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.
Parts that say “Schwinn Approved” were made elsewhere to Schwinn’s specifications. The Chicago Schwinns were among the most bomb-resistant bikes ever built, and they were built with unique technology . With the exception of the Sports Tourer, Super Sport, and Superior, they are welded, not brazed. The head tubes look as if they were fillet brazed, but they weren’t. The head tube and the tapered segments that lead into the the top tube and down tube were actually made from two special forgings that were “electro-forged” (welded) together down the centerline, then ground smooth, so the seam is not usually visible.
This provides an upper and lower body workout as well as cardio workout. Technology transfers from Schwinn bikes have been employed to provide a new, large seat cushion, improved for added comfort and support and a belt drive system that provides for continuous pedaling like a bicycle. The AirFit Console features a new bright user-friendly LED display with key metrics such as Time, Speed, Distance, Heart Rate and Calories. Several years ago, a company named Gates introduced a concept never before seen on outdoor bikes – a belt drive that performed like a chain. Their innovative system – called Carbon Drive – features a carbon fiber reinforced belt with teeth for maximum durability and true bike performance.
Learn more about what makes us unique, and visit us today to meet our friendly staff and experience our incredible product selection. The 26 x 1.75 size is the normal I.S.O. 559 mm size used on most mountain bikes; the 26 x 1 3/4 (I.S.O. 571 mm) is not interchangeable with any normal tire of similar width, although its bead circumference is the same as the “650C” size used on some high performance schwinn beach cruiser 26″ wheel bicycles. Sometime in the 1970’s, the Schwinn Chicago factory was organized by the United Auto Workers union, who felt that bicycle factory workers should be paid on the same scale as automotive workers. Unfortunately, the realities of the marketplace didn’t agree, and Schwinn closed the factory, transferring most production to Japan (Panasonic) and Taiwan (Giant).
For example, most “middleweight” Schwinns take 26 x 1 3/4 tires, which are hard to find, not 26 x 1.75 as used on other brands. You might think that these are the same, but they are not. They also manufactured their own rims in the Chicago factory, the “Schwinn Tubular Rim”. These rims, like the Chicago frames, were among the sturdiest ever built. The parts that say “Schwinn” were made by Schwinn in their enormous Chicago factory (which I had the pleasure of touring in the early ’70’s).
This was a no-expense-spared project of Frank W. Schwinn, who wanted the bike to be introduced in 1938. It was an unqualified success, other than that it was very expensive to produce and showed little if any real profit potential. Sponsorship of 6-day riders produced a team to showcase the Paramount, the riders schwinn beach cruiser such as Jerry Rodman (The Michael Jordan of that time in Chicago) and the rest of the Schwinn Co. bicycle line. StairMaster has been a leader in the commercial cardio market and backs the AirFit. The dual action Schwinn StairMaster AirFit Bike combines both cardio and strength to dual action wind resistance.