Whether you prefer to shop on our website or to come visit us, we’re here to help you with all of your cycling needs. Learn more about what makes us unique, and visit us today to meet our friendly staff and experience our incredible product selection. The Schwinn Bicycle Company emerged during the bicycle boom of the 1890s, a period where over 200 cycle manufacturers and small shops operated in Chicago alone. The company began operations in a factory at the northwest corner of Peoria and Lake Streets in Chicago. With the collapse of the bicycle market around the turn of the century, the company purchased March-Davis, a competitor which was operating on what was then the city’s far west side, and moved operations there.
The turn of the century and the start of the automotive era saw a wave of consolidations in the bicycle business, out of which Schwinn emerged weakened – but even more ambitious. Various takeover made Schwinn one on the big players, and retailing through mass merchants allowed the Chicago-based company to achieve big sales. In 1928, the in-house brand for motorcycles that had been acquired in 1912 and 1917, Excelsior-Henderson, even ranked 3rd in the national motorcycle industry.
During the 1960s, Schwinn aggressively campaigned to retain and expand its dominance of the child and youth bicycle markets. The company advertised heavily on television, and was an early sponsor of the children’s television program Captain Kangaroo. The Captain himself was enlisted to regularly hawk Schwinn-brand bicycles to the show’s audience, typically six years old and under. As these children matured, it was believed they would ask for huffy mountain bike from their parents. By 1971, United States government councils had objected to Schwinn’s marketing practices. The Captain no longer insisted that viewers buy a Schwinn, but instead made regular on-air consultations of a new character, “Mr. Schwinn Dealer”.
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. Our newest bike, the AC Performance Plus, 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 chain 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. In 1938, Frank W. Schwinn officially introduced the Paramount series.
They were simply shown on the next catalog page, right before the Continental page. No separate catalog or distinct section for “lightweight touring and racing bicycles,” and no detailed discussion of the benefits of seamless CrMo tubing and fillet brazing. Schwinn’s catalog copy for the last fillet-brazed Superior ( ) did begin to mention “hand made” and a little more on fillet brazing. Again, perhaps Schwinn didn’t highlight the fillet brazed models for fear of overloading its handbuild capacity. Ignaz Schwinn emigrated to the United States in 1891 and make profit from the late XIXth century’s bicycle boom to create a successful bicycle manufacturing company with an American partner, the Arnold, Schwinn & Co.
Thus by the 1990s,Schwinnhad declared bankruptcy andGiantwent on to make generate $380 million in annual sales, making it the world’s largest bicycle manufacturer. The company celebrated its 50th anniversary in 1945 withFifty Years of Schwinn-Built Bicycles, dedicated to the company’s founder Ignatz Schwinn, who was 85 years old that year. The book is illustrated with photographs of the factory, the Schwinn racing teams, and the bicycles the company produced . In 2002, 41.4 million Americans rode a bike six times or more. But 99 percent of the bikes sold in the United States today are imports. “It’s still a going industry,” said Michael Kershow, former counsel for the now defunct Bicycle Manufacturers Association of America.