Originally Posted by John E
Fortunately, I ride a REAL Schwinn. Given what subsequently happened to the company, I shall probably never buy a NEW Schwinn, but a red-white-and-blue late 1980s Paramount road bike would complement my mountain bike nicely.
Well, Schwinn fans could argue a long time over what is "a real Schwinn". I know that a bike built in the Chicago plant in the '70's is a "real Schwinn". I'd probably accept that a bike built during the '80's in their "let's hide from fair wages" factory in Mississippi is a real Schwinn.
But, after the Mississippi plant closed, Schwinn became a "decal" operation. They simply bought bikes made in Asia, and slapped decals on them. The small number of bikes built by Waterford when it was owned by Schwinn were probably the last "real" Schwinns. So, the last real Schwinn was the final bike to leave Waterford with the name "Schwinn" on its frame.