They keep getting worse...
THE FRITZ FIFTY - LIMITED EDITION STING-RAY
- Thread starter Rat Rod
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Scribble said:should have been made in the U.S.A
+1 Back in the day we made the best stuff on Earth and lots of it ta boot!
The times, they are 'a chang'n...
Its bad enough every schlub on CL wants to turn the "S" in "Schwinn" into a dollar sign, now the people who own the name have to resort to it as well? Nobody has ever done anything with that name (post family sale) but associate it with inferior product! :x
We'll never see these in the wild... all the speculators who are sitting on BFKs, Walmarty OCC stingrays, and WCC Huffy choppers will gobble these up, and 'save' them in 'investment grade' condition. based on these photos, we aren't missing much.
I guess Mike and Frank will have to add "Fritz Fifty" to the flyer that they hand out when they're pickin' and grinnin'.
clerkkent said:
What people fail to realize is one basic fact...things that are made to be collectable will never be worthy long term investments. Why is a mint Krate worth so much today? Because back then, they were bikes and were rode hard and put away wet. Literally. The ones that survived are the oddity. If 99% of the original Krates were kept in a box and never used, there would be plenty of them around and demand would be low.
Save your money.
In a lot of ways, the market (as in we) are to blame. The BFK sold for 60ish dollars, had they been made here (to the previous standards), we would be looking at a price of about $200.00 and unquestionably unavailable at a Big Box Store. The economic concept of “affordability” is at least, in some measure, to blame. Sadly, the one’s most hurt by this are the dealers, most family owned, that are now selling a product that been indisputably compromised.
In short:
IT’S ALL YOUR FAULT! :wink:
In short:
IT’S ALL YOUR FAULT! :wink:
Re: the Fritz 50- Meh. I'd rather build one of those cheapie $40 frames you can get from the various chopper/lowrider firms on the internet. Which, as far as I can tell, is the same frame anyway....and you could build it piecemeal, exactly how you want it, for less money....
(of course, buying a real vintage musclebike is certainly better...)
Re: chrome Chicago Schwinns-- you might still be wrong, depending on how you define things.... Stings were available in Chrome, as were a few others. These were made in Chi-town, but by the Paramount division.... So, they weren't Paramounts insofar as that wasn't the model, but they were Paramount-made.
Re: Bikes and buying US-Made... Cycling offers as many options as any other industry (more than most that I can think of, besides food) in terms of domestically-produced goods. You just have to look, and be willing to spend. (In the case of Wald stuff, you don't even gotta spend :mrgreen: ). With the exception of some consumables like chains, tubes, tires, and goofy ish like reflectors, you can buy stuff made in the states.,,, Handlebars, grips, brake levers, stems, headsets, forks, frames, cranks, sprockets, SS freewheels, hubs, BBs, seatposts, saddles, rims, pedals, fenders, baskets....ALL made in the USA, current production, if you make the effort. (OK, yeah, so you're out of luck if you want anything beyond singlespeed, but whatever...) The point I'm trying to make is, it's not too late. You can support American bicycle manufacturers... it's just that most of us are too stingy to. (I, for one, am making an effort to have fewer bikes but with more domestic components....)
It's a shame that a once-great industry has dwindled so much, but it's no good crying about it. Put your money where your mouth is and make it happen. Otherwise, you must like the Chinese stuff, if you've decided to keep buying it. :shock:
(of course, buying a real vintage musclebike is certainly better...)
Re: chrome Chicago Schwinns-- you might still be wrong, depending on how you define things.... Stings were available in Chrome, as were a few others. These were made in Chi-town, but by the Paramount division.... So, they weren't Paramounts insofar as that wasn't the model, but they were Paramount-made.
Re: Bikes and buying US-Made... Cycling offers as many options as any other industry (more than most that I can think of, besides food) in terms of domestically-produced goods. You just have to look, and be willing to spend. (In the case of Wald stuff, you don't even gotta spend :mrgreen: ). With the exception of some consumables like chains, tubes, tires, and goofy ish like reflectors, you can buy stuff made in the states.,,, Handlebars, grips, brake levers, stems, headsets, forks, frames, cranks, sprockets, SS freewheels, hubs, BBs, seatposts, saddles, rims, pedals, fenders, baskets....ALL made in the USA, current production, if you make the effort. (OK, yeah, so you're out of luck if you want anything beyond singlespeed, but whatever...) The point I'm trying to make is, it's not too late. You can support American bicycle manufacturers... it's just that most of us are too stingy to. (I, for one, am making an effort to have fewer bikes but with more domestic components....)
It's a shame that a once-great industry has dwindled so much, but it's no good crying about it. Put your money where your mouth is and make it happen. Otherwise, you must like the Chinese stuff, if you've decided to keep buying it. :shock:
Not too long ago I think I went on one of my RANTS regarding prices that seem to be WAY WAY WAY too high on 99.9% of bikes out there..and seeing this thread makes me realize..YEP..im right. It's good to see people coming to their senses on this Bike. Now if we can get the movement going toward the rest of the bikes..we can all enjoy BIKEs for what they are meant for..which is riding..not STORING. No matter how original or how cool that FAKE barn find is,,the fact is,,it's a BIKE. 2 wheels..chain..paint ( we still have paint avail i hope everyone knows) decals that can STILL be bought for cheap. bearings are a dime a dozen...handle bars are even easier to find..so whats with the Schwinn Krate's having a $750 plus price tag on them??? They are not that RARE..and..when you do get them there is another $300 to put into it to get it looking decent.
