The Schwinn website and FAQ only have information about and can only provide service for bikes purchased through independent bike shops. The website is only set up to advertise bike shop models, which is why you may not be seeing the bike you’re looking for here.

For any questions regarding models sold through any other retailer, please contact the Schwinn service team at 1-800-626-2811 prompt 1. This includes questions about warranty, service, information, or comparison of models. You will need to have your model number and date code (found on a small sticker near the bottom bracket) for them to be able to process your order.

Please note that if you e-mail us about a parts, warranty, or information issue about a department store model, we will not be able to help and can only refer you to the toll-free number above.

All Schwinn bikes are designed with high quality and user satisfaction in mind. Bikes sold at independent bike dealers are often intended for different riders than those sold at department stores. Bike shop models are intended for a wide range of riders - from those that use them for general recreation to those that are ready to pin on a race number and compete. Because it's likely that they will see more use and be ridden harder, frames and components on bike shop models are designed with this rider in mind, and are assembled and set up by shop mechanics. In addition to helping you make an informed purchase, a bike shop can offer service after the sale as well. Additionally, bike shop models are typically available in a range of frame sizes to accommodate a much wider variety of riders.

The electric bicycles have proven to be extremely popular, and as a result can be very hard to find at your local Schwinn dealer.  We are working very hard to remedy the low supply and plan on having an ample supply of electric bikes in the near future.

Only three electric models will be sold in the US.  For information about these models, please click here. Please note that there is a wider range of electric bikes available in other countries, but like other international models, these cannot be sold in the US.

Unfortunately, the Schwinn website, including this FAQ, only has information about bicycles sold through independent bike dealers. For information about any Schwinn- or InStep-branded jogger, trailer, stroller, or tag-a-long, please contact the InStep service team at 800-242-6110 or www.instep.net.

We are Pacific Cycle, the company that makes Schwinn mountain, road, BMX, and cruiser bikes. Our company does not manufacture, distribute, or service the Schwinn fitness and exercise equipment.  Schwinn Fitness is owned by Nautilus Fitness, and they can be contacted at 800-864-1270, www.schwinnfitness.com or customerservice@schwinnfitness.com .

Our company, Pacific Cycle, is not the manufacturer or distributor of the line of electric scooters. Currie Tech, the company that produces these items, has licensed the Schwinn logos from us for use on their electric scooters.  If you're looking for any type of information, parts, or service for your scooter, you must contact Currie at 800-377-4532 or visit their web site at www.currietech.com.

Although our company doesn't have detailed information about vintage bikes, there are many good sites for helping you maintain, restore, and learn more about your classic Schwinn. The following sites provide different resources for determining the worth of your bike, learning how to restore your bike, and finding parts for your bike.  Please note that our company doesn’t buy or sell vintage bikes, nor stock parts for them.  We’re happy to point you in the direction of help, but we simply don’t have the records or information to be able to provide it through our website or FAQ.

www.schwinnbike.com/heritage/forums.php - The official forum for collectors and admirers alike to discuss all issues pertaining to classic Schwinns
www.oldroads.com - A website packed with information about vintage bikes from a variety of manufacturers, including Schwinn.  Old Roads also has one of the most detailed Schwinn serial number charts.
www.mapleislandsales.com - Maple Island Sales is currently working to build inventory on all classic Schwinn parts
www.memorylane-classics.com - a vintage parts retailer and one of the best sites for classic collectors on the web
www.hyper-formance.com - a site dedicated to restoring Schwinn Sting Rays and Schwinn Krate bikes

If you've bought a Sting-ray chopper and have parts and/or warranty questions, you'll need to contact the Sting-ray service team at 1-800-626-2811 prompt 1. We aren't able to process parts requests via e-mail, but the technicians at the service center will be able to help you with the parts and information you need.

The choppers are no longer in production and are becoming increasingly difficult to find through retail channels.  We do not, unfortunately, have any way to track which models, sizes, or colors, if any, a specific store has in stock. 

