Greenville, MS Schwinn bicycles

[wheelbender6]

My wife is from MS and a lot of her relatives still live there. It would be fun to freshen up a Greenville Schwinn for her.
-She doesn't ride drop handle bars anymore, so I would need to snag some bars, shifters and levers from a Collegiate or something similar.

 

[Xlobsterman]

This is from "Bicycles From Taiwan", a report published in August 1983 on the findings of The United States International Trade Commission on a suit filed under the Tariff Act of 1930. The suit was brought by the Bicycle Manufacturers Association of America (AMF, Huffy, Murray and Columbia) alleging that bicycles from Taiwan were being sold at less than fair market value. But Schwinn and Ross opposed the suit and the commission found that there was no material harm to the domestic industry. But the interesting part is that the report includes a long background section on the industry at the time. Going by this excerpt, the Greenville plant was for lugged frame bikes, at least when it was first opened. It also backs up what @GTs58 said, the electroforged production went to Murray in Tennessee after Chicago closed. If you want to look at this report for yourself, it's on Googlebooks and I found it by searching on "Schwinn operations 1982".

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Well once again, taking into consideration that the serial number is from Feb of 83, this Sidewinder frame was most likely built in Chicago before it closed in June of that year. NOW, we have the mystery of where it may have been finally assembled as a complete bike since the actual build code date was over a year later......................?

 

[CCTiger]

My wife is from MS and a lot of her relatives still live there. It would be fun to freshen up a Greenville Schwinn for her.
-She doesn't ride drop handle bars anymore, so I would need to snag some bars, shifters and levers from a Collegiate or something similar.

She ABSOLUTELY needs one!

 

[Oilit]

Well once again, taking into consideration that the serial number is from Feb of 83, this Sidewinder frame was most likely built in Chicago before it closed in June of that year. NOW, we have the mystery of where it may have been finally assembled as a complete bike since the actual build code date was over a year later......................?

I have a Sidewinder with a Feb. '83 serial and a Sierra with an April '83 serial and both have Chicago built frames, and I have a Varsity with a June '83 serial that's definitely Murray built. But I've also seen pictures of Schwinns with April serials that looked like Murray built frames. If Murray leased Schwinn's flash welding equipment, then I'm guessing they got parts and maybe even finished frames to assemble as well. One bike that @hm. posted here:

My new 1983 Schwinn Cruiser | All Things Schwinn

After letting go of my patina "late" 83 Cruiser and a couple others, I picked up another 83 schwinn cruiser yesterday. Got it home and started looking it over..

thecabe.com

has had me wondering ever since, because the decals don't exactly match anything else I've seen. But the "Bicycles From Taiwan" report gives the best information I've been able to find.

 

[Oilit]

Well taking into consideration that the frame was made in Feb. of 83, then finally assembled as a complete bike over a year later in March of 84, it is really hard to say where it was finally assembled?

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@Xlobsterman, I was looking back through this thread and I believe your count is off. "BU" would be Feb. 1983, "BV" is Feb. 1984. Have you got a picture of the bottom bracket?

 

[SirMike1983]

Interesting chapter in Schwinn's history, one that generated plenty of controversy. Is there an appreciable quality-of-workmanship difference in a Chicago frame versus a Murray frame versus a Mississippi frame? And then compared to the Taiwanese imports?

 

[Xlobsterman]

@Xlobsterman, I was looking back through this thread and I believe your count is off. "BU" would be Feb. 1983, "BV" is Feb. 1984. Have you got a picture of the bottom bracket?

You are 100% correct. BIG mistake on my part with the U & V.

Unfortunately the bike is all packed up and ready for shipping, so I can't really check the other details easily. But now my curiosity is going to get the best of me, so I may take it out of the box this weekend to check it just so we can all know for sure!

 

[GTs58]

You are 100% correct. BIG mistake on my part with the U & V.

Unfortunately the bike is all packed up and ready for shipping, so I can't really check the other details easily. But now my curiosity is going to get the best of me, so I may take it out of the box this weekend to check it just so we can all know for sure!

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All you need to do is take a picture of the bottom of the bottom bracket. The joints and all will look nothing like a Schwinn BB if it's a Murray built bike. Schwinn supplied Murray with their stamped head tubes at the beginning of the transition and the later Schmurray's had the Murray head tubes.

 

[Goldenrod]

In "No Hands" the dealers wanted lighter bikes and Schwinn's answer was, "Are you going to ride them or carry them?" The company could only be in the hands of one branch of the family. Brownie Schwinn liked to drink so he was in charge of the dealer's conventions.

 

[Goldenrod]

One other thing that helped kill the Schwinn Company in the 80's was the labor strike, then subsequent unionizing of the labor force! This shot the cost of operating higher for the increased wages and benefits for the now unionized employees! Just one of the MANY nails in the Schwinn coffin that ultimately led to their demise in the early 90's.........!

They were afraid of liability and the lifetime guarantee.