Arnold, Schwinn, & Co. (as it remained until 1967) was on the verge of bankruptcy. With no buyers, Excelsior-Henderson motorcycles were discontinued in 1931.[5] Ignaz’s son, Frank W. “F. W.” Schwinn, took over day-to-day operations at Schwinn.
The new company produced a series of well-regarded mountain bikes bearing the Schwinn name, called the Homegrown series.[62] In 2001, Schwinn/GT declared bankruptcy. In the late 1960s, the Varsity and Continental pioneered the use of auxiliary brake levers, which allowed the rider to rest hands on the straight, horizontal center section of the ram’s horn handlebars, yet still have braking control. To further improve control from this more-erect riding position, the levers used to move the derailleurs (shifting the chain from one sprocket to the next) were moved from the traditional position on the “down tube” to the top of the headset, on a ring which would turn with the handlebar stem. This feature, attractive to older riders, soon found its way to other Schwinn models, especially those intended for senior citizens.
Schwinn sold an impressive 1.5 million bicycles in 1974, but would pay the price for failing to keep up with new developments in bicycle technology and buying trends. While every large bicycle manufacturer sponsored or participated in bicycle racing competition of some sort to keep up with the newest trends in technology, Schwinn had restricted its racing activities to events inside the United States, where Schwinn bicycles predominated. As a result, Schwinns became increasingly dated in both styling and technology. By 1957, the Paramount series, once a premier racing bicycle, had atrophied from a lack of attention and modernization. Aside from some new frame lug designs, the designs, methods and tooling were the same as had been used in the 1930s. After a crash-course in new frame-building techniques and derailleur technology, Schwinn introduced an updated Paramount with Reynolds 531 double-butted tubing, Nervex lugsets and bottom bracket shells, as well as Campagnolo derailleur dropouts.
It means that any bicycle more than 50 years old in a good or fair condition is likely to attract interest from other buyers. It also means that old Schwinn bikes before 1975 will be of greater value to collectors than a newer bike. Similarly, if the bike is scarce, such as the 1934 triplet or the Aerocycle, it may be priced in the thousands of dollars on eBay.
The Paramount continued as a limited production model, built in small numbers in a small apportioned area of the old Chicago assembly factory. The new frame and component technology incorporated in the Paramount largely failed to reach Schwinn’s schwinn beach cruiser mass-market bicycle lines. W. Schwinn, grandson Frank Valentine Schwinn took over management of the company. At the close of the 1920s, the stock market crash decimated the American motorcycle industry, taking Excelsior-Henderson with it.
From the biggest hits on the mountain or in the park to the urban jungle, Mongoose is an authentic brand that produces durable products built for real riders. Unlike other fan bikes, the Air Fit frame is not bolted together in key locations, it’s welded. We used 2mm steel to provide maximum strength for the toughest riders – in fact, in testing we proved the frame can withstand more than 1,400 lbs of force. The original name in the indoor cycling industry has partnered with the most accurate powermeter in cycling; the all-new 4iiii® powermeter delivers the most accurate direct crank based power measurement on the market.
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. In 1938, Frank W. Schwinn officially introduced the Paramount series. Developed from experiences gained in racing, Schwinn established Paramount as their answer to high-end, professional competition bicycles. The Paramount used high-strength chrome-molybdenum steel alloy tubing and expensive brass lug-brazed construction.
Over time, this has transitioned from a novelty system to a mainstream solution used on hundreds of outdoor bike models today. The Meridian’s classic cruiser look includes full coverage fenders over all three wheels to help keep you dry from that inevitable puddle you come across, while the wide tires on single wall alloy rims provide lightweight strength and traction on paved surfaces. These cruisers keep riders laid back and at ease while cruising to the beach with friends.
Rear coaster brake, also called a pedal brake, provides intuitive stopping power and speed control. Schwinn period-correct parts give the bike a vintage look and feel, including the classic banana seat and high rise ape bars with classic grips. 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. In time, the Paramount came in a variety of models but remained expensive to produce and purchase. Headquartered in Madison, Wisconsin, one of the most bicycle friendly cities in the USA, Pacific Cycle has locations in Illinois, California, Toronto (Canada), Poole (UK) and Shanghai (China).
By the late 1970s, a new bicycle sport begun by enthusiasts in Northern California had grown into a new type of all-terrain bicycle, the mountain bike. Mountain bikes were originally based on Schwinn balloon-tired cruiser bicycles fitted with derailleur gears and called “Klunkers”. A few participants began designing and building small numbers of mountain bikes with frames made out of modern butted chrome-molybdenum alloy steel. 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. Unlike its progenitors, the Klunker proved incapable of withstanding hard off-road use, and after an unsuccessful attempt to reintroduce the model as the Spitfire 5, it was dropped from production.