because i wanna see what its worth and how much PROFIT I can make off idiots that would pay it..... Lol i just put my foot in my mouth... didnt i? im going to shut up while im sumwhat ahead or before i fall deeper in this would be grave.. Sorry.
schwinn site woes
- Thread starter Markm
- Start date
Help Support Rat Rod Bikes Bicycle Forum:
It's all good Ricky....
sometimes Less is More,
especially when it comes to Words.
Peace,
Kev.
sometimes Less is More,
especially when it comes to Words.
Peace,
Kev.
Clothespin "n" said:
Huh :?:
ricksterr1221 said:
never mind Ricky, :roll:
peace,
Kev.
this is all i know on the schwinn story ...
bout 5 yrs ago i bout my mother a crappy schwinn mountain bike ... when i gave it to her for her birthday she cried ... said she always wanted a schwinn when she was a girl and loved it ...
my first bike was a 76' red white and blue (with yellow all over too) krate stingray that i still wish i had ... but its gone ... now if i had an endless supply of cash i would pay a lot for it ... till then i am going to find the right place to shop and buy them when and if i can ...
maybe its like the last of a fading dream or falling glory ... its just how much would you pay to feel like it wasnt over ....
me personally depends on the dream ......
bout 5 yrs ago i bout my mother a crappy schwinn mountain bike ... when i gave it to her for her birthday she cried ... said she always wanted a schwinn when she was a girl and loved it ...
my first bike was a 76' red white and blue (with yellow all over too) krate stingray that i still wish i had ... but its gone ... now if i had an endless supply of cash i would pay a lot for it ... till then i am going to find the right place to shop and buy them when and if i can ...
maybe its like the last of a fading dream or falling glory ... its just how much would you pay to feel like it wasnt over ....
me personally depends on the dream ......
Sorry Kev.
Well I'm new around here and to the bike world. But from what I have learned here I have to agree with October! and Kev!
I have no time for the people that you would find at the schwinn site. I would much rather build and hone my skills with people around here, were you are not judged by your bike or build, but the love you put into it!
just my two cents
I have no time for the people that you would find at the schwinn site. I would much rather build and hone my skills with people around here, were you are not judged by your bike or build, but the love you put into it!
just my two cents
Firewalker said:
Agreed! :mrgreen:
Firewalker said:
totally agree!
Personally I think other bikes have more personality.october said:you guy's can all hiss at me when say this...
but what is the big deal with schwinn bikes anyway????
i dont see what all the hype is about... what makes them any better than any other bike?
why are they worth more?
what's the deal with the rims only accepting "special" size tires?
the prices are ridiculous...
i've heard nothing but bad about their online "community"...
and as far as i can tell, they really don't seem to be the bikes they're made out to be...
maybe i just dont understand :|
oct.
That said, most of the time I like bikes more when I see them in person, but in pictures they just look plain.
As an outsider and foreigner, I have to add my take on this. The fact is, that when you are talking about a collectors market, some brands just get this huge momentum behind them which drives prices up. Over here it's Malvern Star dragstars.
Also, some brands build up a very astute marketing plan which keeps the mythology of their brand clouded in desire, i.e. Harley. I personally wouldn't want ANY harley built after ...67? is that when it got sold? Anyway, they are crap, useless, huge wastes of space. But people love them anyway, because of a mythology.
Same thing with Ford hot-rods. I was on a site the other day where the author made the statement that anything apart from a deuce, A-bone or T was a compromise, not a real hot rod. He's wrong of course, but some people just can't think outside the box.
But think about the customisers who have made the leap to mythology, a brand name in their own right. Von Dutch, Barris, Roth et al didn't make their names churning out the same 5 cars everyone else did, they thought outside the box, they rodded what they could afford, and when they could afford the dream cars, they went buck wild on them.
I guess what I'm saying, in a long winded way, is what is cooler? A soft-tail wide tire Harley like every other, or a flaked-out Trump bobber? A 32 Ford with coddington wheels, or a dodge-bucket with an off-brand hopped up S6? A period-perfect Schwinn Krate, or a ratted Hawthorne/Columbia/Cleveland Welding frame. The Schwinn site is for collectors, this site is for modders, rodders and artists. Think outside the box. I'm paraphrasing here, but someone famous once said, "restoration is the sport of the anally-retentive." /rant
Also, some brands build up a very astute marketing plan which keeps the mythology of their brand clouded in desire, i.e. Harley. I personally wouldn't want ANY harley built after ...67? is that when it got sold? Anyway, they are crap, useless, huge wastes of space. But people love them anyway, because of a mythology.
Same thing with Ford hot-rods. I was on a site the other day where the author made the statement that anything apart from a deuce, A-bone or T was a compromise, not a real hot rod. He's wrong of course, but some people just can't think outside the box.
But think about the customisers who have made the leap to mythology, a brand name in their own right. Von Dutch, Barris, Roth et al didn't make their names churning out the same 5 cars everyone else did, they thought outside the box, they rodded what they could afford, and when they could afford the dream cars, they went buck wild on them.
