Remembering the Sting-Ray Bike (1963-1982)

The Sting-Ray bicycle was certainly the best bike model that Schwinn ever produced. This bike symbolizes the childhood of many people who grew up in the 1960s and 1970s. If you didn't have one then you wanted one.
Source on Huffy Penguin muscle bike from: bmxsociety.com/topic/52162-th...
This includes an interesting interview with Peter Mole by John Brain. The history of the Sting-Ray compiled from
bikehistory.org/bikes/stingray/ and
www.schwinnbikes.com/pages/st...
Mail is always welcome at:
Rhetty for History
P.O. Box 850593
Yukon, OK 73085
Join me on Instagram
/ rhettyforhistory
#stingray #nostalgia #bike

[@PoliticusRex632]

Hands down the coolest thing about growing up in the 70s. ✌

[@savage22bolt32]

60's for me!

[@Anth4044]

I wouldn't change me growing up in 70s for anything. Our bikes were everything to us from morning till night we'd have our bikes everywhere plus back then kids could go all over with out worrying about being hurt or taken. Once again best years ever🤗🤗👍👍💪💪💪☺️

[@okiepita50t-town28]

And 60’s.

[@AlmostReady504]

MANY cool things in the 60s and 70s

[@philsmgb4393]

And the ramps. Oh, the ramps.......

[@bobwallace9814]

Kids today have no idea what they missed out on. We rode our Stingrays miles and miles from home for adventure. Transistor radios hanging from the handlebars.

[@alexshatner3907]

I felt rich with AM radio attached to the handle bars, listening to Kasy Kasem, seasons in the son, and I shot the sheriff, among others

[@mikentx57]

We went for miles too. We would be out all day on our Stingrays and our parents had no idea where we were till we got home in the evening. But that made us very independent later in life. Now if a kid is found two blocks from home the police want to arrest the parents for not making their kid a helpless drone.

[@tedlivingstonsr.1969]

That is what we did rode all over the place with no worries. We hardly locked our bikes at the store entrances. Plus, we always had two bucks in our socks. We could buy stuff all day on it.

[@alexshatner3907]

@@tedlivingstonsr.1969 Wow so true I use to constantly smell the rubber of my tires, and felt and pretended that in my bike I could travel to another state with no problem if I was aloud to.

[@edwardcox2840]

I had a red Panasonic am fm 8 track wired to the handle bars of mine in my neighborhood there was 7 or 8 of us that rode bikes all the times jamming ACDC Van Halen Aerosmith Led Zeppelin stuff like that fun times kids today just don't know

[@alphasportstv]

Holy cow I was obsessed with this bike when I was a kid late 60's!!! Finally got one and to this day I don't think you could give me anything that I would love more, like a brand new Ferrari has NOTHING on this bike!!! Thanks for posting.

[@mr.mendez9378]

Oh man. Me too, I’m with you.

[@paulaneary7877]

Yeah, something about having your own bike was really memeorable and special. I truly loved my bike also. It was dark purple.

[@kingofkings69ner]

I bet it brings the kid back into you

[@bikersoncall]

I agree OP, there was nothing at the time I wanted more, it was an awesome bike.

[@shuster1921]

My first bike was a Mattel V-Room Bicycle in 1964, it had a gas tank glove box, front suspension that was meant for a Buick, a steel seat and plastic motor with a key to turn it on. Surprised I don't have spinal problems from landing on that seat! The bike was my pride and joy, I lived on it and beat the snot out of it, and never died though I almost did several times, lol. It was stolen from my school and I was broken hearted.

[@karlabramovic489]

My primary dream, as a lower middle class boy in the 1960s, was, first and foremost, to own an empowering blue Sting-Ray bike. Along with a pair of brown cowboy boots and black leather jacket. My dad, with his relentless philosophy of “Just as good as,” gifted me with an adult sized Huffy 3-speed on my seventh Christmas, gleefully explaining that it’s the only bike I’ll ever need and eventually grow into. Earlier that year he bought me brown Sears work boots and a jacket made of beige suede. My sense of self-worth is still in ruins from such a horrific childhood!

