The contemporary designs routinely make reference to the familiar Schwinn models of yesteryear, and there have even been re-introductions of beloved icons like the Sting-Ray. The once sprawling Kildare Avenue factory was set to be torn down by 1985, but the job was largely handled prematurely by a suspected arsonist’s fire in the empty complex in August of 1984. The vacant lot left in its wake remained an eyesore in Hermosa for 20 years before finally becoming the home of the new North-Grand High School in 2004. Meanwhile, the former Schwinn assembly plant and office building at the neighboring address of 1856 N.
The company branded its product the “World” bicycle, and loaded its early catalogs with flowery language of international conquest. 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. In the 70’s, Soutern California kids started following new trends , just like the kids created the Sting-Ray culture during the sixties.
Fillet-brazed bicycle frames are strong and have a neat and clean appearance, but they are uncommon because of the additional craftsmanship required. Lugged bicycle frames, for example, are now manufactured by automated machines. Custom framebuilders still provide fillet-brazed construction, and tandem framesets were often fillet-brazed when lugs to fit their frame angles were not available. The story of these unique bicycles is a meaningful branch of Schwinn’s history.
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. 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. Starting in the 1970s, Schwinn was pretty slow to react to several changes in the bicycle market, as well as the rise of international competitors. Schwinn had positioned himself well to stay in business, thanks to creative marketing and lucrative business partnerships, like his relationship with mail-order giant Sears, which shipped Schwinn bikes across the country. By the 1890s, the Chicago region had more than 80 manufacturers which collectively cranked out two-thirds of the country’s bicycles – many in factories along a stretch of Lake Street in today’s Fulton Market.
A few participants began designing and building small numbers of mountain bikes with frames made out of modern butted chrome-molybdenum alloy steel. When the sport’s original inventors demonstrated their new frame design, Schwinn marketing personnel initially discounted the growing popularity of the mountain bike, concluding that it would become a short-lived fad. The company briefly (1978–1979) produced a bicycle styled after the California mountain bikes, the Klunker 5. Using the standard electro-forged cantilever frame, and fitted with five-speed derailleur gears and knobby tires, the Klunker 5 was never heavily marketed, and was not even listed in the Schwinn product catalog.
Schwinn Collegiate is a classic hybrid bike with an attractive old-school-cool look. This model is special because each bicycle was designed in Madison, Wisconsin and the steel frames were hand-welded in Detroit, byDetroit Bikes. Schwinn is the American icon that has built some of the best-known and most-loved bicycles of all time.
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. Having huffy mountain bike made their fame on the “WORLD” bicycle, they weren’t going to try to pass themselves off as nationalists. They would, however, make a point of celebrating the “Made in the USA” aspect of the brand above the “German engineering” element.
Several thousand more U.S. workers benefited from jobs at Schwinn dealerships, or in the steel and rubber factories that supplied parts. The Schwinn Bicycle Company filed for Chapter 11 protection at the end of 1992, three years before their centennial celebration. Sam Zell, a Chicago investor who specialized in troubled companies, bought Schwinn for about twenty-five cents on the dollar from its creditors in January of 1993. In schwinn bicycles, Pridmore and Hurd have given us a brief history with lots of great eye candy for those interested in vintage bikes.