I guess what I'm saying, in a long winded way, is what is cooler? A soft-tail wide tire Harley like every other, or a flaked-out Trump bobber? A 32 Ford with coddington wheels, or a dodge-bucket with an off-brand hopped up S6? A period-perfect Schwinn Krate, or a ratted Hawthorne/Columbia/Cleveland Welding frame. The Schwinn site is for collectors, this site is for modders, rodders and artists. Think outside the box. I'm paraphrasing here, but someone famous once said, "restoration is the sport of the anally-retentive." /rant
very well said Lurker!!
Peace,
Kev.
Peace,
Kev.
Rat Rod
Owner & Founder
I agree with what everyone is saying.
I will say this though...in the short time I have played around with these old bikes, the Schwinns do seem to be better quality than most of it's competitors. The frames, the headsets, components, etc....the quality level on there older stuff is really hard to beat.
Everything seems to be heavier gauge material and the quality of chrome is always much better then other bikes of this vintage. When you compare the quality of welds on the frames, again, usually a lot nicer than the department store bikes of the day.
Are the prices crazy...yes, but I too haven't spent much more than $50 on any of the Schwinns I have bought and I live in the land where old Schwinns are not plentiful. I think the Krates and the Ballooners are really where things get out of hand....thankfully I have no interest in either of those...ha ha!
I will say this though...in the short time I have played around with these old bikes, the Schwinns do seem to be better quality than most of it's competitors. The frames, the headsets, components, etc....the quality level on there older stuff is really hard to beat.
Everything seems to be heavier gauge material and the quality of chrome is always much better then other bikes of this vintage. When you compare the quality of welds on the frames, again, usually a lot nicer than the department store bikes of the day.
Are the prices crazy...yes, but I too haven't spent much more than $50 on any of the Schwinns I have bought and I live in the land where old Schwinns are not plentiful. I think the Krates and the Ballooners are really where things get out of hand....thankfully I have no interest in either of those...ha ha!
I agree that schwinn made quality bikes. But it doesnt justify the prices some people are charging. While I do like ballooners and krates(sorry ratrod ) I'll never pay those prices. If I find one cheap or better yet free, I'll jump all over it but until then I'll build with what I have. I just dont care for the schwinn site anymore.
Mark
) I'll never pay those prices. If I find one cheap or better yet free, I'll jump all over it but until then I'll build with what I have. I just dont care for the schwinn site anymore. Mark
the quality of the Schwinn site is the same as the bikes they produce today.
its not run by the people its run by a corporation
as for quality of the bikes.... most prewar ww2 bikes were all of the same quality
and after the others started slacking. there are other brands besides schwinn that held on to thier quality raliegh for one. Schwinn is an american Icon. like many others when I was a kid I had a cheaper bike (coast to coast) and wished I had the Schwinn Pea Picker my best friend had.I have owned 100s of bikes since 1999. most vintage and there is no doubt in my mind a vintage Schwinn survives the test of time much better than its murray counterpart.
I love them all but my favorites have been based on Schwinn frames
its not run by the people its run by a corporation
as for quality of the bikes.... most prewar ww2 bikes were all of the same quality
and after the others started slacking. there are other brands besides schwinn that held on to thier quality raliegh for one. Schwinn is an american Icon. like many others when I was a kid I had a cheaper bike (coast to coast) and wished I had the Schwinn Pea Picker my best friend had.I have owned 100s of bikes since 1999. most vintage and there is no doubt in my mind a vintage Schwinn survives the test of time much better than its murray counterpart.
I love them all but my favorites have been based on Schwinn frames
Hooch said:
Same here.
Wow, I'm gone for a day and look at what I missed! I think the key word that I found in the entire conversation so far that would justify the big bucks is the following: "American Icon". I guess that the people who put together those bikes in Chicago way back did a great job and had no clue that those bikes would be praised beyond the year 2000 when we would all be driving flying cars. I'm not a member of the Schwinn site because it's not my thing, but I feel as if some hardcore collectors and fans still have a hope that things will go back to where they were back in the day. Sad to say but it won't happen, Schwinn is a division of a division that is owned by Dorel (ironically based here in Montreal) and the best that can be done is to save whatever can be saved to preserve those great times and bikes. my 2 cents BTW, I'll never drop more than a few $100 for a bike.
xddorox said:I think the key word that I found in the entire conversation so far that would justify the big bucks is the following: "American Icon"..........Sad to say but it won't happen, Schwinn is a division of a division that is owned by Dorel (ironically based here in Montreal) .
So are they a Canadian Icon now?..........Just Kidding hahaha.
All aside to each his own. I like them all and any old ones you dont' like send them my way.
Clancy
Funny you would mention that cman but Schwinns are now sold in Canadian Tire stores. Now that store IS a Canadian icon. They've replaced CCM bikes that were also Canadian icons. But like the Schwinn of yesteryears, CCM bikes are not what they used to be even though they are still made in Canada. Now that I think about it, do they still exist? Kev, any idea?
