In the early 1980s, Schwinn made the decision to start a new factory in Greenville Mississippi. However, the factory in Chicago was shuttered in December 1983, so it is doubtful that the 1883 Le Tours were made in Chicago. In 1979 the catalog description of the Le Tour refers to a "Made in USA torched brazed lug frame." These Le Tours were likely made in Chicago. In the 1978 catalog, the Le Tour is still "Schwinn Approved," which means it was made in Japan or Taiwan. The reason was that Schwinn’s factory in Chicago had become outmoded and was incapable of producing a large number of high-quality chrome-moly frames (strong steel formally called chromium molybdenum) common among its Japanese and European competitors.Įventually, Schwinn with the 1979 model returned the manufacture of the Le Tour to a small section in its Chicago factory. For about 5 or 6 years the “Schwinn approved” Le Tour was manufactured by Japanese bicycle makers such as Panasonic or Bridgestone. As a result in 1973 Schwinn hauled up the white flag and outsourced many of its bicycles to Taiwan and Japan. In the 1970s the Chicago factory was hampered by years of a lack of capital investment in new machinery. After 1983 the Paramount was made in a small factory in Waterford, Wisconsin. The Schwinn Paramount was built in a small section of the Chicago factory up until 1983. With the exception of the Schwinn Paramount, the company had limited capacity to build high-quality frames. Schwinn decided to give in to the stiff competition from Japan and Europe for producing high-quality road bikes. The “Schwinn approved” Le Tour first showed up as a new offering in the company’s 1974 catalog. The story starts with the introduction of a made-in-Japan Schwinn Le Tour in 1973. Despite Schwinn’s reputation as a purveyor of sturdy children’s bikes, this Schwinn Le Tour was a high-quality road bike for its time.Ī Short History of the Schwinn Le TourThe 1983 Schwinn Le Tour was a symbolic turning point for Schwinn. I know a bit of the history behind this bicycle, and I decide it's worth the time to restore the Le Tour to its original condition. After inspecting the Le Tour, I also see that it has all its original parts. I surmise it had been ridden a few years during the bicycle boom and then stored in a garage. Under the dirt, this Made-in-America Schwinn road bike is in great condition. At one stop amidst the Wal-Mart and K-Mart kids bikes, I see a vintage champaign-colored Schwinn Le Tour covered with dirt and cobwebs. One Sunday I go out to look over some possible new arrivals. I sometimes scour the neighborhood garage sales for bikes.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |