitable for city riding. Schwinn also equipped the GTX 2 with 21 gears so you won’t be lacking granny gears when the road starts going up. You’ll also get trustworthy Shimano components, so shifting will be smooth and crisp. If you want an authentic and affordable hybrid bike that will get the job done on any type of road, get Schwinn Discover. We especially like the adjustable stem and the padded saddle with a suspension seat post that will completely eliminate road vibrations.