By 1950, Schwinn had decided the time was right to grow the brand. 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 schwinn dealers 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.
By the late 1970s, a new bicycle sport begun by enthusiasts in Northern California had grown into a new type of all-terrain bicycle, the mountain bike. Mountain bikes were originally based on Schwinn balloon-tired cruiser bicycles fitted with derailleur gears and called “Klunkers”. A few participants began designing and building small numbers of mountain bikes with frames made out of modern butted chrome-molybdenum alloy steel. Using the standard electro-forged cantilever frame, and fitted with five-speed derailleur gears and knobby tires, the Klunker 5 was never heavily marketed, and was not even listed in the Schwinn product catalog.
Both brands offer a wide range of bike types, so choosing the right one will depend on your individual needs and preferences. The factory in Hungary was partially successful in producing the Schwinn Woodlands, but many of the imported bikes had to be warehoused due to quality issues. For a company struggling with cash flow and being supervised closely by its banks, schwinn dealers this was not the time for Schwinn to gamble on becoming a global player. Schwinn pulled the plug on the unsuccessful venture in 1991 just one year before bankruptcy. In 1983 Schwinn also produced its first catalog dedicated exclusively to
BMX bicycling. This finally established Schwinn as a
maker of high-quality BMX but it was too little and too late.
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. Schwinn’s whisper quiet Smooth Cycling series allows riders schwinn dealers 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.
Schwinn also built a factory in Greenville, Mississippi, but it didn’t last, and even bought a factory in Hungary, but the deal fell through, and Schwinn never imported any Hungarian bikes to the U.S. As the parent company of such legendary brands as Schwinn, Mongoose and Kid Trax, 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. The Air-Dyne was an innovative machine relying on specially designed fan
blades instead of a traditional wheel to provide resistance to
pedaling. At the same time, it created a gentle breeze for the rider. Schwinn sold a high of 67,000 Air-Dynes in 1986 with a high price tag of
$595.