Our company is not set up to be able to process customer-direct bike or parts sales.  For any sales or service issue, we recommend contacting the professionals at your local independent Schwinn dealer.  They can help you decide which bike is right for your riding style and your height, and they can help you obtain replacement parts should you need them. Please note that we do not warehouse or provide parts for general aftermarket sale.  However, if you need a part for your Schwinn because of non-warranty reasons (perhaps Fido ate your Deluxe 7 saddle), your dealer can contact us about the possibility of obtaining a replacement for you.

We’re not able to process customer-direct warranty claims, regardless of whether it is a frame, parts, or shipping damage issue.  If you believe your bike has experienced a failure due to manufacturer’s defect, you’ll need to contact an independent Schwinn dealer (preferably the one the bike was purchased through) about filing a claim on your behalf.  Please note we cannot warranty shipping damage on bikes ordered online, since we have no way to verify the source of the damage. 

Due to Schwinn’s corporate bankruptcy in 2001, original offers of warranty on models sold that year and earlier are void.  As long as you can demonstrate that you are the original owner of a pre-bankruptcy Schwinn, however, we are happy to allow you access to discounted frames through our crash replacement program.  Please see your local Schwinn dealer for more information.

One of the benefits to purchasing a bike through an independent dealer is the availability of multiple frames sizes on otherwise-identical models.  You’ll find that our bikes are marked S/M/L/XL, which is often called t-shirt-sizing.  This type of sizing is often used for frames with compact geometry (a slightly sloping top tube). Compared to a frame with a horizontal top tube, these sizes are roughly equivalent to 15"/17"/19"/21", although you'll find that the seat tube length these measurements refer to is actually shorter than that (again, due to the compact geometry). A few of our bikes are offered in XS and XXL frame sizes, but these are less common than S-XL frames. 

Your dealer is best equipped to provide an accurate, in-person fit assessment, but in general, you'll want a small if you're 5'2"-5'6", a medium if you're 5'6"-5'-9", a large if you're 5'9"-6'2", and an XL if you're taller than 6'2". These are rough estimates, however, and you may find that your body proportions lend themselves to a frame size other than the ones indicated.

On the issue of kids bikes, sizing depends on wheel diameters.  We generally recommend 12”-wheeled bikes for riders aged 2-4, 16”-wheeled bikes for riders 4-6, and 20”-wheeled bikes for riders 6-8.  We also have a number of models with 24” wheels bikes that would be perfect for riders that have outgrown their 20”-wheeled bikes but aren’t quite ready for adult bikes yet.

We do not set weight limits on any of our bike due to differences in the purpose that people have for the bike. A 14 year old that weighs 120 lbs could easily destroy one of our bikes if he abuses it by jumping it or similar unintended uses. However, a 400 lb rider could be perfectly content with the durability of a bike if he uses is solely recreationally and avoids impacts such as curbs and pot-holes. We can't specify a weight limit on a bike because failure is caused by impact, not static loads. A 1000 lb rider may buckle the frame of the bike when they sit on it, but aside from a static weight limit, any other number we specify would be arbitrary as it would depend solely on the type of use the bike experiences. That said, however, we do have a couple models that have over-built frames and highly-durable components.  The Heavy Duti is designed for industrial applications and the Cruiser Sport is designed to withstand the rigors of being part of a rental fleet, and either bike would be an excellent choice for a rider concerned about weight limits.

If you'd like some stickers for your helmet, locker, or forehead, please sent a self-addressed, stamped envelope to the address below.  Please note, however, that we cannot fill requests for specific decals, specific colors, or specific models.

Schwinn
Attn: Sticker Guy
4902 Hammersley Rd
Madison, WI  53711

If the dealer locator is showing you a red star but no addresses, you simply need to expand the range of the search.  The red star indicates the geographic center of the area being searched, which can be a 5, 10, 15, 25, or 500-mile radius.  If you don’t see results right away, we recommend expanding the search range to “Max miles”, which will return the largest list of dealers.

If the issue is that the dealers you are calling do not have the model, size, or color you’re looking for, you may want to ask them about the possibility of placing a special order.  Some shops, depending on availability in our warehouse, are willing to order bikes based on individual customer requests.  You may find, however, that not all shops are able to offer this option and that some may charge slightly more for special-ordered bikes.