[@mfh6982]

My first bike was a Schwinn Stingray when I was 6 y/o in 1968. Loved that bike and lived on it. Rode it into the ground. Became a professional road racer in 1982 and raced all over the world. To this day I am obsessed with my bikes and ride every day.

[@autumn1231]

You had generous parents. That was big money in those days. Two kids in my neighborhood had the Schwinn sting ray. One was a "krate" model 5 speed Green and the other a single speed purple. They were the envy of the neighborhood in suburban Detroit.

[@1down4upworkshop61]

This brings back so many memories LOL ... Riding a bike barefoot through out the summer ... miss those days ...

[@jerryjasinski8229]

I loved my two single speed Schwinn Sting Rays (in the 1970's), one of them I made into a chopper, the other I drove on the trails (before BMX bikes) . These bikes were one of the best parts of my childhood.

[@michaelszczys8316]

I lived by a river with lots of trails. We used to ride our sting Ray bikes with high sissy bars on the trails. Who needs BMX bike? Sting ray was the all- purpose bike.

[@kendallevans4079]

Like you, before you could just go a BMX ready to go, we did it ourselves. Put on some "Preston Petty" style plastic mud guards, low hand bars, a regular bike seat and you're good to go..Maybe a few "cool" stickers (Cycle News, STP,....)

[@philiphatfield5666]

To get the full effect, you had to have the model with the five speed stick!

[@TheSourKraut]

OMG. The flashbacks of my bellbottoms getting caught in the chain... Looking back now, I'm amazed so many of us survived. But the jumps were totally worth the pain

[@Vod-Kaknockers]

Oh hell yeah! Turned a lot of jeans into shorts riding mine!

[@TheSourKraut]

@@Vod-Kaknockers😂😂😂 😅😅😅 I totally forgot about THAT. Thanks! Remember? The mom that freaked out over the cost of the pants - and bike repair - and what the neighbors will say? The grandma that "fixed" the jeans with other old, leftover jeans, apron cloth or scrap leather (for the knees), and then MADE me wear that hippie patchwork to school - after making me promise to use wooden clothes pins next time, AND, of course, the (one legged) WW2 combat vet grandpa who showed me how to properly clean a wound "in the field" - with gasoline, or anything else that burns like Hell ... (i now remember the "stop crying and hold still you wuss, the stinging means: it works. They gave me only a leather belt to bite down on when the cut off my leg". You don't even know pain ....) STILL: good times!

[@Vod-Kaknockers]

@@TheSourKraut...Lmfao! We would carry a roll of duct tape on the handle bars to tape our pants down if we weren't already wearing shorts. Of course back then you could wear jean cut offs without being labeled gay. Give me those days back man cause these days suck!

[@j.b.macadam6516]

I totally agree! My bellbottoms were frayed and grease stained as well! Damn, we had a lot of fun!

[@gm7304]

chain guards were for Sissy's we all had our pant leg rolled up all kool like

[@miket.220]

When I was a kid, my first bike was the Sears version of the Stingray, when I was 7 or 8. Don't remember if it was a Huffy or Murray, but it was the basic 20" one-speed muscle bike. Yellow, with a black banana seat with a yellow stripe down the center. I learned how to ride on that bike, then rode that bike to pieces, literally everywhere. If I hadn't outgrown it, I would have rode the bike forever. I love cycling to this day, but that Sears "stingray" is still my favorite bike that I ever owned.

[@jamesa.b.7194]

I had a 1976 Sears Spyder a knock off of the stingray. It had a rainbow paint job. In 1979 I spay painted it black and replaced the banana seat and ape-hanger handlebar to try to make it into a BMX. Saw a pick of the my creation a couple years ago, it was a real Frankenstein. Thought both versions were pretty cool at the time.

[@concernedcitizen9466]

I had that bike also. Good, fast bike.

[@kellybanning2013]

I had a grant's green dragon, that sounds similar to yours, but green and black.

[@danocatster]

Murray was Sears version my brother passed down to me. Best bike ever.

[@rubengariby6539]

This video left out the 5-speed Sting-ray Fastback. It had thinner tires than the regular Sting-ray and preceded the Krates. I guess it didn’t make as big an impact as the Krates. I thought it was cool though.

