Schwinn Bicycle Company

To prove that the Rover was not only safer than the high-wheelers but faster, too, Starley organized a Rover race in which a number or riders beat the record time for a 100-mile ride. By 1900, Pope Manufacturing Company had transformed cycling in the US, selling thousands of bicycles a year and inspiring organized racing. Today, bicycles are powered using rear-drive systems, but this wasn’t always the case. In the 1860s in Paris, Pierre Michaux worked to develop the two-wheeled, front-drive velocipede, attaching cranks and pedals to the front wheel to create the first pedal-driven bicycle. Drais tested his Laufmaschine (German for ‘running machine’) on a 4.3-kilometer route from Mannheim to a postal service stopover in the city’s Rheinau district, managing an average speed of 9.3mph. Covering that distance aboard what amounts to an adult balance bike is in itself a brag-worthy feat, but his successful maiden voyage did more than prove his ability as an inventor.

schwinn bicycles

Its legendary Schwinn AeroCycle is proudly displayed in museums around the world as a piece of American art. These retro-looking bikes have wide balloon tires, wide seats, and keep you in an upright seated position. These bikes have a much simpler mechanical design with some versions having just a single-speed drivetrain and they are incredibly durable which makes them very easy to maintain. Schwinn followed the Scrambler mongoose bmx bike line with the Predator in 1982, their first competitive step into the modern BMX market. Schwinn also had a very successful BMX racing team made up of some of the best riders of the day. In the late 1960s, the Varsity and Continental pioneered the use of auxiliary brake levers, which allowed the rider to rest hands on the straight, horizontal center section of the ram’s horn handlebars, yet still have braking control.

Get it if you want to ride every day without worrying about balance and stability. Our mobility and balance can suffer as we age, but that’s not a reason to stop cycling. An electric trike such as Schwinn Meridian can help you regain your freedom and independence or reignite your passion for cycling. A tricycle is an iconic kids’ toy that every generation wants and enjoys. Schwinn has been making trikes for a long time and Roadster has been one of their best-selling models for years. Due to its streamlined build, Schwinn Sting-Ray is intuitive to use, so it’s perfect for kids to practice riding and to fall in love with bicycles.

They offer various models to serve their wide clientele while still meeting different needs, the models include mountain, electric, cruisers, road, comfort/bike path, urban, and kids bikes. They also produce gear and accessories to match with their bikes, they include pumps, jogging strollers, saddles helmets & pads as well as lights. These bikes are durable with strong frames to handle any possible hazards of the city road.

Bikes like our Network series combine road and mountain bike styles to create a perfect compromise. Hybrids feature skinnier tires and a lightness that allows for more speed , plus an upright riding position . The result is more comfort and durability, without having to sacrifice speed in the process. In the 1950s, Schwinn began to aggressively cultivate bicycle retailers, persuading them to sell Schwinns as their predominant, if not exclusive brand. During this period, bicycle sales enjoyed relatively slow growth, with the bulk of sales going to youth models.

But improved “safety bike” designs, mass production, and cheaper costs now made them the must-have mode of transport for millions of everyday Americans. The resulting two-wheel gold rush was making some men their fortunes, and crushing others under the weight of competition. As a fresh-off-the-boat arrival, Ignaz Schwinn probably should have been a bit intimidated by this hectic scene, but if he was, he sure didn’t show any signs of it.

Oftentimes this type of bike comes with fenders to keep the rider free from mud and water kicked back up at the rider. The handlebars on this bike allow you to sit upright for a comfortable ride. In 1993, Richard Schwinn, great-grandson of Ignaz Schwinn, with business partner Marc Muller, purchased the Schwinn Paramount plant in Waterford, mongoose bmx bike Wisconsin, where Paramounts were built since 1980. Ignaz Schwinn was born in Hardheim, Baden, Germany, in 1860 and worked on two-wheeled ancestors of the modern bicycle that appeared in 19th century Europe. In 1895, with the financial backing of fellow German American Adolph Frederick William Arnold , he founded Arnold, Schwinn & Company.

I can’t speak to Schwinn’s reputation across the Seven Seas, but the business was certainly making dough on its home continent. Even when the national bike boom reached its inevitable end around the turn of the century , Ignaz Schwinn was able to navigate the obstacle course deftly, pushing forward while most of his competitors sunk huffy mountain bike into obscurity. Into the smog of the combustion engine era, Arnold, Schwinn & Co. pedaled on. When a 31 year-old Ignaz Schwinn made the decision to leave his native Germany for America in 1891, he was already one of Deutschland’s most accomplished bicycle engineers and the manager of the progressive Heinrich Kleyer factory .

Gunnar, founded in 1998, was started as a more affordable line than the Waterford bikes, Schwinn said. Since then, Gunnar has evolved into some aspects of high-end production that it shares with Waterford. Waterford Precision Bicycles is a former research and development and limited production facility for Schwinn Bicycles. Richard Schwinn started the company after Schwinn Bicycles decided to shut down the facility. Waterford Precision also does a significant amount of private label business, building bikes and parts for other high-end brands.