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Schwinn
The Schwinn Bicycle Company is an American company that develops, manufactures and markets bicycles under the eponymous brand name. The company was founded by Ignaz Schwinn (1860–1948) in Chicago in 1895, and in the 20th century became the dominant manufacturer of American bicycles. Schwinn first declared bankruptcy in 1992 and was restructured. In 2001 Schwinn again declared bankruptcy and was purchased by Pacific Cycle, now owned by the Dutch Conglomerate (company), conglomerate, Pon Holdings. History Founding of Schwinn Ignaz Schwinn was born in Hardheim, Baden, Germany, in 1860 and worked on two-wheeled ancestors of the modern bicycle that appeared in 19th century Europe. Schwinn emigrated to the United States in 1891. In 1895, with the financial backing of fellow German American Adolph Frederick William Arnold (a meat packing, meat packer), he founded Arnold, Schwinn & Company. Schwinn's new company coincided with a sudden bicycle craze in America. Chicago became the ce ...
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Cruiser Bicycle
A cruiser bicycle, also known as a beach cruiser or (formerly) motobike, is a bicycle that usually combines balloon tires, an upright seating posture, a single-speed bicycle, single-speed drivetrain, and straightforward bicycle frame#Frame materials, steel construction with expressive styling. Cruisers are popular among casual bicyclists and vacationers because they are very stable and easy to ride, but their heavy weight and balloon tires tend to make them rather slow. Another common feature is their ability to be customized with accessories including fenders, lights and saddle bags. They are designed for use primarily on paved roads, low speeds/distances, and are included in the non-racing/non-touring class and heavyweight or middleweight styles of the road bicycle type. The bikes, noted for their durability and heavy weight, were the most popular bicycle in the United States from the early 1930s through the 1950s, and have enjoyed renewed popularity since the late 1990s. ...
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Schwinn Paramount
The Schwinn Paramount was a high-end racing bicycle produced under the Schwinn Bicycle Company brand from 1938 through 2009. Racing roots In the 1930s, Schwinn sponsored a bicycle racing team headed by Emil Wastyn, who designed the team bikes, and the company competed in six-day racing across the United States with riders such as Jerry Rodman and Russell Allen. In 1938, Frank W. Schwinn officially introduced the ''Paramount'' series. Developed from experiences gained in racing, Schwinn established ''Paramount'' as their answer to high-end, professional competition bicycles. The ''Paramount'' used high-strength chrome-molybdenum steel alloy tubing and expensive brass lug-brazed construction. During the next twenty years, most of the ''Paramount'' bikes would be built in limited numbers at a small frame shop headed by Wastyn, in spite of Schwinn's continued efforts to bring all frame production into the factory. On 17 May 1941, Alfred Letourneur was able to beat the motor-paced ...
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Ignaz Schwinn
Ignaz Schwinn (April 1, 1860 – August 31, 1948) was a German-American bicycle designer, who co-founded, and eventually owned, the Schwinn Bicycle Company. He was born in the town of Hardheim, Grand Duchy of Baden, in 1860. In his early years, he completed a mechanical apprenticeship, then he became an itinerant bicycle repairman.L Lee (1999) ''The Name's Familiar'', Pelican Publishing Company. Schwinn reportedly had a dispute with an early partner in Germany over brake designs and sought his fortune abroad.Richard Schwinn sourced froA Look Back: Who was Ignaz Schwinn?. He arrived in Chicago in 1891 and, by 1895 had teamed with German immigrant Adolph Arnold to found Arnold, Schwinn, and Company.D Kindersley (2016) ''Bicycle: The Definitive Visual history'', Penguin Random House. In 1908, Schwinn bought Arnold's interest, becoming sole owner. Ignaz Schwinn maintained the original company name and ran operations through World War II. After this his son Frank succeeded him, the nam ...
