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. As always, the Paramount spared no expense; the bicycles were given high-quality lightweight schwinn mountain bike 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.
The front triangle is made as its own part and then bonded and wrapped to the rear triangle. The ‘semi’ compact frame has an integrated headset and is available in four sizes (small, medium, large and extra large). It was Schwinn’s re-birth the following year that really helped get the iconic brand to where it is today. Their challenge was to play off of Schwinn’s storied past while making the bikes relevant for a new-age consumer. When our shop re-opens to the public following the coronavirus outbreak, we’ll be happy to discuss options for fit customization, upgrades, and accessories.
Unfortunately, the same history and heritage which did so much to propel the brand forward over the years brought it to a sad day in 1993 when Schwinn filed for bankruptcy. In my opinion, it’s crazy to go out & spend $ 1,000 plus when one is not sure how much they’ll enjoy road riding / racing. I trust that in a very short while, we’ll be able to give a more substantive description of how this rides & performs, as my son will pound this Schwinn Varsity CF schwinn mountain bike as has hard as possible – both on our club rides & also as he’s starting to ride Criterium races and some longer road races as well. The Schwinn Varsity Carbon Men’s Road Bike frame is made of an aluminum carbon composite (ACC) construction for superior strength. The bike has been fully serviced in our workshop and is ready to be ridden. When Schwinn introduced the Paramount as their top class racing bike in the 1930s, they started a real success story.
The rim would accomidate the narrower 23c/23mm tires, which would offer increased performance. THE PARTSAs straightforward as the frame is, so too are the parts. The SRAM Double Tap Rival drivetrain was aided with a Wipperman chain.
For medium and smaller sizes, Paramount introduced Columbus SLX tubing. Built for distance and speed, lightweight road bikes let you push your limits. I bought this road bike for my son for Christmas, and I’ve unpacked, adjusted & given it a ‘shakedown’ 10 mile ride. I have ridden road bikes for years, have an Italian ‘old school’ road bike – Benotto Mod 850, and this bike compares favorably. In the late 1960s, the Varsity and Continental pioneered the use of auxiliary brake levers, which allowed the rider to rest hands on the straight, horizontal center section of the ram’s horn handlebars, yet still have braking control.
During this period, bicycle sales enjoyed relatively slow growth, with the bulk of sales going to youth models. In 1900, during the height of the first bicycle boom, annual United States sales by all bicycle manufacturers had briefly topped one million. By 1960, annual sales had reached just 4.4 million.[10] Nevertheless, Schwinn’s share of the market was increasing, and would reach in excess of 1 million bicycles per year by the end of the decade.
With no buyers, Excelsior-Henderson motorcycles were discontinued in 1931.[5] Ignaz’s son, Frank W. Putting all company efforts towards bicycles, he succeeded in developing a low-cost model that brought Schwinn recognition as an innovative company, as well as a product that would continue to sell during the inevitable downturns in business cycles. W. Schwinn returned to Chicago and in 1933 introduced the Schwinn B-10E Motorbike, actually a youth’s bicycle designed to imitate a motorcycle. The Schwinn Le Tour series makes road bikes bicycle designed for frequent riders seeking comfort and grace in a stylish frame. It features a Schwinn Bio-Tuned ergonomic geometry, a Reynolds 520 cro-moly steel frame, and an N’Gauged Gold Label cro-moly fork; all-together, they give the bike the strength and durability to survive years of handling. In the 1950s, Schwinn began to aggressively cultivate bicycle retailers, persuading them to sell Schwinns as their predominant, if not exclusive brand.
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 schwinn electric bike 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. 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.
However, this pinnacle of Schwinn’s bicycle production underwent several changes. Sometimes it was up on the top with the best road bikes in the world, in other years it slowly fell behind in the development of racing machines and ended up outdated, only to be resurrected, renewed and put back into its place as the number one. In late 1997, Questor Partners Fund, led by Jay Alix and Dan Lufkin, purchased Schwinn Bicycles. Questor/Schwinn later purchased GT Bicycles in 1998 for $8 a share in cash, roughly $80 million.
If you decide to sell it one day, then you can pass by the bike NFT to the new owner and preserver the value which will be increasing over the time. Ignaz Schwinn was born in Hardheim, Baden, Germany, in 1860 and worked on two-wheeled ancestors of the modern bicycle that appeared in 19th century Europe. In 1895, with the financial backing of fellow German American Adolph Frederick William Arnold (a meat packer), he founded Arnold, Schwinn & Company.