Also, please note that the dealer locator shows both independent dealers and sporting goods chains, but that the latter only carries a small selection of our bikes and does not have the ability to place special orders.  In some rare cases, the dealer locator may show you information for a shop that is no longer a Schwinn dealer.  If this is the case, we apologize for giving you the incorrect information and would appreciate you letting us know so that we can correct the error.

Thanks for thinking of us! Unfortunately, due to the large number of requests for donations that we receive, there are only a small percentage that we're able to help with. If you'd like to submit your proposal for consideration, please send the request (on your organization's letterhead if possible) to the address below.

Pacific Cycle
Attn: Sue Isaacs
4730 E. Radio Tower Lane
Olney, IL 62450

Sorry, but our product development department doesn't publish an official list of bike weights. Other companies often release misleadingly low weights, which would make our true weights look falsely heavy by comparison. We encourage you, though, to have your dealer weigh any of our bikes on-site.  If, on the other hand, you already have a bike and would like to know how much it weighs, you can easily get that information by weighing yourself holding the bike on a bathroom scale and subtracting your weight without the bike.

Due to import restrictions, only Canadian Tire holds the rights to manufacture and sell the Schwinn brand of bikes in Canada.  The bikes featured on our website are bikes that are sold through bike dealers in the US and internationally, but there is no Canadian distributor for these models.  Schwinn hopes to re-introduce the IBD line into Canada within the next few years, but we are currently not in that market.  Bike shops in the US cannot ship internationally, so the only way for you to obtain a bike from the US would be to visit here and bring the bike back as personal luggage.
If you have a question about or need service for a bike sold at Canadian Tire, you must contact their corporate sporting goods division at 1-800-268-6407 or www.canadiantire.ca.  Please note that our company doesn’t have information about the bikes sold by Canadian Tire and cannot provide service, parts, or warranty for their products.

For any and all information about sales, service, or availability outside the US, you’ll need to contact your country’s distributor (http://www.schwinnbike.com/care/intbike.php).  Please note that if there is not a distributor in your country, we cannot sell, ship, or export bikes there.

If there is a model you want that your distributor says they do not plan to carry, the only recourse is to make an effort to change their mind.  Our distributors have sole discretion over which models they order and have available for sale. Your best course of action would be to make a phone call or write a letter expressing your position to the distributor's headquarters. 

Please note that international distributors are also the final arbiters of warranty coverage for their territory.  Our corporate office cannot override a warranty decision made by an international distributor.

Sorry, but we are not able to offer custom paint or parts packages on any of our bikes.  In some cases, however, depending on your desire, a Schwinn dealer may be able to make parts changes to match your request.  This is done solely at the dealer’s discretion, however, and may involve paying the retail cost of any replacement parts.  Dealers do not, however, have any way to offer custom painting options.

Unfortunately, we do not have touch-up paint or replacement decals available. The paint that is used on the bikes does not work well in a brush on application. The best option for touch-up paint would be to use an enamel-based model paint like Testors brand. There is a very wide array of colors and tones available with these types of paints, and they work very well for this type of application.

Our bikes are clear-coated upon production, eliminating the need for replacement decal sheets.  If you choose to repaint your frame or you have an accident that damages the decals, we may be able to provide some Schwinn stickers, but we cannot provide original model-specific frame decals.

You can find both our catalog and all owners’ manuals online at www.schwinnbike.com.  If, however, you would like a hard copy of one or the other, please submit your mailing address to the e-mail contact at the top of this page.  Please be aware, however, that (1) our catalog is for advertising purposes only and is not the kind of catalog you can order bikes or parts from, and (2) our manuals only provide basic safety and operational information, and are not intended to be a comprehensive service manual or specific to any one model of bike.  For more maintenance or service information beyond what the manual provides, we recommend checking out the Repair section at www.parktool.com or the book “Zinn and the Art of Mountain Bike Maintenance” by Lennard Zinn.

For information about becoming a Schwinn dealer in the US, please contact our national sales office at 1-800-THE-BIKE (843-2453).

If you’re interested in becoming an international distributor, please contact our international sales office at the address below.  At this time, the international sales office is only considering mailed information.

