Schwinn Quality Features
 

They were an expensive bicycle, but you got the Best.
Heavy, Durable and last forever.

As this old sign points out ..... Quality.

Every component was of the highest standard including the paint.

The Stingrays were offered in these beautiful Flamboyant and Radiant colors.

They actually glowed because of the process used.
The final baked on enamel finish coat was lightly sprayed over the aluminum coat which caused the glow underneath the paint.

The Early model Stingrays
 

The mid 63 through 1965 are the most difficult to find in any condition, but an unmolested Survivor is next to impossible.
These early years used a short frame. Late ‘65 and newer used a longer frame.

Once I had my fill of the “Krates”, I moved on to searching out the coolest of the Rays.

It took many years to amass a line-up of Survivors.

There are No repaints or recovered seats in this collection.
Plus most all of them are still wearing their Original “dated” tires.

Here is an ad in the 1965 sales brochure showing an XKE in the background and a Sky Blue J39 next to a Flamboyant Lime J38.
I have these two examples in my collection.

My neighbor had two 1968 Krates; one Orange Krate and one Lemon Peeler. He had the colored slik for each of them. He is of the opinion that the original tires for the very early Krates were not slick tires but were knobby, treaded tires. (I think he's wrong)

Can you confirm my suspicions?

I had a blue Stingray Fastback in 1970 and it had a very narrow slick that did have a tread to it.

Schwinn Sliks
 

Hi Dave,

Sorry, but your neighbor is correct.

There were quite a variety of rear tires through the years on the Stingrays.

The very very early 1968 Krates came with a color line “knobby” rear tire.
Later in ‘68 they were fitted with a “gripper” slik which had a shallow cross tread that continued into 1969.

I found a few photos showing the color line knobby and the color line gripper.

PS, the three round circles with dots on the sidewall of the Orange line knobby tells its a first quarter of 1968 date code.

Also the Fastbacks came with a narrow slik or gripper style depending on the model.

Thanks, Chris.

I'd love to see your collection. I grew up with a Campus Green 1968 Stingray. Not a Crate, but a no fender Stingray with a mouse trap on the front to hold my books. It was 1.5 miles to school and I'd come home every day for lunch, so six miles per day on my Stingray for the last three years of grade school.

Here is our original owner Stingray. I think it is early to mid 70's vintage as I recall I got this around 1974? My brother then used it and it was passed around to other family friends through the 80's and 90's and returned to us around 2000. We cleaned it up for my son to start using around 2004-ish and brought it to the 2012 MCACN Muscle Bike feature the same year my Chevelle was in the Class of 1972 feature. Still original paint, chrome, and seat.

Here is a line-up shown on a postcard of New Schwinn bicycles at “John’s Cyclery” in West Virginia.

Many 1968 Apple Krates and Lemon Peelers out front.

My current line-up of early Survivors.

Me on my 1966 Violet Deluxe back in Illinois.
Moms 1967 Buick Wildcat.
Dads 1965 Mustang.

The good old days!

Wow

the kids

My Grand Parents purchased from Columbia Cycle Spokane Wa. Two Matching Schwinn 1968 Run-A-Bouts, Campus Green, Three on the tree.

Cooler Kids with banana Seats had WAY cooler bikes than our Huffy's and Green machines.

Cool white wall gripper slicks! and Rear fender rash. (White Walls LONG Gone)

Sunday, Monday, Happy Days, Tuesday,,,,,,,,

Still have both bikes, & they make Great Drag racing Pit Rides.

JIM

169indy,

Those bikes were the fold-up bike. Green and Brown colors.

Schwinn made them to fit in the trunk of the car.

Correct: Perfect for the School Kid or Retiree on the GO!

We broke the Neck Popping Wheelie's and damaged the rear fenders over and over, not to mention grabbing 2-1/2 gear on the move putting your teeth into your knee caps.

I'd LOVE to have something cool for a pit bike at the track, but I fear it would turn up missing when left unattended.

Plus - I wasn't a very good dad in the respect that my kids all had kinda crappy bikes. I'd feel bad about getting something really nice for myself at this point.

K

We Pit or Spectate in Groups! - Heck I am more worried about the Grill being unattended.

all in Good FUN

Bremerton Raceway.

JIM

1964 Schwinn Deluxe Sting-ray
 

Untouched Survivor with beautiful Factory Paint.

One of my favorite Sting-ray models and color.

Advertised as Violet or Radiant Violet, but the common term used is Opal Violet.

Opal Violet was only available for 10 months (April ‘64 through January’65).

The J39 Deluxe model featured some cool stuff.

A tufted solo polo seat made by Charlie PERSONS.
Large Stimsonite reflector.
Chrome fenders.
White Wall tires.
Reverse screen chain guard.

Below is my E4, May 25, 1964 Opal Deluxe.

The early Sting-rays came with the small upper bearing head set like this bike.
Also the chrome square back seat strut was not crimped at the two seat mount bolts.
Rear S-2 rim has the early 36 spokes.
Both tires are factory Original to this bike, dated 2nd 1/4 of ‘64.

