After a crash-course in new frame-building techniques and derailleur technology, Schwinn introduced an updated Paramount with Reynolds 531 double-butted tubing, Nervex lugsets and bottom bracket shells, as well as Campagnolo derailleur dropouts. The Paramount continued as a limited production model, built in small numbers in a small apportioned area of the old Chicago assembly factory. 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. At the close of the 1920s, the stock market crash decimated the American motorcycle industry, taking Excelsior-Henderson with it. Arnold, Schwinn, & Co. (as it remained until 1967) was on the verge of bankruptcy.
Unlike its progenitors, the Klunker proved incapable of withstanding hard off-road use, and after an unsuccessful attempt to reintroduce the model as the Spitfire 5, it was dropped from production. 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 schwinn ebike 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 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.
Even if you haven’t ridden a bike in decades, our best-selling Comfort makes getting back on the saddle a breeze. Most models of Schwinn bikes have years of images and information via old catalogs, advertisements and Schwinn documentation. This page lists Schwinn bicycles models (sorted alphabetically) and links to their details. 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 all likelihood, the bike probably was manufactured for Schwinn by Giant in Taiwan. This 1992 Crossfit was one of the last bicycle models produced for Schwinn family bicycle company. Sometime in the 1970’s, the Schwinn Chicago factory was organized by the United Auto Workers union, who felt that bicycle factory workers should be paid on the same scale as automotive workers. Unfortunately, the realities of the marketplace didn’t agree, and Schwinn closed the factory, transferring most production to Japan (Panasonic) and Taiwan (Giant). Schwinn also built a factory in Greenville, Mississippi, but it didn’t last, and even bought a factory in Hungary, but the deal fell through, and Schwinn never imported any Hungarian bikes to the U.S.
The Schwinn Voyageurs are fun, versatile bikes for today’s comfort minded fitness rider. Whether leisurely riding on a bike path, riding through the city, or commuting to work, these bikes are the perfect way for today’s health conscious rider to get back on the bike. The Schwinn Voyageur has been built with comfort in mind, from the geometry to the components, riders will enjoy a quick, stable ride each and every time they get on the bike. We proudly serve all types of cyclists, including new and veteran riders, road and mountain aficionados, and recreation and transportation cyclists. Whether you prefer to shop on our website or to come visit us, we’re here to help you with all of your cycling needs. Learn more about what makes us unique, and visit us today to meet our friendly staff and experience our incredible product selection.
If I recall, it was what Schwinn called a “cantilever” frame, where the seat stays pass by the seat cluster and continue on in a graceful curve to join the bottom of the head tube. Older Schwinn “cruisers”, such as the Excelsior that was the inspiration of the first mountain bikes, used a straight lower top tube from the bottom of the head tube to the seat tube. By the mid-1970s, competition from lightweight and feature-rich imported bikes was making strong inroads in the budget-priced and beginners’ market. While Schwinn’s popular lines were far more durable than the budget bikes, they were also far heavier and more expensive, and parents were realizing that most of the budget bikes would outlast most kids’ interest in bicycling. 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.
However, there were clear warning signs on the horizon. Electric bikes put extra power behind every pedal so you can ride farther, take on bigger hills, and enjoy cycling more than ever before. Zell-Chilmark did contract to purchase Paramounts schwinn ebike from the new company created by Richard Schwinn. Sales turned out to be disappointing and after a few years the new owners of Schwinn discontinued the arrangement. Zell-Chilmark first tried to buy Schwinn’s $30 million debt from the banks.
Scott had a diverse product line but their main brands were sold in Europe. The last catalog produced by the Schwinn family company also was in 1992. Bicycles coming after that date have the Schwinn nameplate but had no other relationship to the original family company.
As a result, Schwinns became increasingly dated in both styling and technology. By 1957, the Paramount series, once a premier racing bicycle, had atrophied from a lack of attention and modernization. Aside from some new frame lug designs, the designs, methods and tooling were the same as had been used in the 1930s.
Edward Schwinn also knew that his company was running out of options. He decided in October 1992 that the company had to file for bankruptcy to keep creditors at bay. Consequently, the storied family bicycle business filed for relief from paying its debt under Chapter 11. In the late 1980s, Schwinn’s profits from its traditional bicycles had evaporated. A sign of trouble was that the exercise bicycles were keeping the company financially afloat. Schwinn had a virtual monopoly on stationary exercises and the Air-Dyne in particular had very high profit margins.