[@69FOSTER]

In 1965, Santa Claus left me a Schwinn Sting-Ray. I woke up Christmas morning hoping for a Sting Ray, even a knock off would've satisfied me, but getting a Schwinn added to the euphoria! I can still see it shining under the Christmas tree lights. I rode it almost everyday for the next four years.

[@philiphatfield5666]

I know the feeling. I had the only one in the neighborhood and the boys I used to ride bikes with started shunning me! Their tiny egos just couldn't accept the fact that I was 'The Man'.

[@surfmarine3118]

First stingray for Christmas in 67 at 6 years old. Training wheels off before New year's so I could keep up with older brother and his buddy. Within a few years we had modified those bikes a couple of times ; single saddles and different handlebars for better jumps plus the short lived extended forks and "sissy "bar for the old banana seat. Could easily put in 50 miles of riding on any given summer day. Been a cyclist eve since.

[@jebsdaddy141]

The fat rear tire was called a "cheater slick" for some reason and some had a red line around the sidewall. Tire colors other than black were a thing too. I remember borrowing my grandmother's 3 in 1 oil to keep the chain nice and lubricated. Those were good times.

[@larrydaniels6532]

I'll never forget my first ride on a Sting-Ray, 1964 a neighbor rode up to where I had placed a ramp on the street in front of my house. I was 10, he may have been eight. His dad was a regional newspaper supervisor and had completed a bonus program for the delivery boys, a certain number of the top carriers were awarded Sting-Rays as prizes, his son wasn't a carrier, but there may have been an extra, so anyway, he had it that morning and he was more than generous to let me ride it. I had never ridden a bike of this design and really hadn't taken into account of how little the front wheel is weighted. I hit the ramp and saw the front wheel shoot straight up as I landed on my back (kinda wish I had worn a helmet back then) I was both hurt and ashamed for crashing someone else's bike. A year later I was a "paperboy" for this same newspaper and as I saved some of my earnings I was able to purchase my first bike with my money, hard , hard decision, every Saturday included a stop at the Schwinn shop and the other retailers selling bikes. I decided on a 'Purple Beetle" it was a 20" sting-ray clone, obviously purple, a Shimano 3.3.3.three-speed, two hand brakes. I wish I knew the manufacturer-- Murray, Huffy, I just don't know! If any one does know, please leave a comment. Should anyone have this bike in good condition, please leave info and I'll get in touch.

[@vicO1323]

I see Stingrays for sale as high as $1000. Gee willickers. $49 in 1964 is $468 today which is hard to believe. There was no way I would spend that much on a bike, even today.

[@pitman6992]

​@@vicO1323 Gee Willikers!!!🤣🤣🤣

[@zareththealchemist8982]

In 1971 my mother and I moved in with a multimillionaire. He bought me a Grey Ghost. Loved that guy - LOVED that bike. All the kids wanted one. 5 speed, chopper with shocks in the back and suspension in the front. Thanks for posting this.

[@joeblow7853]

First Sting Ray I owned was 1963 in lime green with a white Solo Polo AKA "Banana" seat based on my Schwinn Varsity being stolen. I moved up to a 1967 Fastback 5 speed in blue which I still own today in the rafters In which I am looking at admiring this very moment! It still rides, and is complete.I'm going on 72 years young as well. My very first bike was a Schwinn Spitfire 20 inch in red. I still have the frame as well. Thanks for the memories. China can't hold a candle to my Sting Ray....EVER!

[@Prancer0210]

My first bike was the Schwinn Stingray. I remember they came in a box and had to be assembled. My sweet Dad stayed up half the night putting them together for my twin sister and I for Christmas. Mine was green and hers was purple. Loved my bike so much. Great memories; thank you!

[@RhettyforHistory]

Sounds like you both had some nice bikes! I like the colors you both had too. Your dad was definitely busy putting two together! Thank you for watching and sharing your memories!

[@realSamAndrew]

I never knew Schwinn bikes to need assembly. In my city, Schwinn was sold thru authorized dealers only, and they had rows of bikes ready for immediate delivery in the showroom. If you had to special order one, it would be assembled before delivery. Murray and Huffy were sold in dept stores and big box stores and came in a box unless you paid extra for the store staff to assemble for you.

