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Volume 32 No. 9 MAY 2019 www.antiqueshoppefl.com TAKE ONE

Schwinn Bicycles of 1960

By Larry LeMasters Panther II, which I used to carry and deliver the Sun Newspaper

LeMasters’ Antique News Service each Thursday in Omaha. Later, I stated delivering the Omaha
May is National Bike Month, which includes National World Herald, a daily, and my trusted Schwinn helped everyday.
Bike to Work Day on May 17th. In the last 20 The Panther II’s design helped paperboys carry their heavy loads
years, bicycle commuters have grown more since the bike featured two carriers, over the front fender and one
than 62% in America, but no matter how many over the rear fender. During the 1960s, Schwinn,
people commute on a bicycle today, it seems more than any other bicycle, helped paperboys
impossible that bicycle riding will ever reach deliver newspapers.
the level it did in the 1950s and ‘60s when The decade of the 1950s was a banner 10
every child rode a bicycle nearly everywhere years for Schwinn. The company aggressively
they went. Baby Boomers grew up wanting sought to expand its market share, and by
bicycles, and the bike that nearly everyone wanted 1960 Schwinn held a 25% market share of
was a Schwinn. In fact, in 1950, one in every four an annual 4.4 million-unit industry. Even
bicycles sold was a Schwinn. with an influx of foreign bicycles, including
Ignaz Schwinn, a German-born mechanical engineer, founded Arnold, less expensive, made in Japan bicycles,
Schwinn & Company in 1895. Schwinn founded his company just as the bicycle Schwinn held its market place through the mid-
craze in America took off. 1960s. English racing bikes became a bicycle fad
Chicago quickly became the center of the American bicycle industry throughout the 1950s, but the bread and butter bicycle for Schwinn remained a
with, by 1900, 30 bicycle companies manufacturing over 1 million bicycles boy’s bicycle, proving the 1950s a time of growth and family in America. And
a year. nothing spelled America better than a young paperboy on a Schwinn.
Sadly, this bicycle boom was short lived. By 1905 the advent of the Throughout the 1960s, Schwinn worked to retain its dominance in the youth
automobile caused bicycle production to fall to 250,000 bicycles per year, a bicycle market. Schwinn, as early as 1958, was a regular sponsor and advertiser
75% decline. on television, especially Captain Kangaroo.
By 1930, the stock market crash destroyed the American economy, including Each show, Captain Kangaroo himself would tell children,
the bicycle industry. Ignaz Schwinn retired, and his son, Frank “F.W.” “Schwinn bikes—the quality bikes—are best,” insisting that
Schwinn took over as president and took on the job of saving Schwinn. children buy Schwinn bicycles. The on-air marketing
In 1933, Schwinn introduced the Schwinn B-10E Motorbike, which was a scheme of Schwinn was so successful, in 1971 the Federal
boy’s bicycle designed to imitate a motorcycle. Trade Commission recommended Schwinn stop selling its
In 1934, Schwinn renamed the B-10E the “Aerocycle,” and bicycles using the show’s star, Captain Kangaroo, as its
the Aerocycle helped save Arnold, Schwinn & Company spokesperson. Captain Kangaroo stopped
during the Depression. pitching Schwinn bicycles, but the show added
The Aerocycle had balloon tires (made by a new character called “Mr. Schwinn
American Rubber Company), an imitation Dealer,” who heralded Schwinn bicycles
gas tank, a streamlined chrome-plated to children for several years.
headlight with a push-button bicycle bell, Continued on Page 3
and, by the mid-1930s, the Aerocycle
became known as the “paperboy bike.” Schwinns Shown: Above-Beautiful Schwinn
The Aerocycle was not the only Schwinn Jaguar Deluxe from 1960 that sold for $575 in
bicycle used as a paperboy bike though. In 2015. Below-Schwinn Tiger cruiser bicycle from
1960, my parents bought me a new Schwinn 1960 is valued at $700.

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