Talk:Schwinn Bicycle Company

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More info?[edit]

This page could use a lot more info about the bicycles schwinn made. Particularly it skips over the late 1990s line which included some really incredible models made by Yeti Cycles. I think you should mention the Schwinn Homegrown series and more about the GT era.

This page lacks the Super Sport model of the 70's. Where Continentals were steel frame, the Super Sport was Chrome-Moly. It was positioned between Continental and Paramount models. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 47.5.59.50 (talk) 04:18, 17 November 2023 (UTC)[reply]

Schwinn Sting Ray[edit]

I think I'll start a page about the Schwinn Sting-Ray

This article is pretty good but missing some stuff I remember from the book "No Hands: The Rise and Fall of the Schwinn Bicycle Company." In particular, Ignaz invented a new type of tire that was far more reliable (fewer flats) than previous tire.--Tdkehoe 14:32, 16 April 2007 (UTC)[reply]

The picture of the green bike shouldn't be there. It's not a "21st century Sting-ray" because there basically was no such thing, except for a 50th anniversary limited edition released in 2013, and that looked like the original bike. This green bike is only somebody showing off something he made himself, not anything having to do with the Schwinn company. 108.12.55.229 (talk) 23:18, 3 December 2014 (UTC)[reply]

Yes, I removed it. --Dennis Bratland (talk) 23:48, 3 December 2014 (UTC)[reply]

info box[edit]

I think there should be an info box--user:penubag

Neutrality and sources tags added July 2007[edit]

I added the tags questioning the neutrality and indicating no sources. Right now, the article seems to be editorialising. If some of the more prejudicial statements are true, they need to be sourced. Right now (July 31), there are no sources listed for any of the article's contents. Anchoress 09:29, 31 July 2007 (UTC)[reply]

the name of company[edit]

Isn't the early name of the firm actually Arnold, Schwinn and Co. and NOT Arnold, Schwinn Bicycle Co? If this is to be a source of reference like wikipedia often is, the proper name should be used.

The source I have found this is "Schwinn Bicyles by Jay Pridemore & Jim Hurd 1996, Motorbooks International.

J. D. Pfaff (talk)

Sale to Pacific[edit]

An anonymous editor reverted my edit regarding Schwinn's move to mass market bikes from "This marked a major change from as America's preeminent bicycle manufacturer, to the Schwinn name become a marketing tool, now affixed to lower quality bikes." back to "From its heady days as America's preeminent bicycle manufacturer, the Schwinn name had become a marketing tool, now affixed to the product of another country." Saying "revert incomprehensible phrasing" I have two objections with this. First the "heady days" bit sounds un-encyclopedic. Second the fact that it is made in "another country" seems to either imply that another country can't make the same quality, or it's bad in and of itself to manufacture things outside the US. I'm changing it to a simplified version of my original edit as I think my objections are valid, I hope that's ok for everyone.--Keithonearth (talk) 19:41, 27 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

I reverted your edit back to the original sentence. I think you're reading way too much into a simple statement of fact, mainly that 1) Schwinn was once the dominant U.S. bicycle manufacturer, and 2) it now is used as a nameplate for bicycles designed and built overseas. In the original sentence, there is absolutely no imputation of low quality in such a statement, and none was intended (unlike your edit, which specifically refers to 'lower quality'). All the sentence conveys is a summation of Schwinn's undeniably earthshaking transformation from a bicycle designer and manufacturer once thought of as the very essence of 'American-made' to a simple 'legacy' brand name used (sometimes interchangeably) on bicycles produced overseas. What is 'un-encyclopedic' is a subjective matter, but at a minimum, sentences should reflect the facts and be phrased in comprehensible English. Since the original conclusory sentence was phrased in perfectly understandable English, and was a truthful summation of Schwinn's end as an independent manufacturer, there was no need to edit it in the first place.12.52.113.231 (talk) 20:23, 27 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]
As a non-American it seems pretty irrelevant that Schwinns were made in the US and now are not. Earthshaking is not how I would describe it. Was the only thing that made them special that they were made in the USA? Or was it not more about them being quality bicycles? It seems relevent to me that they were once good quality bicycles that I would be only to happy to ride myself, and now are low quality things that I avoid. I stand by my edit, and don't really think you've justified the reverting it.--Keithonearth (talk) 04:03, 30 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Whether one is an American or not is irrelevant; what is relevant is that this is undeniably the story of an American company, with a long history of production in the USA - one that the company continually promoted over the years, and so well-ingrained that Schwinn faced serious sales resistance when it initially began selling (high quality - see Article) Schwinn-branded bicycles made by Panasonic in Japan in the 1970s. The Schwinn Bicycle Company and its management decisions have been continuously studied by economists, historians, and business schools as a classic example of once-dominant American corporations and their fall from positions as market leaders. Had you read any of the notable histories of the company, I cannot think but that this would have become immediately apparent to you. In particular, it is the story of what transpired to cause Schwinn to fall from the largest selling manufacturer of bicycles in the USA for 30+ years to a legacy nameplate on bicycles built by Pacific/Dorel in Taiwan and the PRC. That IS an earthshaking event, whether in terms of bicycle history, corporate history, or the economic history of the USA. The story of Schwinn is therefore not merely the story of any old American bicycle company. Your personal belief of what constitutes 'good' and 'low' quality, applied to an entire brand, is too vague to have any real meaning. Specific facts (with references) on quality issues regarding specific models at specific times (as others have done elsewhere in the article) might be useful, but you've supplied none. You seem intent on remaking the article according to your own assumptions regarding Schwinn bicycles you have experienced. But this is an encyclopedia entry, not a blog for individual anecdotes, and your personal opinion, like mine, is completely irrelevant to an article concerned only with the facts surrounding the history of Schwinn. 12.72.218.314 (Don 01) 20:15, 31 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Ok Already, I'm not changing it. It's not important enough. I thought this was an article on a bicycle company, you seem to think it's an article on an American company. Both are true, whichever you prioritize is subjective.--Keithonearth (talk) 22:46, 31 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]
I agree with Keithonearth. The language that was inserted was not neutral. I see that it has been removed. Stetsonharry (talk) 23:28, 15 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]

