mike

I agree with adding the Varsity if only because it was such an icon of it's day - and the most mass-produced bicycle in the history of bicycles with over a million Varsity being produced every year during it's heyday.

However, from a truly "American" perspective, the Varsity has some holes. It was truly a European design - so much so that the original Schwinn road bikes were imported from Europe as market testers before Schwinn started manufacturing in the USA.

I will give Schwinn credit for Americanizing the European road bike when they designed the Varsity and the Continental. Both were very reliable and intelligently designed for the American kid who had little knowledge of bicycle finesse that would have been required to keep a delicate european hand-made machine on the road.

With stylish disregard for weight concerns, Schwinn drizzled the Varsity and the Continental with rich shiny chrome from the handlebars to the hubs. Luscious paint glammed up nearly indestructable gas-pipe steel frames with welded (not brazed) tube joints.

Built in kick stands held the bikes up with solid posture so the owner did not have to lay his Schwinn flat on the ground like a dead horse.

In this regard, the Varsity and the Continental were America's response to the European racing bicycle. The message seemed to be "Americans don't have to be fast when you look this good. We get the chicks and in the end, we cross the finish line first anyway..."