Pacific Cycle
Attn: International Sales
4902 Hammersley Rd
Madison, WI  53719
USA

In 1895, Ignaz Schwinn and partner Adolph Arnold incorporated "Arnold, Schwinn & Company" on October 22 in Chicago. Ignaz and Adolph couldn't have dreamed that the company they envisioned as a simple transportation business would blossom into one of America's most popular brands.

Early bikes weighed about 22 lbs. and cost between $100 and $125 - a lot of bike for a lot of money in the early 1900s! Manufacturing advances in the 1920s allowed Schwinn to build and sell bicycles at lower costs, thereby making bikes available to more consumers - including children - for the first time. A new market was born and Schwinn was there.

In the next several decades, Schwinn made innovative strides such as the bicycle balloon tire, the Aerocycle, the Cyclelock, springer forks and the famous Black Phantom bicycle.  The '50s saw celebrities like Bob Hope, Bing Crosby and Ronald Reagan endorsing Schwinn bikes, but in 1963 Schwinn produced perhaps the most famous bicycle of all time: the Sting-Ray. Kids across the country proudly cruised through neighborhoods with high-rise handlebars, banana seats, Stik-Shifts and racing Slik tires. Schwinn literally couldn't make enough of them. Various versions of the Sting-Ray were developed, but perhaps the most popular were the 1968 Sting-Ray Krates. These muscle-car era bikes were truly an American phenomenon. Every kid in America had a Sting-Ray or wanted one.

In 1967, Ignaz gave Adolph the boot, and "Arnold, Schwinn & Company" became the "Schwinn Bicycle Company," with the Schwinn family maintaining full ownership of the Schwinn brand.

The late 1970s saw the BMX craze in full gear, and though the Sting-Ray essentially fathered this style of bicycling, Schwinn came to the BMX dance a little late. To make matters worse, Schwinn management saw the mid-'80s mountain bike trend as a fad, and didn't jump into that game until many of its competitors had surged ahead in the exploding category. Some tragic writing was on the wall.

In 1993, the axe fell. Schwinn filed for bankruptcy and new owners Scott USA and Zell/Chilmark Fund L.P. took over, moving the company from Chicago to Boulder, Colorado just prior to Schwinn's 100-year birthday in 1995.

In 1997, Scott USA and Zell/Chilmark sold Schwinn to Questor Partners, an investment firm, and in 1998, two old rivals formed a lucrative marriage. Schwinn and GT bicycles joined forces to form the Schwinn/GT Corporation. Things were looking swell, but the honeymoon didn't last long. The Schwinn/GT Corporation filed for bankruptcy in 2001. Would the Schwinn bicycle become no more?

Enter Pacific Cycle, Inc., which bought the Schwinn/GT Corporation and returned Schwinn Bicycles to its Midwestern home. Finally the brand was back in the hands of a real bicycle company again! Bicycle aficionado Chris Hornung founded Pacific Cycle in 1977 when, straight out of college, he began designing, marketing and distributing high quality, low cost bicycles.
In 2004, Montreal-based Dorel Industries Inc., a global supplier of juvenile and home furnishing products, purchased Pacific Cycle. Recognizing the success of Pacific Cycle, Dorel asked Pacific Cycle's founder and Chief Executive Officer, Chris Hornung, to continue operating his company as a standalone division of Dorel.

To provide you with the best possible experience with our products, all bicycles should be assembled, adjusted and tuned by a trained bicycle mechanic. Our manuals are meant to provide basic safety and operational information, and aren’t intended as detailed assembly guides. If you choose to assemble a bike yourself, Park Tool has provided a Last Minute Bike Assembly Guide on their website. Be aware, however, that even last-minute assembly requires a number of bike-specific tools and a commitment of 2+ hours. The guide is available at http://www.parktool.com/repair/readcalvinscorner.asp?id=155 .

Since bike dealers are independent businesses and not franchises or subsidiaries of our company, we don’t have the ability to track their real-time inventory. If a shop doesn’t have the model, color, or size you need, they can often special-order it from us for you, but with the holidays so close, this option is not available. Depending on how far you are willing to drive for the bike, our dealer locator (http://dealer.schwinnbikes.com) can zoom out to a range of hundreds of miles. Finally, we’re sorry, but our company isn’t set up for customer-direct sales or shipping, even in last-minute gift emergencies.