In the 1950s, Schwinn began to aggressively cultivate bicycle retailers, persuading them to sell Schwinns as their predominant, if not exclusive brand. During this period, bicycle sales enjoyed relatively slow growth, with the bulk of sales going to youth models. In 1900, during the height of the first bicycle boom, annual United States sales by all bicycle manufacturers had briefly topped one million.
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. Schwinn’s whisper quiet Smooth Cycling series allows riders to channel their attention to any experience that a studio is striving to achieve. The SC 7 is combines user-focused features, best-in-class biomechanics and a high degree of adjustability to deliver the optimal bike fit for riders of all shapes, sizes and abilities.
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 schwinn ebike 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.
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.
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 Plus with Carbon Blue bike is in a class by itself. Schwinn launched a phenomenon with the first production bike designed specifically for indoor cycling, and we’ve never looked back. Our newest bike, the AC Performance Plus 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. It’s an innovative and stylish design that keeps us on the cutting edge of the indoor cycling industry – and it will keep you coming back time after time.
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 ebike 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.
That represents a miniscule fraction of the estimated 13
million adult bicycles sold in the country each year. The one commonality is
an exacting attention to detail and precision measured by the thousandth of an
inch. The factory that produced the iconic Schwinn Paramount racing bikes has solidified its place near the top of the US bicycle manufacturing industry. As the parent company of such legendary brands as Schwinn and Mongoose, Pacific Cycle delivers some of the biggest names in outdoor recreation. But it’s not just the names customer’s trust, it’s the look and feel of our products, our superior quality, and our outstanding customer service that help us bring these premium brands to the hands and feet of our customers. In late 1997, Questor Partners Fund, led by Jay Alix and Dan Lufkin, purchased Schwinn Bicycles.