There are necked-down parts that fit into the top tube and down tube, like internal lugs. We have some of the lightest, fastest, and most aero road bikes out there. Smooth CyclingSchwinn group cycles are not just a great tool for outdoor performance training. On the other side of the spectrum are those who ride to get lost in a great song. Schwinn’s whisper quiet Smooth Cycling series allows riders to channel their attention to any experience that a studio is striving to achieve.
Chicago became the center of the American bicycle industry, with thirty factories turning out thousands of bikes every day. Bicycle output in the United States grew to over a million units per year by the turn of the 20th century. Al Fritz, Schwinn’s director of research and development, recommended the Sting-Ray as a way to replicate the style California kids were looking for. The Sting-Ray quickly became the bestselling bike in Schwinn’s history. These kids’ bikes featured a coaster brake on the large back wheel and wide-stance handlebars that were perfect for popping big wheelies. The connection of the bike’s name with the (at the time) new Corvette helped solidify the connection between the bicycle and glorified automobiles of the sixties.
Before long, the Sting-Ray was synonymous with suburban youth in the 1960s. Good mathematics doesn’t always help you when it comes to bicycle tires. 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. Roots, rocks, climbs, and descents are no match for Giant mountain bikes. Bring in a team of qualified fitness equipment technicians to make the process easy.
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.
As always, the Paramount spared no expense; the bicycles were given high-quality lightweight lugged steel frames using double-butted tubes of Reynolds 531 and fitted with quality European components including Campagnolo derailleurs, hubs, and gears. The Paramount series had limited production numbers, making vintage examples quite rare today. Other road bikes were introduced by Schwinn in the early and mid 1960s, such as the Superior, Sierra, and Super Continental, but these were only produced for a few years. The Varsity and Continental sold in large numbers through the 1960s and early 1970s, becoming Scwhinn’s leading models.
The wheel rims were likewise robust, chromed, stamped steel with a unique profile designed to hold the tire bead securely, even if pressure were low or lost. By 1975, bicycle customers interested in medium-priced road and touring bicycles had largely gravitated towards Japanese or European brands. In reality, mass-market French manufacturers such as Peugeot were not infrequently criticized for material and assembly quality — as well as stagnant technology — in their low- and mid-level product lines. Nevertheless, Peugeot proudly advertised its victorious racing heritage at every opportunity. By 1979, even the Paramount had been passed, technologically speaking, by a new generation of American as well as foreign custom bicycle manufacturers.
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.
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.
Count on Sportsmith to help you revive your Schwinn bike with confidence. The Grape Krate has been rumored to have originally been made back in the 1970s, but the jury is still out as to whether it ever happened. The story goes that back in 1969, Schwinn came out with two Grape Krates as samples, but those bikes never made it to showroom floors. Internet sleuths say that in 1976 Schwinn built schwinn beach cruiser 15 Grape Krates as Christmas gifts for certain employees.
We do our best to find replacement parts, but keep in mind that parts may be difficult to find, especially for older models. It also may be cost-prohibitive to repair your machine if it is older. Great service and knowledgable, was fit for a new road bike,Went very well, great selection.