After numerous meetings, the board of directors voted to source most Schwinn bicycle production from their established bicycle supplier in Japan, Panasonic Bicycle. As Schwinn’s first outsourced bicycles, Panasonic had been the only vendor to meet Schwinn’s production requirements. Later, Schwinn would sign a production supply agreement with Giant Bicycles of Taiwan.
So it is better to capture that history before it is too far gone. Jay Pridmore and junior author Jim Hurd have done just that in their book, Schwinn Bicycles, a 1996 publication of Motorbooks International, republished in paperback in 2001. Children’s or youth bike prices start a lot lower and can range between $70 to $800 depending on the features you are looking for on the bike.
The company’s bikes of the period were built by a unique method, which made them strong but heavy. Those sturdy frames mean that 50-year-old Schwinns are still a common sight in the Windy City. Today Schwinn bikes have an average life span of 5 years but they can go as far as a decade if taken care of. Not like the old models which can sit idle for decades and is still ready to go just like the new. They might not be that dependable or light as Schwinn bikes used to be before the 2000s.
The company and name were bought by the Zell/Chilmark Fund, an investment group, in 1993. Zell moved Schwinn’s corporate headquarters to Boulder, Colorado. The company’s next answer to requests for a Schwinn mountain bike was the King Sting and the Sidewinder, inexpensive BMX-derived bicycles fabricated from existing electro-forged frame designs, and using off-the-shelf BMX parts. The historical treatment takes the narrative through World War II. The book then becomes more a catalog of models that many of you likely rode during the 1950s and 1960s. Excellent photos beginning with the famed “Black Phantom” fat tire bike, first produced in 1949, characterize the book.
As California kids invented BMX , a sport that mimicked off-road motorcycle track racing, BMX bicycles became all the rage. So while kids and their bike shops were customizing Schwinn Sting-Rays for BMX races, Frankie worried about liability and refused to jump into the market. BMX bicycling eventually led to mountain bikes and mountain biking . 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 Schwinn brand has remained popular with consumers due to nostalgia and the retro styling of their models, however, the quality of their bikes has diminished from the ones that were produced before the dawn of the 21st century. Schwinn bikes are definitely not what they used to be, but they’re still worth the money. Nowadays, Schwinn makes entry-level bikes that don’t cost much which makes them ideal for beginners and casual riders. They’re made with quality affordable materials that will last if taken good care of.
While most people know Schwinn as a historic Chicago manufacturer, even many avid Wisconsin cyclists don’t realize Schwinn Bicycles are designed in at Pacific Cycles just off the Beltline Highway on Madison’s west side. And Schwinn’s still-sought after vintage lugged-steel Paramount frames were brazed in Waterford Wisconsin. The Schwinn name lived on for about another decade, most notably with forays into mountain biking, but couldn’t keep up with increasing competition. The company was purchased in another bankruptcy auction for $86 million in 2001 by Pacific Cycle, which in turn was acquired for $310 million by Dorel in 2004.
Unlike many other cruisers, Huron 7 has a 7-speed drivetrain, so it’s actually easy to pedal even uphill. It also features front and rear rim brakes for good stopping power and even front and rear fenders to keep you dry and clean. The carbon 105 models are even ridden by the STKD Racing Squad, which is a Category 3 women’s road racing team.
Ignaz Schwinn, with his partner Adolph Arnold, incorporated “Arnold, Schwinn & Company” on October 22, 1895. Within only a few short years, the company became an acknowledged technical and quality leader of the bicycle industry. In fact, after just a year in business, Schwinn bikes had more race victories than any other bike company at the time. 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.
Schwinn and Huffy bikes are comparable in terms of components, the materials used, and the overall build. However, in our opinion, Schwinn bikes are huffy mountain bike slightly better because they’re made by a company with a long tradition. They might be more expensive, but they’ll also last for much longer.