I was the first kid on the block in a small South Jersey town to get a Schwinn Sting-Ray in blue back in 1965. It came with the racing slick on the back and I remember doing chores to go back and buy the blue metal flake banana seat. I drove my folks crazy and they got it for me for Christmas. My dad taught me to take care of it. It was the envy of the block for about a year, then everybody had one. I kept it clean and man could I get up to speed on that bike. Dad kept it in his garage until I was about 30. I took it to my house for my boys but in 1989 it they had no interest. I ended up giving it away no parts anywhere especially the tires. Ah, the wonder years…..
I used to love going to the Schwinn Shoppe when I was a kid.. I was a paperboy and I went through pedals, handle grips, and inner-tubes like crazy.. I would dream of having a black 5-Speed Beach Cruiser with white-walls.. The colors and smell of the Schwinn Shoppe was like a drug..
I had a blue DeLuxe Stingray, got it for my 13th birthday. I remember it cost $60, which was a lot of money in 1964. I rode it until I was old enough to get my drivers license, then put it away until I sold it ro a neighbor boy so I could buy my class ring. He proceeded to destroy it little by little until it ended up in the trash dump. What a waste.
The Schwinn Stingray was virtually identical to an earlier high rise bike known as the Huffy "Penguin". The Penguin bike was already being sold in bike stores when the Stingray was still in its prototype stage. The StingRay even shared many brand name components with the earlier Penguin bike, like Wald handlebars, the Persons Polo seat, Bendix rear hub. The Penguin bike also had a 20" cantilever frame like the Stingray. The Stingray actually looked like a copy of the earlier released Penguin.
My favorite bike as a kid was a 5 speed stick shift bike in black. The black one was really nice. It had the narrow tires. I also remember the copper tone one. I had the two speed stingray. Liked that also. It was stolen, and I got it back.
I have a collection of '60s and '70s Sting Rays and Krates, and '70s Schwinn 10 speeds. I'm 65 years old, and I got into them purely out of nostalgia, because they are what I had as a kid. I also have quite a few parts.
I had a purple one in the 70's my neighbor gave me. I rode it for years until the early 80's and tried to make it BMX style. Oh how I miss it.🚴♂️🚴♂️🚴♂️
1965 the stingray was my main transportation 5 years old learned to ride my first bike old stingray had that bike all the way up to 8th grade, all my friends had one we where always taking them apart and repainting them a couple rattle cans from hardware store actually came out nice, we rode them hard making ramps to see who could fly the highest and farthest didn't think about the landing to much not that important distance and highth is where bragging rights mattered, so the banana seat had to go first to many connection points always breaking the small spring loaded seats where best only 1 bolt looked better also, Fenders no use for would get mangled and in the way also looked better without, chain guards nice to have but usually none had to remember to roll pants leg up to many times getting tangled up in sprocket. it was easy to find parts back then second hand stores had piles of old frames and rims no doubt different story today.
California teens had created a unique bike style that spoke to their generation, and Al Fritz used his position in the bicycle industry to make it available to buyers throughout the country. Although the Schwinn Sting-Ray was not the first factory-made bike to sport high-rise handlebars and a "Solo Polo" banana seat, it was the first bike of its type to be marketed on a nationwide basis.
In the early 1960's - I replaced my saddle seat with a flat style banana seat & high handlebars. Later I replaced with a curved banana seat. A friend had an Apple Crate & I flipped it by putting on the front brake too fast.
I have a question maybe an expert can answer; In 1970 Sears sold a stingray looking bike called the Spider. It was unusual in that it had handlebars that looped around to the hand grips and it had a very small front tire and it was a multi speed bike that was cool. My question; Was this bike a Schwinn ?? I would appreciate a response. This was my dream bike, but being very poor meant I would never have one but carried a picture of it around seemingly forever in my pocket. Later I had befriended a well to - do only child who actually had one and I could have died when I went to his house and found out he actually had one of these bikes and at 62 yrs of age I still occasionally dream of that stupid bike!! Today, I own and ride two big beautiful Motorcycles, plze respond anyone??
Google pics of 1969 Sears Spyder and 1969 Sears Screamer. That's what u are talking about. The tri-angler bars are butterfly bars on the Screamer model..that one had the 16" front wheel. athe Spyder has two 20" wheels but came with the curved back ram horn type bars. I just sold my 68 sears screamer days ago:(((((((((((((( -TheBikeGame@Facebook/groups Come join.!
The name Corvette was Dutch derived. "Korf", denoting a type of ship with the French diminutive suffix "ette". A "Korfette". Meaning originated in the mid-1600s navys as a war ship next size below a frigate. Therefore GM can't own the rights to that word. Would be like GM laying a claim to the word "and". :-) Saw a picture as a kid of a '40s, '50s era ship with the moniker "Corvette". That's what inspired me to look up the name.
