Posted on 11/18/2018 10:53:43 AM PST by ETL
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.
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 didnt 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.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.