Developed from experiences gained in racing, Schwinn established Paramount as their answer to high-end, professional competition bicycles. The Paramount used high-strength chrome-molybdenum steel alloy tubing and expensive brass lug-brazed construction. During the next twenty years, most of the Paramount bikes would be built in limited numbers at a small frame shop headed by Wastyn, in spite of Schwinn’s continued efforts to bring all frame production into the factory.
Zell moved Schwinn’s corporate headquarters to Boulder, Colorado. The company’s next answer to requests for a Schwinn mountain bike was the King Sting and the Sidewinder, inexpensive BMX-derived bicycles fabricated from existing electro-forged frame designs, and using off-the-shelf BMX parts. This proved to be a major miscalculation, as several new United States startup companies began producing high-quality frames designed from the ground up, and sourced from new, modern plants in Japan and Taiwan using new mass-production technologies such as TIG welding. By the mid-1970s, competition from lightweight and feature-rich imported bikes was making strong inroads in the budget-priced and beginners’ market.
However, one member of the Schwinn family remained at the helm of a U.S. bike company. Richard Schwinn ran Waterford Precision Cycles out of the same plant in southeastern Wisconsin previously owned by his family.
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.
Joe Drennan longtime Earl’s employee and manager, purchased the store in 2015 and is carrying on our tradition of giving you the best bicycle products and customer service at the best price. Few businesses can claim 65+ years of continuously successful operation and fewer still point to an unwavering dedication to the highest levels of customer service over that time but Earl’s is one that can. Earl’s Cyclery was founded in 1953 by Earl Foley in Burlington’s Old North End on Archibald Street. The shop began as a humble bicycle and lawn mower repair shop, but quickly evolved into one of New England’s largest schwinn dealers.
In addition to the fond memories these beautiful bicycles inspire, enthusiasts praise their quality workmanship and enduring value. Whether you’re considering a vintage Schwinn for personal use or want to invest in a piece of American popular history, you’ll have a lot of options. The ownership of Schwinn-branded bikes has changed hands several times. In October 2021, a privately-held Dutch schwinn ebike group called Pon Holdings bought Dorel Sports from Dorel Industries, the parent company for Schwinn, Cannondale, GT and Mongoose. The deal included acquisition of Pacific Cycle, which still manages the Schwinn brand and others from its headquarters in Madison. Schwinn authorized dealers flourished in the fifties and around 500,000 bikes were sold almost every year from 1950 to 1959.
At the close of the 1920s, the stock market crash decimated the American motorcycle industry, taking Excelsior-Henderson with it. 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.
Our service center swiftly handles repairs, ensuring you spend less time waiting and more time enjoying the ride. In the late 1960s, the Varsity and Continental pioneered the use of auxiliary brake levers, which allowed the rider to rest hands on the straight, horizontal center section of the ram’s horn handlebars, yet still have braking control. This feature, attractive to older riders, soon found its way to other Schwinn models, especially those intended for senior citizens. 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.