[@nomadbrad6391]

​@@realSamAndrew My dad bought me a 1970 blue schwinn stingray 5 speed at Sears. I remember it took him an entire Saturday assembling it. Got it for my 7th b-day.

[@realSamAndrew]

@@nomadbrad6391 that's interesting. In my area, and as early as 1975, you definitely could not buy a Schwinn at Sears. It may have been based on where they did and didn't have dedicated dealers.

[@nomadbrad6391]

@@realSamAndrew This was in Seattle, WA October 1970

[@wmalden]

In 1969, my brother and I got Huffy “choppers.” Mine was light sparkling green with slick rear and grooved front tires of same diameter. His was orange sparkle with smaller front wheel and “sissy bar.” Both had the 5 speed “console” shifter and hand brakes front and rear. We lived in Minnesota at the time. I used to ride mine in the snow. Easy to spin the rear wheel!

[@RhettyforHistory]

Sounds like you both had some really nice bikes and I like the colors you both had too. Those bikes with the console shifters were really unique. Thank you for watching and sharing your memories.

[@wendycity99]

It was called a Huffy Slingshot

[@artmchugh5644]

Orange crate !!!!!😁😁😁😁😁 sweet!!

[@dehydratedwater9806]

My Slingshot was purple metal flake with a pearl seat.

[@jw2218]

You could buy bikes like that at Holiday gas stations in Michigan probably Minnesota also. Back in the 60s and 70s you could buy just about anything at the Holiday gas Station.

[@linjicakonikon7666]

In 63-64 when I was 10, I got a 20" bike from Sears for my birthday. I immediately got a paper route and with my earnings over the year converted that traditional bike into a Stingray bike. I trimmed the fenders to match the style, got the banana seat and high rise handle bars and soon began learning how to "pop wheelies" which, with that bike, was incredibly easy. I lusted after the Schwinn models but they were way out of our price range. Very good memories.

[@cletiskroeker3552]

My older Brother bought a bike for us younger boys for Christmas one year. It was a beautiful piece of art. Midnight blue...cheater slick...banana seat..sissy bar.. monkey bars...and the shifter. We were so proud of this bike. We had other bikes that we created into something similar. But,...we always traded ofon who could ride the BLUE RACER. Wonderful memories....Thank you my precious Brother. He just passed away last January. He was a wonderful person. ❤🙏🏻

[@martincarson9610]

My favorite stingray had a two speed kickback gears on it. You pedaled backward sharply almost to the coaster brake to get it to shift.

[@timc7312]

I had the same exact bike ,I think it was called a Bendix 2-speed , I was born in 57 so probably had around 67 bike ,all my friends had similar bikes we used race around ,jump trash cans , now im riding high end mountain bikes can still ride a wheelie about a 1/2 mile

[@jimmyfleetwood1118]

@@timc7312 Still have one--and yes, it was the Bendix 2-sp. Great shared experiences. Cheers!

[@lightninganth]

I had one also..2 speed kickback was the hot setup!

[@mortonbeard2240]

@@timc7312 I still do wheel stands also. CANNONDALE now.

[@danielbowden2401]

I got my Sting-Ray in 1966 and went everywhere on it. It was a very tough bike. I can't count how many tubes and tires I went through. My friends and I thought we were Steve McQueen and would get up speed, run down and up through the grass ditch and jump over the metal garbage cans like in the Great Escape.

[@philiphatfield5666]

The tires would seemingly go flat if you looked at them the wrong way; what's more, at the first drop if rain, I had to walk mine home. No brakes!

[@jiggsjohnson7279]

I was born in 1967 and I got my first Schwinn around 1973. My dad bought a used in excellent condition single speed Lemon Peeler with the front coil shock and 16" front wheel. In 1976, I got a brand new Schwinn Scrambler that came with motocross style handlebars and knobby tires. It still had the stingray frame and banana seat. In 1980, I got the very first Schwinn Mag Scrambler sold in my home town. It featured the BMX style frame, had the BMX style seat and motocross handlebars with magnesium wheels wrapped with knobby tires. I started my BMX racing career on that bike!

