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A Nod to the Man Who Changed It All [History of the Schwinn Sting Ray (bicycle): 1963-]
BikeMag.com ^ | November 19, 2013 | Vernon Felton

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.


TOPICS: Chit/Chat; Hobbies
KEYWORDS: schwinn; stingray
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To: lgjhn23

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.


61 posted on 11/18/2018 12:07:59 PM PST by ifinnegan (Democrats kill babies and harvest their organs to sell)
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To: ifinnegan

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.


62 posted on 11/18/2018 12:09:40 PM PST by bleach (If I agreed with you, we would both be wrong.)
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To: ETL

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


63 posted on 11/18/2018 12:10:56 PM PST by hardspunned
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To: ETL

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=


64 posted on 11/18/2018 12:11:28 PM PST by chalkfarmer
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To: ASOC
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.

Related image

65 posted on 11/18/2018 12:14:02 PM PST by ETL (Obama-Hillary, REAL Russia collusion! Uranium-One Deal, Missile Defense, Iran Deal, Nukes: Click ETL)
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To: ETL

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


66 posted on 11/18/2018 12:15:48 PM PST by Disambiguator (Keepin' it analog.)
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To: ASOC
Image result for custom chopper bicycles

Image result for custom chopper bicycles

Related image

67 posted on 11/18/2018 12:16:57 PM PST by ETL (Obama-Hillary, REAL Russia collusion! Uranium-One Deal, Missile Defense, Iran Deal, Nukes: Click ETL)
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To: ifinnegan
Also the "Fair Lady" version of the Sting Ray was for girls. My sister had one and loved that bike. Then it got stolen.


68 posted on 11/18/2018 12:18:31 PM PST by bigbob (Trust Trump. Trust the Plan.)
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To: lgjhn23

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.


69 posted on 11/18/2018 12:18:47 PM PST by Big Red Badger (Despised by the Despicable!)
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To: UCANSEE2

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.


70 posted on 11/18/2018 12:19:38 PM PST by rightwingcrazy
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To: ETL

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.


71 posted on 11/18/2018 12:21:40 PM PST by dwg2
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To: ETL

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.


72 posted on 11/18/2018 12:21:48 PM PST by ColdOne ((I miss my poochie... Tasha 2000~3/14/11~ Best Election Ever!)
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To: All
Vista "Banana"

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

Related image

73 posted on 11/18/2018 12:24:32 PM PST by ETL (Obama-Hillary, REAL Russia collusion! Uranium-One Deal, Missile Defense, Iran Deal, Nukes: Click ETL)
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To: Attention Surplus Disorder
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.


74 posted on 11/18/2018 12:26:21 PM PST by ProtectOurFreedom
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To: C210N; ifinnegan
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.

Image result for stingray girls bicycles

Image result for stingray girls bicycles

75 posted on 11/18/2018 12:36:40 PM PST by ETL (Obama-Hillary, REAL Russia collusion! Uranium-One Deal, Missile Defense, Iran Deal, Nukes: Click ETL)
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To: C210N; ifinnegan
Image result for stingray girls bicycles
76 posted on 11/18/2018 12:37:50 PM PST by ETL (Obama-Hillary, REAL Russia collusion! Uranium-One Deal, Missile Defense, Iran Deal, Nukes: Click ETL)
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To: All
I was almost too embarrassed (for him) to post this...

A little old for this sort of thing, IMO.

Related image

Nice job on the bike, though.

77 posted on 11/18/2018 12:40:45 PM PST by ETL (Obama-Hillary, REAL Russia collusion! Uranium-One Deal, Missile Defense, Iran Deal, Nukes: Click ETL)
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To: dwg2

Anyone remember the AMF Aero Bee?


78 posted on 11/18/2018 12:48:34 PM PST by JZelle
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To: All
Image result for stingray Monark Tigrão bicycles
79 posted on 11/18/2018 12:55:25 PM PST by ETL (Obama-Hillary, REAL Russia collusion! Uranium-One Deal, Missile Defense, Iran Deal, Nukes: Click ETL)
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To: All
"Monark TIGRÃO tigre 1973 "

Image result for stingray Monark Tigrão bicycles

80 posted on 11/18/2018 12:56:57 PM PST by ETL (Obama-Hillary, REAL Russia collusion! Uranium-One Deal, Missile Defense, Iran Deal, Nukes: Click ETL)
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