RELATED INFORMATION:
Ingaz Schwinn Biography   from The Great Idea Finder
History of Toys and Games   from The Great Idea Finder

ON THE BOOKSHELF:
Toys!: Amazing Stories Behind Some Great Inventions
by Don L. Wulffson, Laurie Keller  / Hardcover - 128 pages  / Henry Holt & Company (2000)
The quirky tales behind more than two dozen novelties, gadgets and games, from seesaws to Silly Putty and toy soldiers to Trivial Pursuit.
Schwinn Bicycles
by Jay Pridmore, Jim Hurd / Paperback: 160 pages / Motorbooks International (January 2002)
German immigrant Ignaz Schwinn launched the company that bears his name in 1895 and set the bicycling standard in the U.S. for decades.
Schwinn Sting-Ray (Limited Availability)
by Liz Fried / Paperback: 96 pages / Van der Plas Publications (August 1997)
This book contains every thing there is to know about the Sting ray. Great pics. and excellent reading. Liz was the Vice Prez. of Schwinn when he developed the sting ray.
No Hands: The Rise and Fall of the Schwinn Bicycle Company: An American Institution (Limited Availability)
by Judith Crown, Glenn Coleman (Contributor) / Hardcover: 350 pages(October 1996)
Schwinn Bicycle Co., which owned the children's market, failed to grasp the transformation and tumbled from dominance to bankruptcy.
The Birth of Dirt: Origins of Mountain Biking
by Frank J. Berto, Wende Cragg, Erik Koski / Paperback: 128 pages / Van Der Plas Pubns (1998)
This book traces the origins of mountain biking and the invention and development of the mountain bike. Illustrated with many original photographs and other period documents, it is based on interviews with all the early riders and builders of the first mountain bikes.

ON THE WEB:
Schwinn Bike
Official Web site of Schwinn Bicycle. Heritage of their product evolution and a section where you can buy bikes and parts.
(URL: www.schwinnbike.com/heritage/index.php)
Schwinn Bicycle Company Timeline
Over 100 Years of Schwinn
(URL: www.schwinnbike.com/heritage/timeline.php)
Fun on Wheels
From the Chicago Historical Society the birthplace of Schwinn bikes.
(URL: www.chicagohs.org)
Motor Bike Hall of Fame
For over fifty years a new American safety bicycle was pioneered, engineered and improved to the high place of the standards set by the Schwinn Built Bicycle. Ignaz was also involved in pioneer development of the automobile and he loved the motorcycle. After founding the Excelsior Motor Manufacturing Company in 1913, he created the Schwinn De Luxe Henderson and Excelsior motorcycles.
(URL: www.mtnbikehalloffame.com/inductees.cfm?page=99&mID=56)
Schwinn Family Bicycle Collection Sale
It truly was the end of an era on the afternoon of April 6, 1997 when the last vestiges of the Schwinn family bicycle collection went on the block at Leslie Hindman Auctioneers in Chicago, Illinois. Article by Lori Gray
(URL: www.maineantiquedigest.com/articles/schw797.htm )
Schwinn Sting-Ray
Web site dedicated to the Schwinn Sting-Ray bicycle
(URL: www.schwinnstingray.com/pr_schwinn_history.html) .
Bicycle Helmet Safety Institute
A good site for learing the hows and whys of bike safety, not just bike helmets>
(URL: www.bhsi.org)

DID YOU KNOW?

• In 1896 there are 300 bicycle companies in the US (101 in Chicago, alone).
• Bicycles ranged in price from $100 to $125 and in weight from 19 to 24 pounds!
• In 1892 a racing bicycle cost $150 ($27,450 in today's dollars).
• Built-in kickstands and new styled drop-outs developed during the World War II, now improve post-war bikes
• Schwinn's bankruptcy and buy-out in 1993, which Schwinn's web site describes quite succinctly: "1993. Schwinn files for bankruptcy. New management takes over. We fell, we got up. End of apology."