By 1965, a host of American and foreign manufacturers were offering their own version of the Sting-Ray. Easy Assembly You’ll be ready to ride in just a few easy steps.
Of course, no gas or oil is required for using this e-bike, making it more economical than driving an ICE car around. The style of the seat, or saddle, can vary considerably, too, from ultra-thin lightweight supports on the carbon-framed road machines to comfortably padded and sprung models on retros and hybrids. Bear in mind that if you buy a cheap men’s bike, the saddle is an easy and relatively inexpensive item to upgrade. 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.
The SC 5 bike combines user-focused features, best-in-class biomechanics and a high degree of adjustability to deliver the optimal bike fit for riders of all shapes, sizes and abilities. To maintain uncompromising quality ride after ride, the SC 5 features a patent-pending bottom bracket that exceeds industry standards, rust-defying materials and rock solid construction. Our patent-pending, durable, threadless Morse Taper design keeps the pedals fastened tightly to the bike and prevents breakage. Another problem was Schwinn’s failure to design and market its bicycles to specific, identifiable buyers, especially the growing number of cyclists interested in road racing or touring. Instead, most Schwinn derailleur bikes were marketed to the general leisure market, equipped with heavy “old timer” accessories such as kickstands that cycling aficionados had long since abandoned. More and more cyclists, especially younger buyers, began to insist on stronger steel alloys , responsive frame geometry, aluminum components, advanced derailleur shifting, and multiple gears.
A good bike lock is vital for keeping your Schwinn bike safe when it’s unattended. This PVC-coated steel cable is flexible enough to make it easy to attach, there’s a combination lock so you don’t have huffy mountain bike to worry about keys, and it comes with a convenient bracket for on-bike storage. This budget mountain bike is great for beginners and older children looking to get a start in mountain biking.
He or she would assess your piece based on the set of factors they believe would truly show it. And probably do comparisons of previously made sales of similar vintage bikes. Knowing when your vintage Schwinn bicycle was manufactured will help a lot in finding its value. For instance, the black phantom bike which was released in 1949 has more value in the vintage bike market than newer models such as the stingray. During the company’s early years, the production of both adult and children’s bicycles was the market focus. However, until cars started to get a lot more affordable to the middle class, sales began to drop.
Schwinn’s annual sales soon neared the million mark, and the company turned a profit in the late 1980s. However, after unsuccessfully attempting to purchase a minority share in Giant Bicycles, Edward Schwinn Jr. negotiated a separate deal with the China Bicycle Co. to produce bicycles to be sold under the Schwinn brand. In retaliation, Giant introduced its own line of Giant-branded bikes for sale to retailers carrying Schwinn bikes. Both Giant and CBC used the dies, plans, and technological expertise from Schwinn to greatly expand the market share of bicycles made under their own proprietary brands, first in Europe, and later in the United States. By 1975, bicycle customers interested in medium-priced road and touring bicycles had largely gravitated towards Japanese or European brands.
In August 1955, the Eisenhower administration implemented a 22.5% tariff rate for three out of four categories of bicycles. However, the most popular adult category, lightweight or “racer” bicycles, were only raised to 11.25%. The administration noted that the United States industry offered no direct competition in this category, and that lightweight bikes competed only indirectly with balloon-tire or cruiser bicycles. The share of the United States market taken by foreign-made bicycles dropped to 28.5% of the market, and remained under 30% through 1964.
Price varies significantly, depending on the condition, age, scarcity, and desirability of the model. Whether you’re looking for a fixer-upper or want a bike in mint condition, there are plenty of places to shop. In 2004, Pacific Cycle was in schwinn bicycles turn acquired by Dorel Industries. Once America’s preeminent bicycle manufacturer, the Schwinn brand, as with many other bicycle manufacturers, affixed itself to fabrication in China and Taiwan, fueling most of its corporate parent’s growth.
Broadly speaking the range is split into five main categories. The world of cycling was changing, and Schwinn did not adapt quickly enough through the 1970s and 1980s. Mark Smith has a nice page about his Schwinn bikes , also some good Schwinn Repair and Restoration tips. The Schwinn Web site had a Collectors’ Page with info on dating, serial numbers, etc. but the page is now available only in the Internet Archive.