A Nod to the Man Who Changed It All [History of the Schwinn Sting Ray (bicycle): 1963-]

BikeMag.com ^ | November 19, 2013 | Vernon Felton

[ifinnegan]

That’s great.

I always saw the ads for selling Grit in Boy’s Life or other Kid’s publications.

But I never even saw a Grit in my life and knew no one who had.

It was almost mythical to me. I couldn’t imagine what it was like as a paper.

I did deliver Oakland Tribune, an afternoon paper, for a while.

It was great money.

I think my cousin is still wealthy (relatively speaking) to this day because of his diligence in his paper route and stinginess - ie he saved everything.

[bleach]

You could get the v-rroom motor separate. I had a paper-route so I only had a conventional bike with a huge basket on the front, but I had the motor. It was a morning route and the dogs would hear me coming.

[hardspunned]

Man that photo takes me back. 9 years old riding mine in the snow Christmas morning.

[chalkfarmer]

The logic goes like this: “If my customers are busting their asses to modify my product, wouldn’t it just be easier if I sold them what they wanted?”

https://www.google.com/aclk?sa=l&ai=DChcSEwijgfbh397eAhWEirMKHW9wApoYABAIGgJxbg&sig=AOD64_2_ge1-eUgpifNpxQulrlgySLIqeA&ctype=5&q=&ved=0ahUKEwjA-_Lh397eAhXoT98KHffkDaMQwzwIIA&adurl=

[ETL]

My custom bike was more like this one, only it had a chrome chopper fork, and was blue and lime gold metalflake with a white leather-like banana seat.

[Disambiguator]

Those frames look a lot like what is on some current recumbents.

[ETL]

[bigbob]

Also the "Fair Lady" version of the Sting Ray was for girls. My sister had one and loved that bike. Then it got stolen.

[Big Red Badger]

Kids these Days,,,Yup!
I delivered papers in San Bernardino
and had a Golf course in the middle
Of my route.
20 inch bikes,
Bags swinging off the Bars and
Getting just the right spin
Off those papers was an Art!
They real Milkmen back in those
Days and I was tempted to grab
Those cool bottles and take a
Swig now and then.

[rightwingcrazy]

Having mothers say “get out of the house and go play in the street”.

I didn’t have that problem. Almost all my waking memories from 63 to 68 are with my butt glued to that Stingray of mine. Explored the world with my buddies or on my own. Took absurd risks down 60 degree slopes or leaping over concrete canyons. I regretted outgrowing it.

[dwg2]

I had a blue Sting-Ray. I won it at the American Legion Post Christmas party where I grew up back around 1966 or 67. It was a great bike. Traded it in on a Schwinn Varsity when I got older. Lots of good memories.

[ColdOne]

Cool. I had a stingray bike with the sissy bar. Gold. I also had a nice, sweet yellow ten speed. It was one of those that was lightweight, you could pick it up with one hand, it was weightless. The rims came off with a lever. I forget what ever happened to it.

[ETL]

Vista "Banana"

Never heard of it, but one of the best looking bikes of the type I've seen.

[ProtectOurFreedom]

My Dad bought me a red 26 inch Schwinn coaster brake bike with the tank around 1960 or 1961. That thing WAS a TANK. I asked for an "English" 3-speed but that was denied as "too fragile." Having a single speed was torture - not geared low enough for going up hills and too high for blasting down hills. I remember thinking at the time the Stingray was introduced "what a dumb bike -- you can't use it for anything." Never did have (or want) one.

[ETL]

Based on the product’s early year marketing pictures, I suppose at first these were marketed solely to boys. I wonder if a/the girls line was meant as a late-life kicker for the product. Or, perhaps they never made a sting ray specifically-girls version.

[ETL]

[ETL]

I was almost too embarrassed (for him) to post this...

A little old for this sort of thing, IMO.

Nice job on the bike, though.

[JZelle]

Anyone remember the AMF Aero Bee?

[ETL]

[ETL]

"Monark TIGRÃO tigre 1973 "