2014 Schwinn Catalog by Schwinn Bikes

Their innovative system – called Carbon Drive™ – features a carbon fiber reinforced belt with teeth for maximum durability and true bike performance. Over time, this has transitioned from a novelty system to a mainstream solution used on hundreds of outdoor bike models today. 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.

Faced with a downward sales spiral, Schwinn went into bankruptcy in 1992. 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. Inspired, he designed a mass-production bike for the youth market known as Project J-38. The result, a wheelie bike, was introduced to the public as the Schwinn Sting-Ray in June 1963.

Enhanced ergonomics, comfort and function wrapped in an even more beautiful package. The new AC Performance Plus with Carbon Blue bike is in a class by itself. Schwinn launched a phenomenon with the first production bike designed specifically for indoor cycling, and we’ve never looked back. A stronger drive train and carbon blue belt make for easy maintenance while delivering an authentic riding experience indoors.

schwinn bicycles

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 schwinn bicycles 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. With their aging product line, Schwinn failed to dominate the huge sport bike boom of 1971–1975, which saw millions of 10-speed bicycles sold to new cyclists.

If your vintage Schwinn needs some restoration, you can buy parts on eBay or from VintageSchwinn.com, a site devoted to Schwinn enthusiasts. You can determine whether a Schwinn bike is vintage by looking up its serial number. The serial number appears in different places on the bike depending on the year and the place the bike was made. Not all vintage Schwinns have serial numbers or follow a set convention for placement and numbering.

The bikes I liked best, I had 3 of them because they got stolen or lost, was The Murray Monterray Single Speed Cruiser. “It’s great to have a local company that wants to help the community,” Page said. “Detroit is the city that makes things. And seeing Detroit Bikes make bikes and be such a big part of our community, it’s like back to the future.” The Institute for Supply Management reported that manufacturing expanded in June after contracting the previous two months thanks to renewed hiring, increased orders and expanding production. “Manufacturing shut down in late March and production has just started slowly and safely picking back up, with the team continuing to ramp up production for third and fourth quarter needs,” Shinola CEO Shannon Washburn said in an email. Amid the pandemic, the luxury goods maker moved much of its stock back to distribution centers from retail locations to meet demand from online customers.

It’s an innovative and stylish design that keeps us on the cutting edge of the indoor cycling industry – and it will keep you coming back time after time. Our newest bike, the AC Performance Plus, is designed to enhance rider comfort with an infinitely adjustable seat and handlebars, a wider step-through and durable, covered stretch pads – all surrounded by a rust-free aluminum frame. A stronger drive train and chain make for easy maintenance while delivering an authentic riding experience indoors. By 1975, bicycle customers interested in medium-priced road and touring bicycles had largely gravitated towards Japanese or European brands.

Parks, trails, commuting, fitness – you want a bike that can do it all. Our hybrid bikes offer the versatility you need to get to wherever you want to go. Medical News Today has strict sourcing guidelines and draws only from peer-reviewed studies, academic research institutions, and medical journals and associations. We link primary sources — including studies, scientific references, and statistics — within each article and also list them in the resources section at the bottom of our articles.

In the 50s, Schwinn changed its marketing strategy and became more aggressive when dealing with distributors; this was aimed at making the company a dominant force in the industry. Many big companies went bankrupt while the smaller ones were absorbed. Although the market was becoming hostile to investors, Schwinn was flourishing thanks to its motorcycle division.