Schwinn King Sting and Sidewinder!???

[DrRumack80]

It might have all been moot, given the other players in the game. The 1983 Specialized Stumpjumper was a sales steamroller that was an offshore, full production bike coming into the west coast in containers. To make matters worse, Sinyard was one of the "brothers" and all the sticks like Breeze and Kelly liked him a lot. Schwinn could have done everything right, geometry, components, the works, and would have probably still gotten their butts whipped. In reality, the Sidewinder was a junk trap of fabricated steel parts and a few low end Shimano(SR, maybe, I forgot) bits just to make it sound good. I've ridden the blood out of a couple of Stumpies, I still have the very early lugged, bi-plane and it's twice the bike of any of the early Schwinn "mountain bikes." Add a couple of shop made bikes by the legendary west coast hippie frame makers and then toss in GT and Schwinn was toast, no matter how strong a machine they were. By the time they got to the Cimarron, all of the Hans Rey wannabees were willing victims of the "real" mountain bike mystique, and could have cared less about the guys who used to build ballooners. For all of its glitzy marketing, the King Sting was a train wreck.

Excellent assessment. Breeze built the first 10 Breezers in 1978, Ritchey built his first mountain bike in '79 and the first Stumpies arrived in October '81. Even Ross got in early. Schwinn did not introduce the Giant-made High Sierra and Sierra until '84. While they were very decent bikes, they were late to the game.

The King Sting did meet a price point, though. A first year Stumpie was nearly $800 and an '81 Ritchey (like my Everest below) came in around $1,400.

 

[Xlobsterman]

IMO, it was just a color name, it had nothing to do with the geography of the Sierra Nevada Mountains.

That is correct.................it was just a name for a color used on the 82 model year Sidewinder. But you did say it was done in error! I am of the opinion that is was just as you stated previously, it was just "Sexy Marketing Lingo" for that color on the Sidewinder for 82, and not an error at all since the page from the 82 dealer catalog I posted showed spicy chestnut as a color for the Cruiser, and sierra brown for the Sidewinder on the same page..............!

Anyhow, I will still enjoy looking at my "Sierra Brown" 1982 Sidewinder and my NOS 1982 King Sting on display in my man cave....................

 

[Xlobsterman]

I posted this pic of a dealer poster I have in another thread, so I figured I would repost it in this one also.........

I wonder if this pic was taken in the Sierra Nevada Mountains????? LOL

Also, I have 2 of these posters, so I may be willing to sell one if I get the right offer?

 

[AS-1]

That is correct.................it was just a name for a color used on the 82 model year Sidewinder. But you did say it was done in error! I am of the opinion that is was just as you stated previously, it was just "Sexy Marketing Lingo" for that color on the Sidewinder for 82, and not an error at all since the page from the 82 dealer catalog I posted showed spicy chestnut as a color for the Cruiser, and sierra brown for the Sidewinder on the same page..............!

Anyhow, I will still enjoy looking at my "Sierra Brown" 1982 Sidewinder and my NOS 1982 King Sting on display in my man cave....................

View attachment 1981069

This is a bubble off plumb, but what's wrong with this head badge?

 

[Schwinn Sales West]

This is a bubble off plumb, but what's wrong with this head badge?

View attachment 1982187

Schwinn Chicago nameplate Date Code 122 1984?

1984 bike made in Tennesse, by Murray of Ohio?

Just a guess, you are not giving us much to look at.

John

 

[Xlobsterman]

what's wrong with this head badge?

View attachment 1982187

I give up! Please tell me what you see wrong with the head badge????

 

[AS-1]

Schwinn Chicago nameplate Date Code 122 1984?

1984 bike made in Tennesse, by Murray of Ohio?

Just a guess, you are not giving us much to look at.

John

I give up! Please tell me what you see wrong with the head badge????

Gentlemen, thank you. So, the bike was finished around May 1, 1984, but the badge still says Chicago and the seat tube decal says this:

It's a one owner Cruiser 5 with original Carlisle tires. I've been told by several very reliable sources, present company included, that manufacturing ceased in Chicago in 1983 and either went to Greenville or was job shopped to Murray. So why the decal? I haven't been able to find a Cruiser 5 in either the 1983 catalog or the 1984 catalog. When did Schwinn stop the practice of printing "Chicago" on the head badges? Which leads to the question, when did Schwinn build it's last bicycle in The U.S.A.?

 

[Xlobsterman]

Gentlemen, thank you. So, the bike was finished around May 1, 1984, but the badge still says Chicago and the seat post decal says this:

View attachment 1982209

It's a one owner Cruiser 5 with original Carlisle tires. I've been told by several very reliable sources, present company included, that manufacturing ceased in Chicago in 1983 and either went to Greenville or was job shopped to Murray. So why the decal? I haven't been able to find a Cruiser 5 in either the 1983 catalog or the 1984 catalog. When did Schwinn stop the practice of printing "Chicago" on the head badges? Which leads to the question, when did Schwinn build it's last bicycle in The U.S.A.?

This thread is about KS, and Sidewinders, not Cruisers. Your questions would be better asked in one of the many threads here about Cruisers, but since you asked in this thread, I will address your post.

First off, an original 84 Cruiser 5 would have had Schwinn Studded tires, not Carlisle. And yes, the Chicago factory stopped production sometime in 83, and sent the Cruiser production to Murray for the rest of 83, 84, and possibly some in 85 since I have a Women's Cruiser with an 85 head badge date code. In all the catalogs I have found online, I have not seen an 83 Cruiser 5 catalog pic, just a single speed. There is a pic of a Cruiser 5 in the 84 catalog though. So this leaves a question as to if Schwinn even offered a Cruiser 5 in the 83 model year?

Schwinn built its last bikes in 83, and all other production was outsourced after that, and some of those included bikes made in the USA!

1983 catalog pic

1984 catalog pic

 

[AS-1]

Schwinn built its last bikes in 83,

Schwinn continued to build bikes in the Greenville plant well after 1983. Based on the frame construction, there is more than a good chance that they built Kings and Sidewinders in Greenville for a period of time, or until discontinued. That's what I'm after. Take a look at that seatpost decal. That decal is seen on bikes into the middle to late eighties. I have one (maybe two) and I know it was made in Greenville because Richard Schwinn told me so. They would not have put that decal on an offshore bike. I've got 80's catalogs but they're buried. I'll dig them out tomorrow (or today) and start looking more closely.

 

[Xlobsterman]

Schwinn continued to build bikes in the Greenville plant well after 1983. Based on the frame construction, there is more than a good chance that they built Kings and Sidewinders in Greenville for a period of time, or until discontinued. That's what I'm after. Take a look at that seatpost decal. That decal is seen on bikes into the middle to late eighties. I have one (maybe two) and I know it was made in Greenville because Richard Schwinn told me so. They would not have put that decal on an offshore bike. I've got 80's catalogs but they're buried. I'll dig them out tomorrow (or today) and start looking more closely.

MY reference to the last bikes built in 83 was for the "Cruiser" model, since that was the topic of your questions!

The KS, I believe the last model year was 82.

As for why Schwinn continued to use the word "Chicago" on its decals or head badges after the Chicago factory closed, maybe you should ask Richard Schwinn, since you seem to have a good relationship with him...........

So let me ask you this about the word Chicago on other Schwinn bikes: Why did they have the word Chicago on head badges of bikes imported from Japan in the 70's and early 80's?