[@agtrucks]

I was 13 years old in 1968. For my birthday I was allowed to pick out a new Schwann bicycle. I loved the Sting Rays and the Krate bikes but at 13 I was a bit too tall for them. I opted for a Campus Green 5 speed Schwann Collegiate: a full sized model, but asked the bike shop to install a set of high rise handle bars. I loved that bike and rode it all through high school, putting on no less than 5 billion miles. Lots of warm memories from those times. Thanks for posting this trip down memory lane. 🙂

[@richdorak1547]

Saved up $74 in 1972 for a Raleigh Chopper ( New to the market) at age 14. Total came to $86. Bummer. Dad came to the rescue with the remaining $12. Great day. Thx again Pop.

[@RhettyforHistory]

Thank you for watching and sharing your memories of your bike and father.

[@ericteneyck8691]

Great video! I had the 5 speed Fastback version. A friend of my dad owned a sporting good store and the bike was in the front window. Every time we went I drooled over that bike, Then one visit it was gone, I was bummed and jealous of the kid that got it. Turns out that kid was me, got it for my birthday!

[@RhettyforHistory]

Oh very nice! Sounds like you had one of the best ones! Thank you for watching and I enjoyed reading your story!

[@ivanrousseau5066]

Yep stingrays 5spd was the deal. I remember the front shocks and small tire. The shifter was a 5 spd mounted on the top rail .

[@rodharrod7301]

I got a 64 Stingray deluxe for Christmas that year. It had chrome fenders,whitewall tires and a white seat. Best Christmas present ever.

[@dancook8583]

Ahhhhh....loved my old Stingray! It grew with me. At 10 I started delivering the newspaper in my small town. I had a Western Auto bike that looked like a ten speed but only had one gear. I convinced my parents that it wasn't good for delivering the paper....I needed a Stingray! Dad protested($ 50 was a lot of money then). But mom grew up with brothers that souped up cars so she "got it". They bought me a standard model in red. Threw the paper for 2 years on that bike. Quit the newspaper business at 12- the BMX thing was getting popular so i ditched the banana seat for a solo seat. Changed the handle bars to a black moto cross style with big soft rubber grips. Swapped the chrome fenders for the short plastic ones. Off came the chain guard and put on the big knobby tires. The bike was a beast! The handlebars allowed me to ride "Stand Up" wheelies down the whole length of our main Street.I was a legend! After that I traded 2 boxes of .22 shells for a Tall chrome sissybar with a hangmans noose in it. Put the banana seat, chrome fenders, chain guard, handlebars, and stock tires back on. I thought I was cool again! One day the local deputy sheriff stopped me and said my sissybar was illegal because it had the noose in it. I was scared and he had a big laugh...By my freshman year in high school I had outgrown my Stingray. It gathered dust in the garage untill a kid down the road bought it for 10 bucks. The old Stingray even got handed down to his little brother. The old Stingray had a full life and was a big part of me. Those were the days. I'm 60 now and really miss that bike...

[@Gratefulman1965]

As a kid of the 70’s I worked at a bike shop when I was ten, the owner would pay me in parts and I would build my own bikes. My first and favorite bike I built was largely designed and resembled the Schwinn krate model. I loved that bike, I rode it everywhere and my friends liked it because it was the only one like it. Great video of better times thanks for this!

[@jerricocke987]

I do remember the '70s and bikes I was dangerous to myself and others. Have a wonderful weekend and a very happy mother's Day to your wife.

[@RhettyforHistory]

I think all boys were daredevils on bikes. I haven't seen any boys build a ramp in forever. Thank you for watching and sharing your memories!

[@jerricocke987]

@@RhettyforHistory shock shock ready I'm actually a woman. And we had a ramp in our front yard for my brother and i.

