Although their models were favored by slightly older buyers, they weren’t able to find huge success in the growing younger market, which had leaned increasingly towards lightweight and technologically advanced road bikes. Throughout the decade, the company further expanded its range of 10-speed racing bikes with the launch of the Varsity, Continental, and LeTour models, in order to rival European heavyweights such as Peugeot and Gitane. You also get two different frame sizes to choose from, which is a big upgrade over the single one-size-fits-all frames that many e-bike companies still offer. I’m sure that keeping it in low pedal assist will still net riders the claimed maximum of 35 miles that Schwinn promises.
However, Schwinn switched up the industry by instead insisting that Schwinn branding had to be retained on the bikes sold by stores. Schwinn bikes were an iconic household brand name of bicycle in the US for nearly all of the 20th century. The Schwinn Coston CE is very much a commuter electric bike, but it’s not one of those thin-wheeled messenger e-bikes. Speaking of which, check out my video below to see the bike’s performance and features in action, including those cool frame lights. It may not compete head to head with many of the direct-to-consumer companies, but it represents a big jump for Schwinn’s e-bike line and may just fit the right commuter looking for an e-bike with these features. By 1996 Schwinn had climbed to second in the industry for product shipment, behind Trek.
Schwinn celebrated its 100th anniversary in 1995 by introducing a new line of bikes, sending dealers various small gifts, and putting on a show in Las Vegas called the “SchwinnDig,” with 100 cycling Elvis Presley imitators. The company also offered a limited edition of the classic Black Phantom bicycle schwinn dealers for $5,000, some of which sold to celebrities like Jerry Seinfeld and Hugh Hefner. The real celebration, however, was for Schwinn’s reentry into the mainstream of the bicycle market; in 1995 the company was selling high-performance off-road bikes, knobby-tired cruisers, and BMX children’s bikes.
Ignaz Schwinn was born in Hardheim, Baden, Germany, in 1860 and worked on two-wheeled ancestors of the modern bicycle that appeared in 19th century Europe. In 1895, with the financial backing of fellow German American Adolph Frederick William Arnold (a meat packer), he founded Arnold, Schwinn & Company. Schwinn’s new company coincided with a sudden bicycle craze in America. Chicago became the center of the American bicycle industry, with thirty factories turning out thousands of bikes every day. Bicycle output in the United States grew to over a million units per year by the turn of the 20th century.
The new AC Performance with Carbon Blue bike is in a class by itself. Our newest bike, the AC Performance with Carbon Blue, 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 carbon blue belt make for easy maintenance while delivering an authentic riding experience indoors. Schwinn was soon sponsoring a bicycle racing team headed by Emil Wastyn, who designed the team bikes, and the company competed in six-day racing across the United States with riders such as Jerry Rodman and Russell Allen.
“Preferred” listings, or those with featured website buttons, indicate YP advertisers who directly provide information about their businesses to help consumers make more informed buying decisions. YP advertisers receive higher placement in the default ordering of search results and may appear in sponsored listings on the top, side, or bottom of the search results page. Notable mentions include the sophisticated and elegant-looking Corvette/Cruiser style bikes, or the iconic motorbike-inspired design of the Schwinn Aerocycle.
Prior to the 1950s, high street retailers bought non-branded bikes from producers and then put their own branding on them. It looks just odd enough for drivers to take a second look in a “what the heck is that thing? A second look is invaluable as a rider, where we’d often even be grateful for a first look from drivers. After the bike-boom of the early 1970’s, Paramount was in a poor state of affairs in regards to competition and advancing technologies. In 1979, Edward R. Schwinn Jr. was made president of the company and promptly closed down all of the Paramount operations until they could be brought up to date.
It’s important to keep in mind that there are so many beautiful – but less widely-known -vintage Schwinn bikes worth buying beyond those listed above. The Paramount was first introduced in 1938 and became one of Schwinn’s longest running models. This not only presented Schwinn with a lack of publicity, but also meant that Schwinn did not keep up with the latest innovations in frame geometry, gearing, and other components pioneered by the professional peloton.
Despite their fall from grace, Schwinn produced high-quality bikes for decades. Many were made in limited quantities and are considered highly desirable nowadays. Schwinn also faced increasing competition from other high-quality US-based brands such as Specialized, Trek, and Cannondale. Schwinn themselves began increasingly importing bikes from the Japanese producers Bridgestone and Panasonic, which were able to rival prestigious models such as the Schwinn Paramount, yet could be sold at half the price. In conjunction with this, Schwinn, along with other USA-based bike manufacturers, successfully campaigned in 1955 to raise import taxes on foreign bikes.