Are these Schwinn bicycles knockoffs?

Question

Schwinn bicycles used to be only available in a Schwinn authorized dealer bike shop. Now they are available in Walmart, Target, etc.

I suspect these "box-store" Schwinns are knockoffs, meaning the Schwinn company bids them out to be produced by another manufacturer, who will make them for the cheapest price, and they slap the Scwhinn label on it.

Something else that supports this theory is that the "box-store" Schwinns do not seem to appear on the official Schwinn website catalog.

Are box-store Schwinns knockoffs?

Answer 1

Yes and no.

The Schwinn company has been through quite a few changes since you could only buy their bikes at Schwinn dealers. The company has gone into bankruptcy, been purchased, and then the purchasing company, Pacific Cycle, was acquired by Dorel. The only asset that Schwinn still really has is its name, and unfortunately, the precision machinery that was Schwinn Bicycles when those of us who were kids before the 80's remember, no longer exist. So, while they are, in fact, "genuine Schwinns", they're nothing like the "Cadillac of the American Bicycle" that we remember, and so therefore ARE cheap knock-offs.

An interesting note: A great-grandson of the founder of Schwinn has started up a quality bicycle firm "Waterford Precision Cycles". They seem to be turning out quality bikes, and you're not likely to find any of them popping up at your neighborhood WalMart.

Answer 2

The Walmart Schwinns are not the same as the bike shop Schwinns, and the above answer is exactly correct. They are specced for price point and not for quality. To my knowledge there are no Schwinns made in the U.S. anymore. Richard Schwinn of Waterford Cycles fame build what I guess you could call a "custom Schwinn".

Pacific Bicycles also has/had a part in Mongoose. This is usually identifiable by the label ("Mongoose" in Walmart, "Mongoose Pro" in bike shops).

Answer 3

They are sold by Pacific who is the largest bike supplier in the world. They are manufactored by the same factories that make bikes found in bike shops. In order to hit lower pricepoints they are speced with heavier wheels and drivetrains.

Pacific is in a tough place. On one hand they are trying to maintain their bike shop business. On the other hand mass retailers sell 60% of the bike units sold in the US so they cannot be ignored. They have gotten around this by specing different bikes for the bike shops and mass retailers.