[@nikitis13]

My first bike was a Stingray, 6 years old at the time 🙂. 50 years on and many bikes have come and gone including motorcycles. My memories of that Stingray still the fondest. Recently I've been searching far and wide here in Australia for a Stingray even contacting Schwinn's distributor to no avail 😵‍💫. Searched far and wide for a decent used vintage model with no luck unless you're willing to pay a ridiculous amount of money now classed as "collectors items". Then out of the blue in 2020 come along a company in Australia called MilkBar Bikes! 🤩 The heavens aligned and my call was answered. A beautiful homage to the Schwinn Stringray. I've now come full circle, ride and owned almost every style of bicycle and recently bought my "Stingray" replica and I'm absolutely loving it 5 months in and not a single day passes without a ride out. Yeah a grown man with a kids heart living the dream on the coolest bike ever made. 20' wheels and classic curved frame, ape hanger bars, banana seat and sissy bar. "Cool ride", "tough bike", "love that thing", "totally gangster" are comments all too often heard. I'm bringing back the stingray craze in Oz! Get one! (MilkBar Bikes) 🤙

[@j.b.macadam6516]

I got my first Sting-Ray bike in 1966, when I was 6 years old. Several more were to come, and we even modified them for dirt riding by replacing original parts with knobby tires, a traditional, smaller seat instead of the 'banana' seat, and lower, sturdier handlebars. These modified Sting-Rays could be called the prototypes of today's BMX bikes. Evel Knievel was big back then, and we used to build ramps and jump these things all the time. I even got a green 'Krate' in 1973, when I was 13. Man, we racked up thousands of miles with these bikes and had a lot of fun!

[@jamesbarker4752]

The Stingray was an awesome bike!

[@billdozer3674]

I got a blue deluxe stingray with white wall tires and a slick on the back in 65 or 66 and could ride a wheelie from one end of the block to the other, man I loved that bike!!! Someone cut the lock off of it at the city pool and I was so bummed out to learn that there were bad people in the world 🌎

[@billdivine9501]

Yep, had 2 Stingrays, both got stolen. Then I got an AMF Evil Knievel looking bike. Nobody wanted to steal that thing! 🤣

[@redkos]

My first bike was a Christmas present from my Mom & Dad: a bright red Columbia Stingray style with a horn & headlight. It was *exactly* what I wanted. Later my parents got me a Huffy Slingshot 5 with a padded sissy bar, and all my friends wanted it! I still have that Huffy today.

[@767driver4]

My Stingray was an extension of my anatomy for years. Delivered thousands of 🗞️ Newspapers with it as well! Loved that bike! 🚲

[@tyrssen1]

When I was a kid, I put the sting ray seat and high bars on my full-size 26" Huffy. The one with the fake side tanks that had a light in 'em. Cool stuff,. and frankly, I wish I still had it.

[@caeserromero3013]

We had something similar in the UK called the Raleigh 'Chopper'. This had a big back wheel and a smaller front wheel, with the same handlebars and seat as the Stingray, which made it look even more like a Harley. My older brother had one. I was born in '78 so I missed this craze but was just the right age for a BMX. I had a yellow BMX with yellow polymer wheels.

[@RadioReprised]

Still own and ride my '70 Stingray! It was yellow but I have painted it to match whatever DirtBike I owned so it has changed many times! It is a BMX with Redline fork and Black with Gold rims to match my Husqvarna 390 right now. 52 years of fun!

[@johngaller9277]

I'm a 63 year old cyclist and motorcyclist. My dad got my an early three speed Austrian built stingray style bike in 1965 which I broke jumping curbs... In 1968 next to the Christmas tree was a new Apple Krate complete with speedometer. The speedo was documented and logged at nearly 8700 miles. It rolled over at 999 miles. I kept it stock. Still own it. Its very very used, but the patina of abuse is something I love. I disassembled it and planned to restore it, but decided to just put it back together as is. Best present in my life until I was given a 1975 RM 125 Suzuki. Two wheels have helped shape my life, and I feel blessed that my parents believed in my passion for it. My mother wasn't allowed a bike as a child, as her mother believed it to be to dangerous. Every child should be able to own a bike. A great first feel of freedom and autonomy. I am not in these pictures, but my friends and I were living it too..

[@douglasskaalrud6865]

Racing with a single-speed Sting-Ray really developed your leg muscles.They were geared so it took a LOT of effort to get the thing moving. Once you got going though it was unstoppable. Just when your opponent thought they’d beaten you and slacked off you’d blow right by ‘em.

