If you grew up in postwar America and rode a
bicycle, chances are pretty good it was a Schwinn, whether it was a tank cruiser like a Black Phantom, a 10-speed Varsity, a rugged Excelsior retrofitted for
mountain biking, an economical everyday ride like the Typhoon, or the Orange Krate, Apple Krate, or Fastback flavors of the Sting-Ray, which featured a banana seat, butterfly handlebars, and a stick shift bolted perilously close to the rider's crotch on the top bar of the bicycle's frame.
The company that became Schwinn was founded in 1895 by Adolf Arnold and Ignaz Schwinn. The first bicycles produced at their Chicago factory, incorporated as Arnold, Schwinn & Company, included the World Racer, whose handlebars were gripped below the top bar of the frame for better aerodynamics, and the World Roadster, in men's and women's frames, both of which featured standard, cruiser-type handlebars. In 1895, Schwinn also offered its first tandem bicycle, a trend that would be amplified in 1896 with the addition of a Family tandem (it had a child's seat mounted between the seats and handlebars for the two adult riders), and a Quint for five riders. In the 1890s, the company also made bicycles built for three and four.
The success of Schwinn prompted dozens of other manufacturers to get into the bicycle business, many of them in Chicago. But by 1911, bicycle manufacturers, including Schwinn, were struggling, which is why Schwinn bought the Excelsior Motor Cycle Company. A few years later, in 1917, it would add the Henderson MotorCycle Company to its portfolio of companies, merging the two subsidiaries as Excelsior-Henderson. For a while, Schwinn was in the company of
Harley-Davidson and
Indian as one of the nation's top three
motorcycle manufacturers, but for bicycle collectors, the fruits of Schwinn foray into motorized two-wheelers were designs for bicycles like the Schwinn Motor Bike, which appeared as a model name as early as 1917, and the Streamline Aerocycle,...
If you grew up in postwar America and rode a
bicycle, chances are pretty good it was a Schwinn, whether it was a tank cruiser like a Black Phantom, a 10-speed Varsity, a rugged Excelsior retrofitted for
mountain biking, an economical everyday ride like the Typhoon, or the Orange Krate, Apple Krate, or Fastback flavors of the Sting-Ray, which featured a banana seat, butterfly handlebars, and a stick shift bolted perilously close to the rider's crotch on the top bar of the bicycle's frame.
The company that became Schwinn was founded in 1895 by Adolf Arnold and Ignaz Schwinn. The first bicycles produced at their Chicago factory, incorporated as Arnold, Schwinn & Company, included the World Racer, whose handlebars were gripped below the top bar of the frame for better aerodynamics, and the World Roadster, in men's and women's frames, both of which featured standard, cruiser-type handlebars. In 1895, Schwinn also offered its first tandem bicycle, a trend that would be amplified in 1896 with the addition of a Family tandem (it had a child's seat mounted between the seats and handlebars for the two adult riders), and a Quint for five riders. In the 1890s, the company also made bicycles built for three and four.
The success of Schwinn prompted dozens of other manufacturers to get into the bicycle business, many of them in Chicago. But by 1911, bicycle manufacturers, including Schwinn, were struggling, which is why Schwinn bought the Excelsior Motor Cycle Company. A few years later, in 1917, it would add the Henderson MotorCycle Company to its portfolio of companies, merging the two subsidiaries as Excelsior-Henderson. For a while, Schwinn was in the company of
Harley-Davidson and
Indian as one of the nation's top three
motorcycle manufacturers, but for bicycle collectors, the fruits of Schwinn foray into motorized two-wheelers were designs for bicycles like the Schwinn Motor Bike, which appeared as a model name as early as 1917, and the Streamline Aerocycle, Cycleplane, and AutoCycle of the 1930s, all of which featured big, balloon tires "for riding comfort."
During
World War II, Schwinn and other bicycle manufacturers were required to limit the amount of metal and other materials used in their bicycles to support the war effort. These "war bikes," as they were commonly called (Schwinn advertised its war bikes as "Defense models"), were sold without metal fenders and featured thin tires that used less rubber than balloon tires. After the war, Schwinn whetted the public's appetite for full-featured bicycles by enlisting Hollywood stars such as Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall, and Bob Hope to pose for
advertisements on Schwinn bicycles. By the end of the decade, the balloon-tire bikes were back, with the Black Phantom was the company's top-of-the-line model.
One of Schwinn's most popular models of the 1950s was the Corvette. First manufactured in 1954, the year after
Chevrolet released its
Corvette to the world, the Schwinn Corvette ditched the bulky gas-tank look for a fluid, curving frame. Its best models were equipped with whitewall tires, a carrier over the front tire, steel fenders, a chain guard, front and rear lights, front and rear hand brakes, and three gears built into the rear hub. By 1962, the Corvette was sold with a 5-speed Huret derailler; that year, Schwinn's Varsity line offered a 10-speed Huret derailler for the first time.
The Sting-Ray followed in 1963 (Chevy's Corvette Stingray had been introduced as a concept car in 1959). This smaller, 20-inch-frame bike was actually Schwinn's answer to the custom bikes being created by kids, mostly in California, where hot-rod culture prevailed. Indeed, Schwinn marketed its first Sting-Ray as "the bike with the sports car look." Almost overnight, the Sting-Ray became Schwinn's best-selling bicycle, and by 1964, $49.95 would get you one in Red, Violet, Coppertone, Sky Blue, or Flamboyant Lime. By 1966, a lighter-weight version of the Sting-Ray called the Fastback was introduced, and by 1967, a three-speed "Stik-Shift" was also offered, along with a "Ram's Horn" handlebar, an alternative to the chrome butterfly handlebar.
