# Best Features of the Stingray?



## Dbike (Nov 20, 2020)

The Stingray is my favorite Schwinn bike, for sure.

This is my list of the advantages the Stingray has over the other models and styles...

1. The upright seating position. I never did care for the hunched-over seating of the 10-speed and similar bikes.
2. The saddle. Nice and long. Those little saddles on some bikes can be really uncomfortable after a while.
3. The handlebars. It depends on the model of Stingrays but, overall, I find the position of them very comfortable.
4. The simplicity. Especially the single-speed Stingrays with coaster brakes. The gears and brakes don't need adjusting!
5. The styling. They really do look like a "muscle bike."


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## stingrayjoe (Nov 20, 2020)

Agreed!


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## Dbike (Nov 20, 2020)

Good examples you posted!

I thought of another one:

6. Can be ridden on- and off-road. The 10-speed bikes of the Stingray era can't. Those skinny tires had poor traction.


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## GTs58 (Nov 20, 2020)

ROTFL................................ I bought a new 1964 Varsity when i was 10 instead of a Sting Ray and never regretted it. I could ride anywhere that my friends could go on their Sting Rays, and do it faster. I BMX'd in the old Hohokam irrigation canals, rode the dirt and gravel canal roads, rode 10 miles on the main road out to Apache Junction and then hit the bike trails threw the middle of the desert. I even road that 10 speed all over the roof of the Elementary School. Sheet metal pan roofing connecting all the buildings then the flat roof on the cafeteria. Rode thru the School yard with 8" of irrigation water. Nobody in my area with a Sting Ray could out wheelie me! Had the bars flipped 180 and was doing wheelies barefoot on rat traps. During the Summers my friend and I would ride over to the next town to race our slot cars. He had a Sting Ray and he was pretty much dead when we got there. I'd ride for miles with no hands and have to slow down and let him catch up. Had a rear carrier and even carried his slot car gear. I even delivered newspapers with that 10 speed! A kid has to know his limitations, and the Sting Ray boys had quite a few.      

This was a Bad A ride!


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## coasterbrakejunkie1969 (Nov 20, 2020)

I love my stingrays there is no bike I own that handles like like them even similar muscle bikes. I can turn on a dime. When I was a kid I could ride all day and yes ,no way to keep up with a varsity. I don't recall any varsity's however  clearing the distance I could in the air off jumps as a kid. For all day riding now I prefer my 26" typhoon , pretty much an adult stingray or my brown bomber 3 speed.


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## cbustapeck (Nov 21, 2020)

My favorite thing? It's everything I always wanted without any major surprises. Some other bikes have had major unexpected letdowns: awful handling; scary amounts of frame flex; etc. The only thing that I've found like that on my Krate is flex in the handlebars - but I've got a warranty, so it doesn't bother me. 

I'm not complaining, mind you, about the issues I note above. They're good bikes; they're just not for me. The Stingray, on the other hand, was everything I built it up to be.

2. Ability to build on a budget. You can start with a very basic Stingray at a reasonable price and slowly build it up over time. I think I've spent twice the purchase price of my Orange Krate on parts upgrades (some of which did not work, admittedly). It's really cool to be able to do this from a reasonable starting point. It's not unlike the Honda Civics of the 1990s - solid, affordable, and reliable - but with a multitude of options to add power / speed. 
3. Parts availability and a range of price points. It doesn't take forever to find parts, nor does one have to spend a small fortune to get them, if one does not want to. You want a rear slick tire? You can get one that is an okay match, without any writing on the sidewall, or you can get solid reproduction, or you can get a perfect NOS one, all without having to search for months. The search can be fun, but it's also nice to be able to get out riding.
4. Customization is a reasonable normal. While there are plenty of people who like to have their Stingrays totally stock, it's also totally normal to have all manner of upgrades and customizations.


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## Rollo (Nov 21, 2020)

... This is my current and only Stingray ... I had one like this back in the 60's and would always ride it to the local ball field to play pick up games with the neighborhood kids ... Always hung my ball glove on the handlebars and wedged a hardball up inside the cantilever part of the frame ... Wish that I had known about bat holders back then ...


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## coasterbrakejunkie1969 (Nov 21, 2020)

The 76' runs so smooth but almost to much going on, my 68' simple and it is so reliable.


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## Dbike (Nov 21, 2020)

coasterbrakejunkie1969 said:


> The 76' runs so smooth but almost to much going on, my 68' simple and it is so reliable.




Yes, I would choose a '68 over a '76, too.


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## wheelbender6 (Nov 22, 2020)

The Stingray is a kid's version of a drag racer. Drag racing was bigger in the sixties and seventies. There were local drag strips everywhere. Big slicks on the rear and buggy axles and tiny, thin tires on the front. 
-Road racing and oval racing cars were also different in those days too. Like the drag race cars, engines were exposed and you could see the multiple carbs and other cool stuff.


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## razinhellcustomz (Nov 28, 2020)

Dbike said:


> Yes, I would choose a '68 over a '76, too.



I agree. I have two 66's and a 68,and just sold my 68 Orange krate. Their all good. Thanks for sharing. RideOn. Razin.


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