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Henderson Motorcycle
Henderson was a manufacturer of in-line 4-cylinder motorcycles from 1912 until 1931. They were the largest and fastest motorcycles of their time, and appealed to both sport riders and police departments. Police favored them for traffic patrol because they were faster than anything else on the roads. The company began during the golden age of motorcycling, and ended during the Great Depression. Henderson Motorcycle Co. The founders: William and Tom Henderson In 1911 the American Henderson Motorcycle Co, 268 Jefferson Ave., Detroit, Michigan, was formed by William G. Henderson in partnership with his brother Tom W. Henderson. Will had the ideas and enthusiasm for motorcycling, and Tom had the better financial acumen. The brothers were inducted to the Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 1998. 1911 prototype The Henderson brothers constructed a single prototype motorcycle during 1911. The prototype had the belt drive typical of the times, but this was changed to chain drive for production ...
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Pacific Cycle
Pacific Cycle, Inc., is an American subsidiary of Dutch conglomerate Pon Holdings that makes, imports and distributes bicycles. It was founded in 1977 by Chris Hornung. The company pioneered the sourcing of bicycles from the Far East for distribution in the U.S., developing relationships with suppliers primarily in Taiwan and China. Pacific later bought several American subsidiaries with well-known American bicycle brands, with some manufacturing in the United States, including Roadmaster, Schwinn, and GT, as well as diversifying into bicycle accessories and other types of children's play equipment. Pacific Cycle sells more bicycles than any other company in North America and is one of the most prolific bicycle suppliers in the world. In 2006, Chris Hornung left Pacific Cycle leaving President Jeff Frehner in control. Alice Tillett has been the President of Pacific Cycle since 2008. The company headquarters is located in Madison, Wisconsin, with a corporate branch office in ...
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Excelsior Motor Manufacturing & Supply Company
Excelsior Motor Manufacturing & Supply Company was an American motorcycle manufacturer operating in Chicago from 1907 to 1931. It was purchased by Ignaz Schwinn, proprietor of bicycle manufacturer Arnold, Schwinn & Co. in 1912. In 1912, an Excelsior was the first motorcycle to be officially timed at a speed of 100 mph. The Henderson Motorcycle Company became a division of Excelsior when Schwinn purchased Henderson in 1917. By 1928, Excelsior was in third place in the U.S. motorcycle market behind Indian and Harley-Davidson. The Great Depression convinced Schwinn to order Excelsior's operations to cease in September 1931. Excelsior BigX The mainstay of Excelsior production through the 1910s and into the 1920s was the Model BigX. This had an inlet-over-exhaust v-twin engine, first with belt drive then with 2 speed and then 3 speed gearbox. Colors were grey with red panels in the early teens, the 'Military Model' of the late teens was in khaki (a green-brown shade) and ...
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Pon Holdings
Pon Holdings BV is a Dutch conglomerate in the transportation sector. It is one of the five largest bicycle manufacturers in the world, and owns bicycle brands Caloi, Cannondale, Cervélo, Derby Cycle (owner of Focus), GT, Gazelle, IronHorse, Kalkhoff, Mongoose, Santa Cruz, Urban Arrow (cargo bikes), Veloretti, and Schwinn, among others. The company was founded in 1980 by Ben Pon, Jr., a former racing car driver and son of Ben Pon Sr., who became the importer of Volkswagen in the Netherlands in 1947. it is still owned by the Pon family. Activities Cycling Pon owns Cervélo, Focus & Kalkhoff Holding (owner of Focus Bikes), Dorel Sports (parent company of Cannondale, Schwinn, GT Bicycles, Mongoose, Caloi, and IronHorse), Gazelle, Kalkhoff, Union, Santa Cruz Bicycles (owner of Reserve Wheels), Swapfiets, Veloretti, Urban Arrow, Lease-a-Bike, and others. History *1986: Takeover importership of SEAT *1988: Takeover of Transmark Groep, Motrac (Linde ...
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Bicycle Tire
A bicycle tire is a tire that fits on the Bicycle wheel, wheel of a bicycle or similar vehicle. These tires may also be used on tricycles, wheelchairs, and handcycles, frequently for Wheelchair racing, racing. Bicycle tires provide an important source of Bicycle suspension, suspension, generate the lateral forces necessary for Bicycle and motorcycle dynamics#Balance, balancing and Bicycle and motorcycle dynamics#Turning, turning, and generate the longitudinal forces necessary for Vehicle propulsion, propulsion and Bicycle brake systems, braking. Although the use of a pneumatic tire greatly reduces rolling resistance compared to the use of a rigid wheel or solid tire, the tires are still typically the second largest source, after Drag (physics), wind resistance (air drag), of power consumption on a level road. The modern detachable pneumatic bicycle tire contributed to the popularity and eventual dominance of the safety bicycle. Bicycle tires are also used on unicycles, tricyc ...
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Alfred Letourneur
Alfred Letourneur (born 25 July 1907 in Amiens, France and died 4 January 1975 in New York City) was a French professional cyclist. He is known for setting the motor-paced world speed record. He was professional cyclist from 1928 to 1942. His nickname was "le diable rouge". Achievements From 1930 to 1938 he reached 20 victories on the "six-day racing" races in the United States and Canada. He also had 4 victories in National Championship, United States, in years 1932, 1933, 1934 and 1935. On 22 October 1938, Alfred Letourneur was able to beat the motor-paced world speed record on a bicycle, reaching 147.058 km/h at a velodrome in Montlhéry, France, riding behind a motorbike. On 17 May 1941 he broke the record again, reaching 175.29 km/h (108.92 mph) on a Schwinn bicycle riding behind a specially equipped midget racer, on old highway 99 near Bakersfield, California. In 1947, in Van Nuys, California he towed a long Airstream trailer with his bicycle as a publ ...
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Russell Allen (cyclist)
Russell D. Allen (March 10, 1913 – April 2, 2012) was an American cycle sport, cyclist who competed at the 1932 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. There he placed fifth in the Cycling at the 1932 Summer Olympics, Men's Team Pursuit, 4,000 metres event alongside teammates Eddie Testa, Ruggero Berti and Harold Ade. Born in Orwell, Ohio, his family moved around several times during his childhood, until they settled in California, where his father died. He was athletically active throughout school and took up an interest in cycling during his junior year of high school. After competing at the 1932 Olympics, he raced professionally until World War II. Allen served as an officer and teacher during the war and found work as an automobile salesman afterwards. He also volunteered at the 1984 Summer Olympics and remained athletically active into his 90s. From 2006 until his death he was the oldest living American Olympic cyclist. Early life Allen was born in Orwell, Ohio, the son of a b ...
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Cycling Records
Certified and recognized cycling records are those verified by the Union Cycliste Internationale, International Human Powered Vehicle Association and World Human Powered Vehicle Association, Guinness World Records, International Olympic Committee, World UltraCycling Association (formerly Ultra Marathon Cycling Association), the UK Road Records Association or other accepted authorities. Most records have been completed under special rules and circumstances, such as being Motor-paced racing, motor-paced, on terrain advantageous for speed (such as downhill or low-friction surfaces), using a bicycle with one gear (for example, single-speed bicycles) or using highly aerodynamic cycles (for example, recumbent bicycles). As cycling is a diverse activity with vast differences between equipment, disciplines, and terrain, there is no one record that can popularly be considered a benchmark for “fastest cyclist”. The hour record is generally considered the most prestigious, due to its long ...
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Chicago
Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of United States cities by population, third-most populous city in the United States after New York City and Los Angeles. As the county seat, seat of Cook County, Illinois, Cook County, the List of the most populous counties in the United States, second-most populous county in the U.S., Chicago is the center of the Chicago metropolitan area, often colloquially called "Chicagoland" and home to 9.6 million residents. Located on the shore of Lake Michigan, Chicago was incorporated as a city in 1837 near a Chicago Portage, portage between the Great Lakes and the Mississippi River, Mississippi River watershed. It grew rapidly in the mid-19th century. In 1871, the Great Chicago Fire destroyed several square miles and left more than 100,000 homeless, but ...
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