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.
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 .
In 1971, Taiwanese eel farmerKing Liuhad his livelihood wiped out in a typhoon. Rather than rebuild, he decided to take an entirely new tack and venture into the world of bicycle manufacturing. After filing for bankruptcy in the ‘90s, Schwinn was passed along a succession of new owners, eventually hitting bankruptcy again by 2001.
Schwinn has bikes in every category — for men, women and kids — and sells them through mass retailers’ bricks-and-mortar stores and online channels, plus its D2C one. They’re low- to moderately priced, most under $1,000, though the top-of-the-line model in its e-bike roster goes for $4,000. Dick’s declined to comment on its Schwinn sales, and Walmart would only say that generally it’s selling more schwinn bicycles bikes during the pandemic than it did for Christmas last December. “At one point, Schwinn almost meant bicycling,” said Bill Strickland, editor-in-chief at Bicycling magazine. “But questionable leadership didn’t understand what was happening and was slow to innovate. Companies like Specialized, Trek and Cannondale took market share, and by the time Schwinn responded in the ’90s, it was too late.”
“We’re seeing our brand grow, along with our private label customers,” he said. Waterford Precision Bicycles doesn’t plan to sell high volumes of its Fitmaster for the future. But they do expect the machines to help fuel the continued demand for custom bicycles. While those prices might sound high compared with other bicycles, their costs don’t compare with those of some other hobbies, such as sports cars, motorcycles and yachts, Schwinn said. Schwinn also oversees the production of Gunnar Cycles USA from the Waterford facility.