Due to its streamlined build, Sting-Ray is intuitive to use, so it’s perfect for kids to practice riding and to fall in love with bicycles. So if you want an affordable but powerful Schwinn electric bike to ride to work, to school, around the neighborhood, or on bike paths, the eVoyageur is all you really need. The eVoyageur is a more affordable hybrid Schwinn electric bike suitable for commuters and casual riders who need some assistance. Get one of the Schwinn eVantage bikes if you want a good-looking and even better-performing e-bike for city or gravel riding. The eVantage FXe models differ in that they have flat bars instead of drop bars, so they are more suitable for city riding.
If it’s working for the folks who are pushing tires and wheels far closer to their limit than I ever could, there’s likely some evidence there. Athletes who are making part of their living from results aren’t going to use tubeless if it’s not the fastest and safest way to get down the trail with max grip and no flats. I would argue that everyone deserves tubeless tires, no matter the price of the bike. It’s tempting to speculate about upgrades “down the road,” and I usually try to steer clear of making them since the cost of a few decent parts often exceeds the cost of the bike. However, in this case, I will recommend investing in a pair of tubeless valves and a few ounces of sealant to try going tubeless. The only caveat is the labor involved might not be worth the time or expense in the end, especially if the rims need to be re-taped or there is an issue with one of the tires.
The other bicycle makers manufactured cheaper bikes, sold them through chain stores, and relied on the low price to sell the bike. The firm continues to make only bicycles and exercisers and maintains its longstanding image as the manufacturer of high quality bikes. schwinn bicycles sells its bikes for roughly twice the price that mass retailers charge and sells only through 1,676 special Schwinn dealers.
W. Schwinn did not seem hampered by a lack of ambition, nor was he content to sit back and let the world famous family business rest on its laurels. With the semi-retired Ignaz Schwinn still keeping a close watch on things, Frank made some bold decisions that helped launch a second golden age not only for the Schwinn company, but the bike industry as a whole. Many German business owners in the U.S. faced considerable scrutiny and sales losses as anti-German sentiment spread during both World Wars. To compensate, some went the extra mile to flag wave and prove their American patriotism.
Excelsior quickly gained renown after the Excelsior model X clocked in with a record 100 mph speed, in 1912. In 1914 he built what was then the largest motorcycle factory in the world and also bought a then popular, but unprofitable Henderson Brothers Motorcycle Company. This new combined motorcycle brand soon became known for its excellent engineering as well as its luxury looks that helped launch Excelsior-Henderson to a poll position as one of the top 3 motorcycle companies behind Harley-Davidson and Indian. While Schwinn had made moves into the adult bike market in the 1970s, due to an aging factory and management that was reluctant to embrace both the BMX and mountain biking trends, the brand fell behind and never regained its footing. In 1993 the Schwinn company was sold off and has since largely continued as a mass-market retailer offering. By the mid-1970s, competition from lightweight and feature-rich imported bikes was making strong inroads in the budget-priced and beginners’ market.
Schwinn’s badge designers really went all out, and our Made In Chicago collection includes a slick example, the “Majestic,” which would have fastened to the front bar of a bike of the same name in the 1940s. Adolph Arnold had certainly played a vital role in indoctrinating Ignaz into the cutthroat world of frontier capitalism, but come 1908, a helping hand was no longer required. Schwinn bought out Arnold’s share of the company, installing himself as the sole master and commander of the business (although he did keep the Arnold, Schwinn & Co. name in use for decades afterward). At the same time, Ignaz worked out increasingly fruitful bicycle distribution deals with various department stores and mail order giants like Sears Roebuck, spreading the cult of Schwinn from the big cities to small rural towns. 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.
Imports of foreign-made “English racers”, sports roadsters, and recreational bicycles steadily increased through the early 1950s. Schwinn first responded to the new challenge by producing its own middleweight version of the “English racer”. The middleweight incorporated most of the features of the English racer, but had wider tires and wheels. Schwinn thrived through this hard time building a modern factory and buying other smaller bike firms; this allowed the company to engage in mass production of bikes that could be sold at lower prices.
Sears, the major retailer of bikes in this country fdr the last 50 years, decided that bicycles were a line of goods with little growth and depressed profits where they could gain little market share. 1963 saw the introduction of the iconic Sting-Ray model with ape-hanger handlebars and a banana seat. In a time when selling 10,000 of a particular bike was considered a success, the Sting-Ray sold 45,000 units in the first six months after its release. In 1972, Schwinn was making 6,000 bicycles a day with 2,000 workers in their Chicago plant and in 1974 an impressive 1.55 million Schwinns left the factory.