I suggest that the last sentence of the introductory paragraph "Today, after declaring bankruptcy in 1992, it is a sub-brand of Pacific Cycle, owned by the multi-national conglomerate, Dorel Industries" be clarified. When is/was today - maybe change to read, in more recent times, or lately. Bankruptcy in 1992 - was there a more recent bankruptcy in 2001, was there a group called Questor Partners, and if so when did they show up. Pacific Cycle's webpage promotes "Schwinn" as a Brand - not a stub-brand. (One sentence). — Preceding unsigned comment added by 144.183.224.2 (talk) 23:34, 30 November 2016 (UTC)[reply]

Labor problems[edit]

A crucial passage on Schwinn's labor troubles was attributed to a bicycle website, which clearly does not meet the standards of WP:RS insofar as industrial and labor issues are concerned. I've removed a dubious sentence, attributed to that website, saying that Schwinn workers wanted parity with auto workers. If true, it can be restored with attribution to a reliable source. Other statements attributed to the website have been given "source needed" tags. Stetsonharry (talk) 23:28, 15 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Scooters[edit]

I just found out that Schwinn also makes scooters, and I see that it is also on their website. There should probably be a section about this. I'll try and write it later if I have time. --Mintrepublic (talk) 00:43, 12 August 2009 (UTC)[reply]

and roller blades[edit]

I just got pair of roller blades from good will, pretty good condition though. But I didn't see anything on rollerblades made by schwinn anywhere on wikipedia.71.94.63.105 (talk) 06:52, 5 October 2009 (UTC)[reply]

New Schwinns for 2011[edit]

There's an all new Schwinn line for 2011. http://reviews.roadbikereview.com/blog/first-look-2011-schwinn-bicycles/ Bizzybody (talk) 05:54, 13 August 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Fillet brazed frames[edit]

The article has no mention of Schwinn's fillet brazed frames, produced from 1938 through 1978. http://www.sheldonbrown.com/schwinn-braze.html They were assembled by hand with much labor put into smooth radiusing all the joints, making the frame appear as if it were a single piece of metal. Bizzybody (talk) 05:57, 13 August 2010 (UTC)[reply]


lighter steel alloys[edit]

"More and more cyclists, especially younger buyers, began to insist on lighter steel alloys, responsive frame geometry, aluminum components, advanced derailleur shifting, and multiple gears."

