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...