Vintage Schwinn Bikes Guide: Which Models Are Worth Buying?

This makes it much better for the user and does add a lot of control to the rider but takes away some top speed. To back up this off-road performance, you will need disc brakes, and the Traxion has them, and they will be very helpful on a trail. Like the other bikes, the Traxion has a Shimano triple front crank, but it is equipped with an 8-speed cassette on the rear. It’s going to give you a few more gears for those demanding climbs.

Schwinn’s larger wheels make for a smoother ride, but they can also make the bike harder to control, especially for smaller riders. Kent’s smaller wheels are easier to control, but they can make for a bumpier ride. Heavier bikes are more difficult to maneuver and require more effort to pedal, so if you’re looking for a lightweight option, Kent is the way to go. Kent goes above and beyond to make sure that their customers are happy with their purchases, and they offer a lifetime warranty on all of their bikes.

For example, a mountain bike is less efficient on a paved road and a road bike won’t get you very far on a dirt trail. The bicycle flaunts a design that allows the riders to maintain an upright position while riding it. However, the mechanism that cruiser bicycles follow is pretty simple. Some versions of these cruiser bicycles have only one gear; therefore, you cannot expect something very sporty out of them.

At the time, most bicycle manufacturers in the United States sold in bulk to department stores, which in turn sold them as store brand models. F. Goodrich bicycles, sold in tire stores, Schwinn eliminated the practice of producing private label bicycles in 1950, insisting that the Schwinn brand and guarantee appear on all products. In exchange for ensuring the presence of the Schwinn name, distributors retained the right to distribute Schwinn bikes to any hardware store, toy store, or bicycle shop that ordered them. W. Schwinn tasked a new team to plan future business strategy, consisting of marketing supervisor Ray Burch, general manager Bill Stoeffhaas, and design supervisor Al Fritz.

One is a range of discount bikes offered by mass-merchandisers such as Wal-Mart, Sears, and Kmart. The additional line, known as the Signature Series, featured on their website, are higher-end models marketed through specialty shops. Its bike lines include cruisers, road, hybrids, urban, kids, and electric. Most bikes are made in Asian countries and what people do not know is that before they had financial problems and were purchased they had Taiwan bicycle company to make many of their bikes. Working as a contractor for Schwinn is how Giant developed its name.

Aluminum Frame, 14-Speed Shifter and 700c tires are just some of the tech specs of this bike, which we thoroughly explore in our Schwinn Women’s Phocus 1600 Review. If you draw a picture of what a classic bike looks like in your imagination, the cruiser bike will pop up in front of you. Tom Findley has been a bike enthusiast and denizen of the web since before the turn of the schwinn bikes century. Over the years he developed and excellent collection of Schwinn catalogs, which with contributions from other collectors, he carefully scan and published on his site. When the viability of the site came into question, he sent the scans to us, which we added to our site. This is a section for Commercial stores to show off their products / sales they might have.

They are also incredibly lightweight, which makes it easier for the riders to attain optimum speed. Riders can maintain an upright position while riding these bicycles. They offer various models to serve their wide clientele while still meeting different needs, the models include mountain, electric, cruisers, road, comfort/bike path, urban, and kids bikes. They also produce gear and accessories to match with their bikes, they include pumps, jogging strollers, saddles helmets & pads as well as lights. We love and ride all kinds of bikes, so you’ll find articles and guides related to road, mountain, hybrid, gravel, electric, and other types of bicycles. At Schwinn, they make bikes that allow riders of all ages and abilities to experience the joy of riding.

schwinn bikes

If you plan on riding often or increasing your fitness on the bike, it’s better to invest a little more upfront on your bike, so that it will be able to grow with your experience level. Another option is to buy a bicycle with a frame that you enjoy now, and if you need to, upgrade the schwinn bikes individual components later. In addition, they are equipped with multiple benefits that allow the riders to witness an enjoyable cycling experience. Models for Road Bikes in Schwinn’s extensive range include the Fastback, the Vantage, the Phocus, the Volare, and the Paramount Force.

It has dual suspension, forks on the front, shock on the rear, and will be very capable when it comes to getting nice and muddy. On the standard models, you have rim brakes which are going to give you ok stopping power, and on the ALX, you get disc brakes which are much better at stopping and in all conditions. The brakes are rim brakes on the Mesa 3, but on the Mesa 2, you get mechanical disc brakes which give good stopping power. The gearing is Shimano, and they make excellent quality components. One thing Schwinn does excellently is they offer entry-level bikes to suit everyone.

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 mass-market bicycle lines. W. Schwinn, grandson Frank Valentine Schwinn took over management of the company.