Steel alloys all weight the same:

4130: 7.85 g/cc A36: 7.85 g/cc

What modern steel alloys have to offer is a much higher yield strength which allows the manufacturer to use less material. Strefli3 (talk) 19:54, 13 September 2010 (UTC)[reply]

URL uncertainty[edit]

In the Infobox, the website is listed as follows (other than the placeholder punctuation to prevent automated link generation in order to protect inexperienced readers, if there are any reading this):

  • http(colon)(slash)(slash)www(dot)schwinnbike(dot)com


The actual clickable link in dispute is in the Infobox in the article, of course--for those who have experience in looking these things up.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but the search engine result I found was:

  • www.schwinnbikes.com (Note there happens to be an 's' in this version; none in the former)


Could someone please verify this? I doubt the current URL in the Infobox happens to be a malware/phishing scheme, but you can't be too careful, right? Especially on Wikipedia, where many people not aware of the potential for incorrectly listed URL's will click without even blinking. P.S. I am very puzzled why the new link I've submitted based on the search result won't automatically turn blue; the first retained blue in one spot or another until I removed every bit of punctuation based on previewing my edit for this discussion. I only ask because I would expect the genuine one (I assume it's legit) to turn blue rather than the first one, if any were to change at all. Thanks, 67.182.237.57 (talk) 23:36, 10 February 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Google "domain name search", and compare:
They're the same site, same owner. Just spelling variants that both point to schwinnbikes.com. So just add the missing S to the infobox. --Dennis Bratland (talk) 00:02, 11 February 2012 (UTC)[reply]

1992[edit]

I feel like the 1992 bankruptcy should be more prominent, including at least a mention in the opening paragraph. It was really a completely different company after that. Compare, for example, General Motors, which devotes the last paragraph of the lead section to the 2009 reorganization, and AT&T, which actually has a separate article for the pre-2005 company. Kendall-K1 (talk) 16:47, 6 June 2013 (UTC)[reply]

It was easy to mention the bankruptcy in the lede, but I don't know how to make it more prominent without it receiving undue weight. The section that describes it is already about the biggest section in the article. -AndrewDressel (talk) 17:00, 6 June 2013 (UTC)[reply]

External links modified[edit]

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1982 swhinn predator.[edit]

I would like to know if swhinn would be interested in buying this bike back from me? It's in great shape, still has like new factory installed tires on it. Please let me know your decision!! 174.240.176.194 (talk) 10:39, 21 November 2022 (UTC)[reply]

Old Schwinn bicycle[edit]

looks like it's an old beach bike or a bike that would have been rode in a shipyard 174.214.16.74 (talk) 11:37, 9 December 2023 (UTC)[reply]

Rims and tires[edit]

26 in. Rims and tires for schwinn tricycle meridian 2603:800C:2E00:5D00:7F67:7364:4885:5D40 (talk) 04:38, 13 February 2024 (UTC)[reply]

The Banana seat bike with different size wheels and tire[edit]

In the very early ‘60’s— I built a motorbike - I was in the tenth grade at Overton high school - I took a 24 or 26 inch Frame, put large tires on the back and smaller tire on the front ! I mounted two angle iron rods to the rear hub assembly,Then, I added my home made banana seat to the two angle iron strips and attached the front of seat like an ordinary bike seat !— I Then added a set of Monkey handle bars- which rise up pretty high, and added the throttle cable and twist grip - I then added two brake handle grips on each side of handle bars. I built a small mounting plate at the meeting point of the bicycle pedal area, and rear horizontal bars that rear wheel and tires mount, and the piece that comes straight up for the seat attachment post. I welded a 52 tooth sprocket ( I bought at the Schwinn shop on Summer Ave in Memphis Tn. At Broadway— it was at the end of the over pass. For Summer Ave. I mounted a 2 1/2 Horse Briggs and Stratton lawn mor wer Engine- Which I had shave the head- and replaced the cast iron Flywheel with an Aluminum Flywheel ! I used a small PULLEY/ AND SPROCKET set up to transfer chain drive to belt drive ! I used an automatic clutch on the engine .. ran a chrome exhaust pipe . !! I painted the bike silver and added cut off fenders— ALONG WITH LIGHTS !!— We clocked the bike several times. !! THE GUYS AT THE SCHWINN STORE SEEMED REAL INTERESTED !—- In my Bike !! A SHORT TIME AFTER THAT VISIT TO THE SCHWINNSTORE !! A FRIEND CAME UP TO ME AND ASKED ME IF I HAD SEEN THE NEW SCHWINN BANANA SEAT BIKE !!—- With different size wheels and tires !!!— I WAS VERY YOUNG AT THE TIME— And did not realize , if you designed something different— You should have it protected under copy right law— and a patent— I was flattered someone liked my bike !!!—- AND DESIGN !—- it would have been great to receive royalties or a buyout- ( I built the Bike because my Dad Would Not let me have a motorcycle !!— So I built a motorbike— who ever came up with the final design on the New Banana Seat Bike— Did a very good job !!—— 2601:3CB:C80:4DA0:0:0:0:B658 (talk) 13:00, 22 February 2024 (UTC)[reply]

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