View Single Post
Old 02-18-06 | 03:35 PM
  #8  
jacksbike
Senior Member
 
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 1,418
Likes: 12
From: New Haven, CT area

Bikes: Trek 7.5 Hybrid, Trek 1.1 Road, Holdsworth touring,Raleigh International,Ritchey Commando,Italvega Speciallissimo,et.al.

This sounds like a very interesting book. My Dad sold Schwinn bikes from about 1958 until about 1979. During that time he was very happy to be selling a top name brand bike. I find it amazing how fast the company fell apart and went into bankruptcy. They just did not adapt quickly enough to the onslaught of lightweight Japanese and Euopean bikes . It began to get very difficult to retail a 39 pound Schwinn Varsity road bike when our competitor down the street was selling 28 pound Motobecanes. Customers recognized the weight difference in a jiffy and started going for the lighter bikes. Raleighs, Fujis, Atalas, Motos, etc. began to look a lot better compared to these heavy monsters that SChwinn was selling. They did begin to import Panasonic made LeTours, Voyagers, etc. but I guess they just did not move fast enough against the competition. My beloved Dad would be spinning in his grave if he knew that my local Wal-Mart was selling Schwinn bikes. Compared to the era that he was selling USA made Schwinn bikes, this would be like Cadillacs being sold by stand-alone top shelf car dealerships to going to being sold at BJ's Wholesale Club. I am surprised that the manufacturing venture that Schwinn began in Mississippi did not work out. Perhaps someone who has read the book can give me that info. Sound like a book that I would want to pick up.
jacksbike is offline