Sold new out of DENO’S Bike Shop in Sacramento, Ca.

Chris

Nice Schwinn stuff Chris

It is interesting how Schwinn frames were used in the 1970's for home built BMX bikes and Mountain Bikes before you can buy a BMX or MTB bike.

After reading the book "Flat Tire Flyer" about the history of Mountain Biking , I built a 1953 Schwinn Hornet like the bike on the cover of the book.

I used mostly 1970s parts like they did for these early home built MTBs. Dirt motorcycle handle bars and levers, front drum brake, 1970s road bike parts, etc

I still need to get some 1970's style tires for it like on the book cover bike

Chris, that is one beautiful bike.

1965 Coppertone Deluxe Survivor
 

This is another favorite of mine.
It came out of the Chicago area and moved to my home in 2006.

EA68428 = May 26, 1965

Almost zero wear, mint factory paint and seat. Still wears it’s born with dated tires.
The “reverse screen” on the guard is very strong.

I really like the water slide decal on the top bar and the Dealer sticker on the seat post tube. Period Stuff.

Chris.

I love that bike. I wish you could find my old Schwann Stingray, it’s from the Chicago area, too.

Had that same bike, color and everything else when i lived in Franklin Park around the same time frame.

Inventory
 

I needed to take a look at my Stingray seat stash as I have a few guys inquiring.

It took me years to accumulate these NOS and Mint used seats.

These seats are just like the bikes they were intended for, beautiful.

PERSONS (Charlie Persons) Polo Seat that was intended for various bicycles in the very early 60’s.
This “Solo-Polo” seat became famous when Schwinn decided to use it on their first two years (63, 64) of the Stingray bicycle.

Charlie must have been thrilled when that happened, $$$$.

PERSONS-MAJESTIC MFG. went on to build a huge variety of seats for Schwinn and other brands over several decades.

This NOS Dark Red Polo Seat with seat strut in the box is a one of a kind.
The box is dated 1960, just as the letter describing this ultra rare seat.

Beautiful!!!

Love these :)

Dan

Since I was a kid we drove by this family’s bike shop. I never knew if it was even open. I saw this on marketplace and sounded like it sat in the store all it’s life. Seems high but thought some of you might want to see it

I love the warning, one rider, not two. I'd have one guy on the seat and one on the handlebars when I was a kid.

Your diversity of interests, knowledge, and inventory never ceases to amaze me Chris!

Billohio,

That AD = Jan. 68 Orange Krate is worth about 1/2 his asking price on a good day.
Totally wrong rear tire and no rear brake. The rear caliper is missing and the rear brake cable is laying on the ground. Plus I question if the seat is OEM.
I show someone else’s 68 Orange Krate as a reference.

The very early ‘68 Orange Krates came with the rare Orange line knobby tire that I show here.
Later in the 68 year Schwinn used an Orange line Slik and in 1969 they went with a color line gripper Slik for the other color Krates as shown in post #44.

The above information is just a fraction of the changes Schwinn was doing with these Krate bikes.

Doesn't the ad above say that he replaced the rear caliper brake with an internal drum brake and that's where the cable is going?

That’s one of the many reasons this first year Krate is not a 10K bike.

I guess originality is everything with early Stingrays?

I used to collect early BMX bikes, and of course, all original ones were most sought after, we changed parts so often and so many were sold frame and fork only, that mismatched parts were no problem, as long as they were period-correct.

Now on marketplace I am seeing all kinds of schwinn bikes lol.
A couple Krate’s that are less than half the orange one. A real nice pea picker showed up today.

MS Classics hit a home run listing a 6 bike Krate Collection on BringATrailer at no-reserve. Over $95,000 total.

That's wild!!! Great results!!!

I can't remember how much they were new, but that's quite a markup.

I think the rates were $69 new. When regular stingrays were around $45.

very hard to believe. Life long hobby for me and never seen prices like that and they were restored bikes !!!

First year 5 speed Krate was 1968. These had no front fender.
Second year ‘69 of Krate now had a front fender.
Schwinn advertisements of both the ‘68 and ‘69 5 speed Krates shown.
These two years came with a color line Slik or Gripper Slik to match the bike color, very Kool !

As in most cases the early Super Cars and Muscle Cars of the 60’s are the hardest to find in nice “Unrestored Survivor” condition along with being the most expensive.

Same holds true for the Schwinn Stingrays, especially the early (63,64,65) models.
Factory Original Paint, seats, chrome and tires are paramount.

Here are some Originals with most having their dated born with tires.

Wow!!!!

Wow wow wow!!!

This is a good book if you want to read up on them. https://www.amazon.com/Schwinn-Sting.../dp/0933201885

It'll be obsoleted if Chris ever decides to write one, but until then, it's pretty good and not too expensive.

----Whopper of a collection, Chris!....Bill S