Most Schwinn bikes will feature a head badge or plate that identifies them as a Schwinn. This badge varied in style, depending on the style of bike and the year it was made. However, if you see the Schwinn name on the badge, it's probably a Schwinn bike. The manufacturer distributed unbranded or rebranded bikes through other companies, especially prior to the 1950s. I soon found a road bike that really got me excited (no splatter – 3 color fade instead) and I began to ride almost every day. I was hooked and I soon found myself wearing tight Lycra clothing and hideous Oakley sunglasses. As I pondered being out in the woods in my birthday suit, I saw wheels…Two of them in a store window. As a result, Schwinns became increasingly dated in both styling and technology. By 1957, the Paramount series, once a premier racing bicycle, had atrophied from a lack of attention and modernization. Aside from some new frame lug designs, the designs, methods and tooling were the same as had been used in the 1930s. Hall of Famer, Joe Breeze, used the 1937 Schwinn Excelsior’s geometry in designing his first mountain bike frames in 1977. IGNAZ SCHWINN was born in the little town of Hardheim, province of Baden, Germany. The second of seven children, his father died when he was eleven and Ignaz was sent to vocational school. An intense interest in the high-wheeled “ordinary” bicycle of his day, led him from town to town working on bicycles and bicycle parts whenever he found the opportunity. In time, he came to work in the machine shop of Heinrich Kleyer, who soon employed him as a designer & works manager for the Kleyer factory. Kleyer manufactured some of the first “safety” bicycles in Germany. The rear suspension does not add a significant amount of weight, and the Traxion weighs about the same as the motorized Schwinn Ridgewood. While Schwinn offers this bike in four sizes (including extra large for riders up to six-and-a-half feet tall), the geometry—seat tube and head tube angles—does not scale with size. This may affect comfort and handling for very short or very tall riders. However, the Schwinn Mesa 2 is still a fine choice as an entry-level mountain bike for most riders. Chicago became the center of the American bicycle industry, with thirty factories turning out thousands of bikes every day. Bicycle output in the United States grew to over a million units per year by the turn of the 20th century. If you're interested in purchasing an antique or vintage bicycle made by this iconic company, you'll have plenty of options.