About Schwinn Bike Company

Schwinn Bike Company: A Brief History Lesson
By: Russ Webb

Ignaz Schwinn and Adolph Arnold founded the Arnold and Schwinn Company in 1895. The company grew slowly in the first few decades in business. A stroke of boldness in the early 30’s would change the vibe of the company and introduce a whole new look to the fairly traditional bicycle industry, This was the beginning of the cruiser era.

Schwinn made a name for itself by modifying the traditional bike tires to a wider 2” balloon type, they designed a wider and more comfortable seat and supported it all with a strong and sturdy steel tube frame. This was a comfortable ride.

Other classics soon followed. The Black Phantom Cruiser in 1949 and the Stingray in 1963 come to mind. The Phantom was a milestone for Schwinn as true experts in bicycle design and functionality. The cruiser was the reigning king throughout the 50’s and into the 60’s.

The stingray was introduced in the early 60’s and within a few years dominated the market with 70% market share of all bikes sold at the time. The stingray was born from the seeds of some tricked out bikes seen on the west coast. This inspiration gave the Schwinn Company plenty to work with and a new era in bicycling was born.

As all good things come to an end, the stingray’s popularity began to fade in the mid 70’s with the dirt busting BMX bike scene. With the big brother mountain bike soon to follow… it didn’t look good for Schwinn. They did make a comeback in the 90’s with a new cruiser revolution, but it wasn’t enough to keep the company profitable.

Schwinn faced bankruptcy in 1993 and restructured its debt load and eventually was purchased by Pacific Cycle in 2001. The Schwinn brand will always be synonymous with innovative bike design and fabrication. And what a story they have to tell!