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Schwinn Sting-Ray

Bicycles and Human-Powered Road Vehicles

The Schwinn Sting-Ray is a children's bicycle introduced by the American manufacturer Schwinn in 1963, styled after drag racing motorcycles with a banana shaped seat, high rise handlebars and a small front wheel. Its popularity created an entirely new category of bicycle, sometimes called the muscle bike, that other manufacturers quickly copied, and it is widely credited as an ancestor of the later BMX bicycle.

Facts
Year
1963 1
Significance
The Sting-Ray created a new category of youth bicycle, sometimes called the muscle bike, that other manufacturers quickly copied, and its sales boom accelerated through 1970 as United States bicycle sales doubled over two years. 1
Manufacturer or Builder
Schwinn Bicycle Company 1
Connections

Exemplifies

Cycling, Modes
Sources
1. Schwinn Sting-Ray, Wikipedia
  • Introduction section
    The result, a wheelie bike, was introduced to the public as the Schwinn Sting-Ray in June 1963.
  • Design section
    In 1962, Schwinn's designer Al Fritz heard about a new youth trend centered in California for retrofitting bicycles with the accoutrements of motorcycles customized in the "bobber" or "chopper" style.
  • Sales section
    The Sting-Ray sales boom of the 1960s accelerated in 1970, with United States bicycle sales doubling over a period of two years.
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