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Schwinn Backpedaling
Schwinn backpedaling
By Jennifer Harper THE WASHINGTON TIMES Men of a certain age who relish the memory of their old Schwinn "banana seat" bike may want to pull a wheelie: The company has reintroduced this two-wheeled icon of the 1960s. Schwinn introduced the reinvented Sting-Ray bicycle in Madison, Wis., yesterday, billing it "The Rebirth of Cool." The bike is unabashedly a relic from the all-American playground. "With its raked-out fork, knees-to-the-breeze seat position, a huge rear tire and enough bad-boy character to raise eyebrows, this is no ordinary bicycle," Schwinn says. Schwinn received design advice from Orange County Choppers, the New York-based custom motorcycle shop whose work has been inspired by the films "Easy Rider" and "The Wild One." The shop is busy working on a line of special edition Sting-Rays, complete with fancy logos and extreme features. There is also talk of adult-size Sting-Ray bikes as well, sure to cause a stir on the typical Sunday morning bike path. "The new Sting-Ray is for the kid who wants a bike that offers the riding experience of a chopper," said Schwinn spokesman Joe Werwie. "Just like the original model, every kid can customize his Sting-Ray with cool accessories coming soon like custom wheels, high-back sissy bars, over-sized chain guards and more," he said. Ironically, the Sting-Ray, along with a few other youthful playtime icons, has lost its American roots. Schwinn's parent company, Pacific Cycle — which also owns Flexible Flyer sleds and Murray, Roadmaster, GT and Mongoose bikes — was sold to Montreal-based Dorel Industries in February. Nevertheless, the newfangled Sting-Ray could inspire a little old-fashioned father-son bonding. "You react to this style bike the way you do to a muscle car. And men who had a bike like this in the late 1960s and 1970s can share their enthusiasm with their own sons," said Carl Burgwardt, curator of the Pedaling History Bicycle Museum in Orchard Park, N.Y. The original Sting-Ray was introduced in 1963 when GTOs and Corvettes were the masculine cars of choice, though TV's mild-mannered Captain Kangaroo became an official endorser three years later, pronouncing, "Schwinn bikes are the best." Schwinn sold about 1 million Sting-Rays a year until 1982, when young riders began answering the edgy siren call of mountain biking. But nostalgia is part of the appeal of bikes. Everyone remembers what he or she rode as a child, creating an instant market for manufacturers who originally built a youthful dream machine. "This isn't Schwinn's first repop, or reissue," Mr. Burgwardt said. "They came out with a reissue of their old 1950s Black Phantom model. Columbia and Roadmaster also reissued some of their old models, too." But a reissue does not necessarily make a collectible for those who will shell out an average $2,000 for a 40-year-old child's bike with original chrome, wheelie bar and a glitter seat. "You don't create a collectible bike. They just happen," Mr. Burgwardt said. The new Sting-Ray will be on sale in stores such as Wal-Mart and Toys R Us by April, with prices beginning at $180. |
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#2
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Schwinn Backpedaling
The new Sting-Ray will be on sale in stores such as Wal-Mart and Toys
R Us by April, with prices beginning at $180. WTF, $180 for a kids bike. Yeah, there is only 4% inflation....right. Curt |
#3
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Schwinn Backpedaling
WTF, $180 for a kids bike.
Well, $180 for a "cool" kids' bike, anyway. I'm looking forward to seeing these. I had one of those Schwinn banana-seat specials too, when I was a kid, before I got my first "ten-speed." Of course, they're great stunt bikes. |
#5
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Schwinn Backpedaling
But it does look like a motorcycle.
http://www.schwinnstingray.com/bike-view.html Yes, this is VERY different from my old stingray. This looks like a chopper. |
#6
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Schwinn Backpedaling
WTHeck, A "Schwinn" at WalMart ? Think of the bozo who will assemble
it, or worse the person that will assemble it at home with an adjustable wrench, screwdriver and a hammer. This is not your Father's Schwinn. Steve "curt" wrote in message ... The new Sting-Ray will be on sale in stores such as Wal-Mart and Toys R Us by April, with prices beginning at $180. WTF, $180 for a kids bike. Yeah, there is only 4% inflation....right. Curt |
#7
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Schwinn Backpedaling
Steven Gee wrote:
WTHeck, A "Schwinn" at WalMart ? Think of the bozo who will assemble it, or worse the person that will assemble it at home with an adjustable wrench, screwdriver and a hammer. This is not your Father's Schwinn. Wait until the $99.99 Paramount comes out. -- Tom Sherman - Quad Cities (Illinois Side) |
#8
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Schwinn Backpedaling
On Fri, 19 Mar 2004 22:19:28 +0000, Garrison Hilliard
quoted a source thusly: "The shop is busy working on a line of special edition Sting-Rays, complete with fancy logos and extreme features. There is also talk of adult-size Sting-Ray bikes as well, sure to cause a stir on the typical Sunday morning bike path." Oh, great, just what we don't need; another looks-cool way to attract people who are more interested in image than riding. Image is a fashion thing, and its life expectancy is finite; for long-term gains, build on substance, not style. -- My email address is antispammed; pull WEEDS if replying via e-mail. Typoes are not a bug, they're a feature. Words processed in a facility that contains nuts. |
#9
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Schwinn Backpedaling
You bet it's not your father's Schwinn.
Though it is a good looking bike, it is nothing like the old Chicago-built Schwinns. Vin - Menotomy Vintage Bicycles, Inc. http://OldRoads.com WTHeck, A "Schwinn" at WalMart ? Think of the bozo who will assemble it, or worse the person that will assemble it at home with an adjustable wrench, screwdriver and a hammer. This is not your Father's Schwinn. Steve "curt" wrote in message ... The new Sting-Ray will be on sale in stores such as Wal-Mart and Toys R Us by April, with prices beginning at $180. WTF, $180 for a kids bike. Yeah, there is only 4% inflation....right. Curt |
#10
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Schwinn Backpedaling
No, I think this is different than a cycle people buy to look cool. The people
you're talking about are the lycra-clad wannabes riding expensive road bikes riding 3 and 4 abreast while blocking traffic. These new Sting-Rays might actually get a kid off his lard arse and outside away from his computer games. Vin - Menotomy Vintage Bicycles, Inc. http://OldRoads.com Oh, great, just what we don't need; another looks-cool way to attract people who are more interested in image than riding. Image is a fashion thing, and its life expectancy is finite; for long-term gains, build on substance, not style. |
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