[@tomschlitter1594]

Hey Rhett, Great video! The first bike I remember that was all mine and brand new (previously I got hand-me-downs or used) was in 1972. It was a Schwinn Apple Crate. I was the coolest kid in the neighborhood! A few weeks later, it was stolen, never to be recovered. I was heartbroken. I never got a replacement. Thanks for the memories.

[@RhettyforHistory]

That would be heartbreaking to have your bike stolen. Bikes were everything to kids back then. Sounds like you had a nice one though. Thank you for watching and sharing your memories.

[@giffordely2289]

AAhhh yes , the stolen bike..... Bastards got mine ,too

[@SL-vi4tk]

I had my blue 5 speed fastback stolen in 1976 in Calumet City. Still thinking of the person who might have done it.

[@willhorting5317]

Had a used one of those bikes, in the early 1970s. Since we lived on a farm, and my grandparents lived in town, the bike always stayed at their house. So I only got to ride it whenever I visited my grandparents.

[@jaywilliams9053]

First bike a green Raleigh Chopper, black banana seat half sissy bar, small front tire with fender, big slick rear tire with fender & gear shift in the center. What a bike, what a DAD💯💯💯 Can't forget the orange Schwinn Varsity, what a DAD!!!

[@keithhampton9700]

My first bike was a Huffy Thunder Road. Replaced the parts with Schwinn parts.Lighter weight frame on the Huffy made it faster than stock Schwinn.Got my parts frome the back of a lawnmower repair shop. A car ran over a Schwinn Scrambler. Got all parts for Mowing their lot for for 3 weeks.

[@RavenStJohn]

Those bikes were life changers for my friends and I back in the late 60's...we would find fields with small hills and try to do jumps on our bikes......it was great when you made the jumps and usually pretty funny when you didn't.

[@RhettyforHistory]

Bikes were really hours and hours of fun for kids and now days I feel like most are missing out on that. Thank you for watching and sharing your memories!

[@RavenStJohn]

@@RhettyforHistory I agree......when you have a bunch of kids brought up with video games like GTA, they're not going to grow up playing outside and riding and having the fun we did back in the day.....the result I'm afraid is evident by what's on the news constantly.

[@guymorris6596]

My friends and I jumped each other and trash cans with our bicycles in the first part of the 1970s. I had a Schwinn Stingray and rode that bike everywhere. Then I upgraded to a ten speed road bike and followed the successes of my pro cycling hero Eddy Merckx.

[@floydk2813]

When I was a kid my folks couldn't afford to buy me a Schwinn Sting-ray like my neighborhood friends and always bought used or junk yard bikes so I knew how to repair and restore them. I cashed in bottles I used to pick up and ran errands around the neighborhood and saved enough for a new bike so I bought a bus ticket and went to Sears Roebuck with a Crescent wrench and screw driver in my pocket and bought a Huffy version of the Sting-Ray. They wouldn't sell the display so I had to buy the bike unbuilt and picked it up from the loading dock, opened the box and assembled it in the parking lot and rode it home. A couple of years later with part time jobs I bought a brand new Red Sting-Ray. One of the happiest days of my life.

[@kevinbarrett9615]

I desperately wanted one in 64, but ended up with a CCM Scrambler, a Canadian bike manufacturer. On my birthday I went to a Canadian Tire store and bought a banana seat and ape hangers to complete the look. Fast forward to a few years ago , I spotted a mint CCM Mustang which is like a Stingray in bright green metallic paint at a garage sale. The guy wanted $35 for it, of course l own it now and along with my 18 Mustang G.T. It remains one of my most cherished things and I don’t think I’ll ever get rid of it.

[@dks13827]

You captured it, exactly !!! Great memories.

[@RhettyforHistory]

Thank you for watching!

[@pepejuan2924]

I remember I had a stingray in 81 when I was 13 , we set up a ramp on on a downhill street and I jump further than the other kids at 13 feet, it was also good for wheelies , great video thanks for posting 👍

[@werewolvesofsanger4649]

I loved my Sting-Ray. You don't see kids riding bikes too much anymore. I'm glad there was no internet when I was growing up.

