Schwinn was one of the greatest brand names in America, for decades. They went from the top to the bottom, and once it started it didn’t take all that long. Here’s the story.
The whole story is in the excellent book referenced below, the No Hands book by two investigative journalists in Chicago, and it is indeed a sad story, how Schwinn entered the bike boom of the Seventies making money hand over fist, yet ignored the three trends of that decade: Lightweight touring, BMX, and mountain biking. And by the time they finally made their moves at the end of the decade, it was too late, essentially. And added to that were tensions between management and labor at their Chicago factory and the subsequent tension between Schwinn and Giant, their production partner in Taiwan. And their loss of the BMX market was crazy in that their bike, the Sting-Ray, made it possible in the first place. The Sting-Ray, inspired by Southern California kids who were modifying their 20-inch bikes with Troxel polo saddles and high-rise handlebars, was strong enough for kids to ride off-road like a motocross motorcycle and it inspired Mongoose and CYC and the others to manufacture true BMX bikes long before Schwinn got to the line. And there is so much more in that book, definitely required reading for anyone who wants to know the rest of the story about the demise of Schwinn.
You're absolutely correct in your analysis. No Hands is a great read. However, the end result is/was the same and over 30 years , sadly, Schwinn changed hands more than a French Whore in a brothel.
With all due respect, read the book "No Hands - The Rise and Fall of the Schwinn Bicycle Company" by Judith Crown and Glenn Coleman. The demise of Schwinn had nothing to do with mountain bikes. I would not waste tuition for such uninformed instruction.
Indeed. Gary Fisher was a marketing guy, not an engineer or even a designer (or a good one at least). Tom Ritchey was the true innovator of that era and even worked together with Fisher saying that he just wanted to peddle bikes. Eventually Fisher sold cheap and badly designed bikes along with Trek.
It is sad for old Schwinn but I can not say anything bad about those that bought the brand. I own a Schwinn boundary a good mountain bike that has current tech and is upgradable for a fraction of the cost of a base Gary Fisher, Cannondale, Trek, Santa Cruze and on and on.
In the early 70s powerful import concerns started lobbying lawmakers (in earnest) to get tariffs and import duties greatly reduced on importation of foreign built bicycles (and other goods). American bike companies very quickly found they could not compete against the low cost labor found abroad. In the end the importers gained full control over the domestic market for bike sales, and all the major American bike companies went out of business. In our economic system money talks, and profits always take precedent over all other concerns - even if it means millions of domestic jobs get offshored to take advantage of cheap overseas labor. When domestic workers are seen as a roadblock to "profit maximization" then our corporations adjust and change. Creating a domino effect where all companies have to follow suit. If you're old enough - you will remember when most of the products we bought had "Made in USA" stamped on, right? Oh those old Harvard business school graduates, they knew how to break through the roadblocks to greater profits - didn't they? 🤫
It was the employees voting to join the UAW vs. remaining a closed shop. I worked at the plant before the strike. The Schwinn's ran meetings for all the employees and basicly told them that if they voted in the UAW it would be their death knell.
The guy doing the lecture Doesn't know the whole story on how Gary Fisher acquired the schwinn Frame when remembers the story Yet when Gary Fisher was in Santa Cruz California he went to this old bicycle shop And he was looking for a very durable late 1930's balloon tire frame and that frame was a schwinn That he acquired from an old friend of mine That used to have the branciforte bicycle shop In Santa Cruz California.
When I see someone riding a Gary Fisher, I know they are either on a classic MTB or a newer high end MTB. When I see someone riding a Schwinn, I know they're riding a classic or cheap crap.
97.3% pathetic. Schwinn first outsourced their frames and then components to Japan. And I'm pretty sure the Japanese figured out their own Technology, because it was better than the Americans'. The best frames in the world were built in Japan, and those that were built elsewhere were built from the same tubes ("Tube sets") and are today. China didn't happen until bikes turned to Aluminum. The components were Shimano. Except for the Paramount that used Italian and then French and British frames and components. And here's the joke: they were all TEN SPEEDS. (L) - right now I have a 33 speed 90's Trek Mountain Bike.
