Albert J. Fritz, former executive vice president of Schwinn bicycle
company. The man, the myth, the creator of the Sting-Ray.
Posted on 11/18/2018 10:53:43 AM PST by ETL
A Nod to the Man Who Changed It All
Al Fritz took a risk and created a bike that had a huge ripple effect ..."
After getting nearly taken out by a Japanese mortar in World War II, Al Fritz came home to the states and got a job at Schwinn as a welder. Fritz eventually worked his way off the floor and into management.
In the early 60s, word spread from Los Angeles that kids were modifying old Schwinn frames—bolting on Ape Hanger bars and adding other accouterments from early choppers.
Fritz made the kind of leap of logic which seems so obvious in retrospect, but is often overlooked at the time.
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?"
Thus, in 1963, Schwinn cranked out a run of Sting-Rays, despite the fact that no one at Schwinn, aside from Fritz, thought the homely children's chopper would be a success.
The Sting-Rays flew out of bike shops—46.630 of them at fifty bucks a pop. For comparison's sake, at the time the Sting-Ray debuted, Schwinn generally moved about 10,000 units of their best selling models each year.
Schwinn would have actually sold more Sting-Rays that first year, but they couldn't get enough 20-inch rubber tires from Uniroyal (their tire supplier) to slap on the things.
They rectified that problem in short order. Within two years Sting-Ray-esque bikes (other companies quickly followed Schwinn's lead) accounted for a staggering 60 percent of bike sales in the United States.
How many Schwinn Sting-Rays eventually wound up in people's homes? At the time of Fritz' passing, the LA Times reported that two million Sting-Rays were sold during the first five years of the bike's 15-year model run.
Millions and millions of the things prowled America’s cul de sacs and dirt lots. No matter how you slice it, it's a hell of a lot of banana seats and ape hangers.
None of this probably comes as a shock if you are anywhere between the ages of 30 and 60. If you fit within that demographic, you've probably ridden one of these things at some point in your life.
The ridiculously-easy-to-wheelie Sting-Ray also laid the foundation for BMX. As the sixties gave way to the `70s, modified Sting-Rays served as some of the first BMX bikes.
Clearly, it was only a matter of time before someone realized that there had to be a better mule for flogging on dirt, but still, when you look at a Sting-Ray, you're looking at the foundation for dirt riding.
A lot of those kids on Sting-Rays became BMX riders and, in short order, went on to become the first generation of mountain bikers.
From the Sting Ray to your mountain bike. Full circle…in a six degrees of Kevin Bacon kind of way.
Happy 50th to the Sting-Ray and a nod of respect to the recently-departed Al Fritz. You may not have met, much less known, Al Fritz, but the man had an impact on anyone who rides the dirt today.
Albert J. Fritz, former executive vice president of Schwinn bicycle
company. The man, the myth, the creator of the Sting-Ray.
"Blueberry Krate" (not sure if Schwinn actually produced this one)
"Pink Panther" Krate (may have been a special edition I think)
nice collection
Post one is the classic.
I still have one just like it except for a more gold banana seat in my garage.
The post two bikes are after the shark was jumped.
Hopefully Mable is checking out the bike.
WOW...so cooool it hurts.
A dear family friend bought me a Schwinn Tornado in about 1960. It was red. I CHERISHED that bike.
A few years later, I saved up enough money for the Stingray handlebars and a banana seat.
It was a larger version of the Stingray.
In my mind, anyway.
My brother inherited the bike, and trashed it.
I still miss my Schwinn Tornado.
Sting Rays, Skateboards, Hula Hoops, Frisbees, Slip’n’slides, Super Balls. Helped keep me in the streets growing up.
My dad gave me on of those. My paint job started out yellow and then slowy turned to red, like a flame job. My stepfather sold it, I am still a bit miffed at that. LOL!
“WOW...so cooool it hurts.”
And if you could do a really long wheelie on one, girls would faint.
I was ten years old when the Stingray bike debuted. I wanted one so bad, but my dad was an Army Major with seven kids, so that never happened.
I bought a new one for my youngest some years ago. Coolest bike I ever saw. He’s outgrown it now, so it’ll probably get passed down to one of my grandsons.
Mine didn’t have a shifter, and I rode it all over the place, circa1968
Thanks for posting, I had the Koal Krate, loved that bike. As a side note, crosdaddys business invented ‘stamped’ lugs and our first customer was Schwinn Bicycles ,Chicago.
,,,,lawn Darts.
I had a plain Ross stingray-type bike that I converted to a wild custom chopper. I repainted it 2-tone metalflake (blue and lime gold) with a heavy clearcoat. I bought a long chrome chopper fork at the local bike store and put that on. My father, being an auto upholsterer years ago, at my request, made me a white button-tuffed (fake)leather banana seat that climbed up the sissy bar.
I remember when those came out. I was in elementary school. Before then you had English 3-speeds and one-speed boys or girls Schwinns that were of some intermediate size with only difference the paint color. I had a red one, I think it was called a Tornado. Didn’t have the tins in between the top and intermediate bars. In a year, it seemed practically every kid on the planet had one of those Sting Rays.
“If my customers are busting their asses to modify my product, wouldn’t it just be easier if I sold them what they wanted?”
You cannot fault the logic.
Big Wheels, Lawn darts, Knockers and a boat load of fireworks.
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