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.
Thanks. I’d only known of the lil miss because my sister had one.
Got it in kindergarten.
Didn’t know of the Fair Lady (or had forgot) until today.
Even the shifter (post 76) is standing at attention.
zi loved the fact that the factory slick screamed like a skidding car when you locked it up.
The Schwinn Fair Lady
The original Schwinn Fair Lady was made between 1964 to 1985. This page provides year by year images and information quoted from Schwinn catalogs.
You can’t help but smile seeing the old styles of clothing.
Here is how Schwinn described the Fair Lady bicycle...
https://bikehistory.org/bikes/fairlady/
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Home page:
https://bikehistory.org/bikes/
From the site I just recommended...
The Krates took over the bike world in 1968.
They were without question the coolest bike on the block. Schwinn Krates were made between 1968 and 1973.
The first year they came out with just three: The Orange Krate, Apple Krate and the Lemon Peeler.
Due to their enourmous success, more models were introduced and some amazing accessories were added every year.
Scroll down to see how Schwinn represented these bikes in their catalogs for each year [See link below].
https://bikehistory.org/bikes/krates/
Fantastic source. Thanks.
We were too poor for a Schwinn, so I had a one speed Murray.
A buddy of mine’s father-in-law made a living in Pennsylvania selling Grit subscriptions
and retired to Florida in the ‘70s.
Charlie is going to celebrate his 90th next spring with a trip back to seesee all his old friends!
Er, Charlie retired in his 70s, lol.
Still has a full head of hair and his teeth.
Take a lotta banana to seat them there wild gals!
Nope, just a simple one speed with no shifter.
I’m surprised no one has mentioned the convergence of the Sting Ray bike and Evel Knievel. We jumped our bikes (or often, failed to with spectacular results) off of ramps we built all the time, inspired by Evel Knievel. Every kid I knew used their Sting Rays or Sting Ray lookalikes to pretend to be Evel.
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