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
SignificanceThe 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 BuilderSchwinn Bicycle Company 1 FAQs
Why did the Schwinn Sting-Ray look like a motorcycle?
It copied the motorcycle-style bicycles that California kids were building for themselves.
Schwinn introduced the Sting-Ray in 1963 after the company realized that kids in California had been customizing their bicycles to look like motorcycles. Those home-made bikes had 20-inch wheels, elongated seats, rear sissy bars and ape hanger handlebars. Al Fritz of Schwinn recommended the Sting-Ray as a way to copy the style the California kids wanted, and it went on to become the bestselling bicycle in Schwinn's history.
Connections
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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