When I was a kid (many years ago) the Schwinn Sting Ray was THE bike to have. Every kid wanted one, including me. Closest I got at the time was my Mom bought me an AMF 'Renegade' for a birthday present..I was thrilled even though it wasn't 'the real deal' (a Schwinn). It was sort of an orange/copper metallic color it was quite beautiful when the light hit it almost like a metalflake paint job. Now many years later, I have a Schwinn Sting Ray. Recently picked up a new Schwinn Classic Sting Ray in blue/silver color with dished white sparkle/blue 'S' logo with racing stripe seat. There are some differences between it an the originals: rear chrome fender is shorter length and not 'bobbed' as much, the chain guard is different does not have the Schwinn 'script logo' or 'Sting Ray' on it, and the front forks are more like BMX style forks. However it is close enough this adult is thrilled to finally have a Schwinn Sting Ray (albeit not a USA made one). Interesting and informative video.
Pretty funny how this video ended, the interviewer should have made sure he had enough time for the interview, rather than getting a phone call from mommy and leaving those two guys sitting there like that. The interviewer asked them how Schwinn got away with using the same Stingray name that General Motors used for their Corvette Stingray car and the guy should have known the obvious answer, because the big clue for that answer is right there on the bike's chain guard. Schwinn put a dash between "Sting" and "Ray." Schwinn Sting-Ray. An obvious agreement was made on that with GM. Why else would Schwinn put that dash there?
I had a green Sting Ray at 9 in 1975', I just recently aquired a Yellow all original Deluxe Sting Ray in barn find condition, all there down to the original tires. Complete unmolested bike. I plan on restoring it
That was an awesome bike but it wasn't perfect. The sissy bar in the rear was a defect design and continued to break at the screw holes at the seat. My dad fixed this issue for our entire town and even made it better looking and never broke. We lived in a town where everyone new each other and before he was done he made new ones for everyone. No more buying them from Schwinn.
I had what must have been about a 1964 Model Green metal flake with Green banana seat and No hand brakes or shifters just simple and I don't think it had fenders either. Kinda remember getting muddy backs when I rode through the water or mud. I could literally ride wheelies anywhere I wanted to go...turn corners etc. I could also sit someone in the handle bars and i could actually sit place my own rear-end over the front tire, hold the handlebars and ride it backwards. I would likely lay down a pretty penny to find a restored one. Best bike ever and never had another of any kind. Gave it to a great kid when I outgrew it but wished I'd had the ability to store it and keep it. Didn't really know what I had... it seems. Sigh.....
There are alot of retro things that have come back into production, but muscle bikes are not on the list. Why IS that??!? I know they would be wildly popular with kids today.
I have one of these bikes. I believe it was a simple reproduction, but it's great. Bought it in 2009 for right around $200. It's honestly the smoothest riding bike ever. Really easy to get moving, and takes very little effort to pedal. The seat is extremely comfortable, and allows for a variety of different seating positions. The bike, overall, is extremely light and surprisingly durable. However, due to the back wheel being much larger than the front, I find that it's not really a bike that likes to make sharp turns, and when at higher speeds, it gets pretty unstable, as the handlebars begin to shake back and forth pretty violently. This bike is not good to try and ride on a grass or a rock driveway. This bike is strictly for street riding, and it's really the best bike for it's purpose.
I had a used green Schwinn stingray with a long support bar in the back. It was cool. The seat was a metal flake green. That bike could get up some speed for not having any gears on it.
Oh yeah !nothing like the arnoldschwinn's of the past!! I've got my little collection! All original just got that LOWRIDER look!! MY prize possession is this STINGRAY "RUNABOUT".IT'S ALL OGIGINAL,WITH WHITEWALLS!
At 27:56 Yes, that is why he is called...I'm A Busy Guy". But, in reality, it was probably staged, and he just went to take a shit. Also, at 28:00 his ringer is The Experience 'Purple Haze'.
Kool video ...,, I have a couple nd keep my eye out 4sum,, my kids luv them lowride them.. Nd I patch them ,I ride my own bike it's a beach cruser an I luve it .. Bikes r hotter than ever.. Nd everyone is kreating their own touch look swag flavor estilo game to game of riding till mom says it's time to come in..
Ha yes, I had my birthday green fastback 5 speed for a few weeks, some fk stole it from the driveway of my friends house, hope they are rotting in hell, took years before my parents got me another bike
what a joke just two men bragging about their collection with a bunch of misleading and incomplete information about this brand and its true history. great host that takes a personal call and immediately walks out on his own and leaves them to finish he show.