So if this bike were to be sold for about $ 105 i'd buy one for the kid to tear up. I dont care if it is 1 or 500...wont be long it will be on Craigslist..listed for WAAAAAY to much like all the rest of the bikes..and it will remain with the owner because NO ONE PAYS THAT much for bikes. At least not here. If you want pure entertainment..check the Phoenix Craigslist sometime. Same ol bikes..month after month..for the same HIGH prices. NO ONE SELLS BIKES HERE. Guess thats why there are no SWAP meets and bikes events here..we are all holding on to our RARE BARN finds..yea..in the desert. ha ha :shock:
I have a Schwinn Hollywood for sale..$550..rare BARN FIND in Phoenix...I think Geronimo used to hide in this barn..makes the bike priceless..might even be his personal bike he rode to Circle K to get coffee in the mornings on the RES.
So if this bike were to be sold for about $ 105 i'd buy one for the kid to tear up. I dont care if it is 1 or 500...wont be long it will be on Craigslist..listed for WAAAAAY to much like all the rest of the bikes..and it will remain with the owner because NO ONE PAYS THAT much for bikes. At least not here. If you want pure entertainment..check the Phoenix Craigslist sometime. Same ol bikes..month after month..for the same HIGH prices. NO ONE SELLS BIKES HERE. Guess thats why there are no SWAP meets and bikes events here..we are all holding on to our RARE BARN finds..yea..in the desert. ha ha :shock:
I have a Schwinn Hollywood for sale..$550..rare BARN FIND in Phoenix...I think Geronimo used to hide in this barn..makes the bike priceless..might even be his personal bike he rode to Circle K to get coffee in the mornings on the RES.
If all the schwinn lovers and collectors want to honor al fritz they wont buy this chinese/taiwan crap.It pisses me off to go into k-mart or waa-mart and see a whole wall of schwinn quality parts and you turn the package over and see made in china or taiwan.
Glad im not the only one that thinks so....probably should post this in the CL section..but http://phoenix.craigslist.org/evl/bik/4130200961.html im sure it will be flagged shortly..but i saw this tonight..HILARIOUSLY true
I'm honoring Al in my own way.
viewtopic.php?f=82&t=77433
And I'm spending a lot more than $500 to do it too. :lol:
viewtopic.php?f=82&t=77433
And I'm spending a lot more than $500 to do it too. :lol:
- Joined
- Dec 17, 2012
- Messages
- 16
- Reaction score
- 14
Well I read all your post, checked out the photos, you all make good points, and I enjoyed your rants. I thought long and hard about this. I really like the looks of this bike, The Schwinn Stingray design is about the same age as me and I certainly had fun riding mine when I was growing up. Over the last couple of years I have enjoyed restoring quite a few Schwinn bikes and I think this one will make a great addition to my collection. My mom passed away from Alzheimer's and I really think its great that a portion of the proceeds will go towards a cure.
I stopped at my local Schwinn dealership today and put a down payment on a Fritz Fifty. The dealership had to make a few phone calls to get one on order so I don't think you will be seeing this bike at Kmart. Apparently there were 16 bikes allocated to the Ohio region and I got the last one. The guys at Fairview Cycle in Fairview Ohio are going to wait till I get there before opening the box. To sum it up, I am helping a good cause, supporting a local bike shop that has been in business since 1950, and adding to my collection.
All you haters can rip into me if you want, or I can post some photos of me taking delivery of the bike in early December. Let me know.
I stopped at my local Schwinn dealership today and put a down payment on a Fritz Fifty. The dealership had to make a few phone calls to get one on order so I don't think you will be seeing this bike at Kmart. Apparently there were 16 bikes allocated to the Ohio region and I got the last one. The guys at Fairview Cycle in Fairview Ohio are going to wait till I get there before opening the box. To sum it up, I am helping a good cause, supporting a local bike shop that has been in business since 1950, and adding to my collection.
All you haters can rip into me if you want, or I can post some photos of me taking delivery of the bike in early December. Let me know.
72convertibless454, while I personally wouldn't buy that bike, it seems to me like you're the right type of buyer, and you ordered it for the right reasons. I'm also glad you read this thread first; I don't know you or your bike maintenance procedures, but you can prolly stop the surface rust if you're proactive about it.
Enjoy the bike. Definitely post up some pics, too.
Enjoy the bike. Definitely post up some pics, too.
+1!Bicycle808 said:
Luke.
CCR
Mouth-Breather
72convertibless454 said:... or I can post some photos of me taking delivery of the bike in early December. Let me know.
Hey Mark, glad you chimed in and PLEASE, DO post pics !!! It is a cool bike, for a good cause, and for a legendary name with bicycle collectors. I think for a the majority of people here, the co$t is the biggest hurdle. Sounds like it's worth it you and that's all that really matters. I don't think anyone who digs muscle bikes will deny they'd like to see one being unboxed as well !!! Glad somebody is pulling the trigger
