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). 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. If I recall, it was what Schwinn called a “cantilever” frame, where the seat stays pass by the seat cluster and continue on in a graceful curve to join the bottom of the head tube. Older Schwinn “cruisers”, such as the Excelsior that was the inspiration of the first mountain bikes, used a straight lower top tube from the bottom of the head tube to the seat tube. In late 1997, Questor Partners Fund, led by Jay Alix and Dan Lufkin, purchased Schwinn Bicycles.
A growing number of US teens and young adults were purchasing imported European sport racing or sport touring bicycles, many fitted with multiple derailleur-shifted gears. Schwinn decided to meet the challenge by developing two lines of sport or road ‘racer’ bicycles. One was already in the catalog — the limited production Paramount series.
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. Unlike its progenitors, the Klunker proved incapable of withstanding hard off-road use, and after an unsuccessful attempt to reintroduce the model as the Spitfire 5, it was dropped from production. 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. In 1938, Frank W. Schwinn officially introduced the Paramount series.
Instead, most Schwinn derailleur bikes were marketed to the general leisure market, equipped with heavy “old timer” accessories such as kickstands that cycling aficionados had long since abandoned. While the Paramount still sold in limited numbers to this market, the model’s customer base began to age, changing from primarily bike racers to older, wealthier riders looking for the ultimate bicycle. Schwinn sold an impressive 1.5 million bicycles in 1974, but would pay the price for failing to keep up with new developments in bicycle technology and buying trends. 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.
The Paramount was developed for track and road racing by Emil Wastyn, a 6 day racing frame builder, mechanic and Schwinn dealer in Chicago, who immigrated from Belgium. 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.
Make it a trip to remember with camping and mountain biking combined! The kids will sleep great in their tents after all that riding. With the school year starting soon, it’s a great time to start thinking about college savings, even for little riders. Now through August 31, enter for a chance to win $10,000 to fund your child’s future. The Sting-Ray[28] sales boom of the 1960s accelerated in 1970, with United States bicycle sales doubling over a period of two years. The coolest, most coveted of the Sting-Rays was the Krate, a bike that puts a smile on the face of those who once owned this iconic ride.
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. Another problem was Schwinn’s failure to design and market its bicycles to specific, identifiable buyers, especially the growing number of cyclists interested in road racing or touring.
A service contract is the schwinn dealers best way to extend the life of your equipment and keep your facility safe, but we understand that a contract may not be feasible. We offer on-site repairs and preventive services when needed. Complete our online Service Request Form to request an appointment. Receive our latest updates about our products and promotions. No matter how you ride, we have the bikes and gear to get you rolling.
When you bring your bicycle to us for maintenance or repair, our friendly, professionally trained technicians will assess your bike’s needs and provide you with a free, no-obligation estimate. Whether your bike is in need of a minor adjustment or a major overhaul, we promise that your ride is in good hands. Forget about refilling your gas tank or crowding onto public transportation – once you try an electric bike, it’ll be the only way you ever want to get around town. Featuring lightweight, rechargeable batteries, quiet, responsive pedal-assist motors, and impressive carrying capacity, you can go further and faster on every ride. Starting in 2005, Schwinn also marketed Motorscooters under the Schwinn Motorsports brand.[69] Production ceased in 2011 (approx). After the bike-boom of the early 1970’s, Paramount was in a poor state of affairs in regards to competition and advancing technologies.
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 such as Jerry Rodman (The Michael Jordan of that time in Chicago) and the rest of the Schwinn Co. bicycle line. 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.