Schwinn Bicycles By Jay Pridmore

This page lists schwinn bicycles models and links to their details. This is a big contrast to the old bikes from the Schwinn brand which were reliable enough to sit for decades in your shed with no use and still be able to ride whenever you needed it. They are entry-level products at inexpensive prices but they do possess higher quality materials than most generic cheap bikes. This is a place where you can learn all about cycling and get recommendations from experienced riders passionate about the sport.

In July 1964, Schwinn announced the arrival of the Super Deluxe Sting-Ray. This model included a front 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.

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 mongoose bmx bike 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.

Despite a huge increase in popularity of lightweight European sport or road racing bicycles in the United States, Schwinn adhered to its existing strategy in the lightweight adult road bike market. Though weighing slightly less, the mid-priced Schwinn Superior or Sports Tourer was almost indistinguishable from Schwinn’s other heavy, mass-produced models, such as the Varsity and Continental. While competitive in the 1960s, by 1972 these bicycles were much heavier and less responsive in comparison to the new sport and racing bicycles arriving from England, France, Italy, and increasingly, Japan. At the time, most bicycle manufacturers in the United States sold in bulk to department stores, which in turn sold them as store brand models. F. Goodrich bicycles, sold in tire stores, Schwinn eliminated the practice of producing private label bicycles in 1950, insisting that the Schwinn brand and guarantee appear on all products.

These solid materials made cycling a jarring, uncomfortable experience. Though inflatable tires were invented as early as 1845, it wasn’t until 1887 in Belfast when John Dunlop put inflatable tires on his son’s safety bike that cyclists enjoyed the comforts of the pneumatic tire. The change was such an improvement in both comfort and speed that the inflatable tire became the industry standard by the early 1890s.

schwinn bicycles

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.

This model is the IC4’s little sibling, with a smaller price and fewer features, but it’s still a good option for streaming workouts from your device. One of the first titanium frames in the history of bike design, the Teledyne Titan was sold from 1974 to 1976. Advertised as being two-thirds as heavy as the steel frames in that era, it weighed just under 4.5lbs. The bike did have several problems, though, including being too flexible and crack-prone.