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Pensacola Discussion Forum » General Discussion » RIP Al Fritz - Inventor of the Sting-Ray Bicycle

RIP Al Fritz - Inventor of the Sting-Ray Bicycle

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Sal

Sal

This is what mine looked like ...

RIP Al Fritz - Inventor of the Sting-Ray Bicycle $T2eC16RHJGwE9n%29yTTvJBRVJmpQj+w~~60_1

I loved that bike.

For much of the 1960s and the early 1970s, no suburban streetscape would have been complete without them: A squadron of kids clutching sky-high handlebars on low-slung bikes in eye-popping, hot-rod colors.

Equipped with a curved banana seat, the Schwinn Sting-Ray was America's most popular bicycle. Its godfather, Schwinn executive Al Fritz, became known as an industry visionary for transforming a Southern California street fad into a national phenomenon.

"It looked incredibly sporty," said his son Mike Fritz, a bicycle industry consultant who lives in Newbury Park. "It gave kids too young to have a driver's license the opportunity to have the Corvette of bicycles."

http://www.latimes.com/news/obituaries/la-me-al-fritz-20130510,0,7472254.story

Guest


Guest

You were the King of the Hill. I dont think I ever had a Schwinn, too pricey. Just a Western Auto or maybe a J C Higgens from Pennys. Nice Bike. Thanks for the post

ZVUGKTUBM

ZVUGKTUBM

Sal's bike was probably made in the U.S.A., too......

http://www.best-electric-barbecue-grills.com

Guest


Guest

Sal wrote:This is what mine looked like ...

RIP Al Fritz - Inventor of the Sting-Ray Bicycle $T2eC16RHJGwE9n%29yTTvJBRVJmpQj+w~~60_1

I loved that bike.

For much of the 1960s and the early 1970s, no suburban streetscape would have been complete without them: A squadron of kids clutching sky-high handlebars on low-slung bikes in eye-popping, hot-rod colors.

Equipped with a curved banana seat, the Schwinn Sting-Ray was America's most popular bicycle. Its godfather, Schwinn executive Al Fritz, became known as an industry visionary for transforming a Southern California street fad into a national phenomenon.

"It looked incredibly sporty," said his son Mike Fritz, a bicycle industry consultant who lives in Newbury Park. "It gave kids too young to have a driver's license the opportunity to have the Corvette of bicycles."

http://www.latimes.com/news/obituaries/la-me-al-fritz-20130510,0,7472254.story

..........................

If you had ridden that though my neighborhood, we'd have kicked your ass and stolen it....Smile



Awesome ride.

Sal

Sal

A Guest wrote:
Sal wrote:This is what mine looked like ...

RIP Al Fritz - Inventor of the Sting-Ray Bicycle $T2eC16RHJGwE9n%29yTTvJBRVJmpQj+w~~60_1

I loved that bike.

For much of the 1960s and the early 1970s, no suburban streetscape would have been complete without them: A squadron of kids clutching sky-high handlebars on low-slung bikes in eye-popping, hot-rod colors.

Equipped with a curved banana seat, the Schwinn Sting-Ray was America's most popular bicycle. Its godfather, Schwinn executive Al Fritz, became known as an industry visionary for transforming a Southern California street fad into a national phenomenon.

"It looked incredibly sporty," said his son Mike Fritz, a bicycle industry consultant who lives in Newbury Park. "It gave kids too young to have a driver's license the opportunity to have the Corvette of bicycles."

http://www.latimes.com/news/obituaries/la-me-al-fritz-20130510,0,7472254.story

..........................

If you had ridden that though my neighborhood, we'd have kicked your ass and stolen it....Smile



Awesome ride.

You'd never have caught me on your Penny's and/or Western Auto bikes.

Enjoy the reverberation of the vintage baseball cards in my spokes as I fade into the sunset, motherfucker.

Guest


Guest

I was a paper boy. Bikes had to be functional as well as stylish. I had to buy my own and I did not make enough to buy anything real trick besides paper routes took a heavy toll on bikes. 2 editions back then The Journal and the News.

Sal

Sal

hallmarkgrad2 wrote:I was a paper boy. Bikes had to be functional as well as stylish. I had to buy my own and I did not make enough to buy anything real trick besides paper routes took a heavy toll on bikes. 2 editions back then The Journal and the News.

Me too.

Morning and afternoon editions.

Made some good scratch, and never had to ask my parents for money.

My grandpa gave me that bike for Christmas.

I wish I had kept it.

Guest


Guest

I had route 504 down my the old train on Garden then 518, E st To O st then Garden to Goverment

Sal

Sal

hallmarkgrad2 wrote:I had route 504 down my the old train on Garden then 518, E st To O st then Garden to Goverment

I had a route that included a huge pretty low-rent apartment complex.

It was an amazing education, but I never felt threatened.

I'd never let my kid do that.

Guest


Guest

Hell of job. Papers had to be out by 5:30 am at the latest. Our paper drop was a old abandoned Banana warehouse. L and Barrancas. Folded the papers into a star except Thursday and sundays when you had to roll. Max pages on folding is about 18 pages. All ways a pissing contest to see who could fold and stack the fastest. Around 130 papers in the AM maybe 80 for the afternoon paper. I think it was 60 cents for both papers. You had to pay our bill on saturday ambefore 12, The PNJ did not give a damn and you had to pay your bill. Paid them first then whatever was left was yours. Keeping a route book and keeping it up to date was a big deal. And a major pain in the ass. Most of the time I left the house about 3 am . Spearman brewery would roast their beer hops about that time. I can still smell them. LOL

Sal

Sal

The good thing about those apartment routes were that they had pools.

In the summer mornings, I'd do my route in nothing more than a pair of cutoffs and chucks, and jump in every pool along the way to cool off.

I sure remember stuffing the Sunday papers with the weekly ads

What a pain in the ass.

Guest


Guest

For many years our papers came stuffed. I have written about working at the PNJ stuffing and toting the papers from the press to the stuffing tables then the trucks. Great Saturday night job. I did that job later on after I left the route business. Hard, very fast paced, got to make the little square printers hats out of newsprint.

Sal

Sal

Remember the pride we took in our folds?

Mine was a fuckimg missile.

Guest


Guest

Big shit when you threw papers on a roof or broke the Milk bottles the Milk guy had just left. LOL I had forgot about the Milk man. The donut guy used to leave Boxes of donuts in front of the stores on a small table. We would just take what we wanted and leave the money in the box. LOL Crazy No one every cheated because they knew who we were. Besides hell, we were paperboys, we had money...

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