[@rogerrendzak8055]

My Dad and Mom got me, a used bike, when I was about 9. It was the Schwinn Stingray, with the violet color scheme, and a golden glitter, banana seat😁!!! It also had a 'slick' tire, on the rear. One of my favorite, bike's. Went everywhere, on it.

[@mutstumbo]

My first bike was the Orange String-Ray with silver metal flake banana seat and rear slick tire. I can remember running into the rose bushes next to the house many times when learning to ride it. Thanks for the memories.

[@RhettyforHistory]

Thank you for watching and sharing your memories. Thqt could be pretty painful running into rose bushes. As long as you don't put out an eye it's all good though.

[@keithhunter3910]

My first good bike was a yellow, '72 Stingray. I couldn't believe my mom could afford a $60 bike. I was set to pick out something cheaper. In the last five decades, the only other material possession that made me happier was getting my Martin D18.

[@trevorlee7945]

two awesome choices :)

[@doylegrizzle4906]

My nephew's from San Francisco had a lime green Sting-Ray with shifter, mini front tire, and Cheeta-Slick on back. It was rad!

[@artmchugh5644]

I would ask my mom almost nightly if I could get a sting ray for my birthday. On the day my dad took me to Cummings Harley Davidson Schwinn shop in Flint Michigan and we walked in and he said " anything you want " !!! Got a flamboyant green bike with the slick rear tire and a generator light !! Got home and my mom about flipped out!!! This was in the 60s and the price was a big chunk of my dad's paycheck!! Never forget that!!! Thanks dad !!R.I.P. 😁😁😁🚲🚲🚲🍺🍺🍺

[@cashmoney7660]

This video brings back a lot of great memories! I always wanted a Schwinn apple krate stingray. But I believe they cost $89 in 1969 so for my 12th birthday I got a $59 Huffy Rail instead ,identical to the one at 4:54. I was so thrilled because I got to ride my brand new bike for the first time in the Memorial Day parade! It turned out to be perhaps even better for wheelies than the stingray because of the extended frame. Could do wheelies for blocks on that thing .With the five speed it was great for all around riding.My best buddy had a stingray style Huffy with an all chrome frame and rams shaped handlebars does anyone remember those?

[@RhettyforHistory]

Thank you for watching and sharing your memories. I really loved riding my bike, doing wheelies snd jumping ramps and hills.

[@jwmustang1]

I had an Orange Crate. Great well built. I wish I kept it.

[@chopperenduro6590]

Those bars were called billy goat handlebars , l had a set at one time as a kid .

[@whatsit2ya247]

Brought back a lot of great memories! In the late '60s I couldn't stop gauking at those new stingray's and begged for one from my parents, we were dirt poor and I was #4 of 5 kids. To my surprise I got one for my eighth b day, a cheaper huffy that was purple like the one showed, I didn't care it was just as cool to me! My older brother borrowed it without permission and some kids jumped him (Milwaukee) and stole it just a couple weeks after new 😩 Somehow Dad scrapped up some more money and I got another one for Christmas just a few months later! Thanks Dad, I love you and I miss you!

[@JohnnieDorman77]

Love this mini doc. about Schwinn Stingrays and also appreciated credit given to Pete Mole for being the first one to market muscle bikes. Back in the mid sixties I owned a Mattel Varoom muscle bike. Wanted a Schwinn Stingray, but never got one. In my fifties I ended up making the collection of Stingrays my hobby. I own ten Stingrays, at least one for every decade up until the early eighties models before the Chicago Schwinn manufacturing company closed down. Five of my Stingrays are within the highest collectible range between 1963 and 1973. Some American tradition just never leaves us. The 1965 Sky Blue Stingray was the one I wanted when I was a kid but never got, but now I own a 65 Sky Blue Deluxe Stingray two speed. I cherish it more than anything else.

[@harryfritter8266]

My dad went on a business trip over seas and brought back my first bicycle. It was called a libratoss, kinda like a modern gravel bike. That's what started my love for bikes and eventually a professional career racing mountain bikes. I had the libratoss all the way up to 2008 when a burglar stole all of my vintage bikes from my home, while I was on a trip to Alaska.

[@lesliehackney7519]

I got my first bike in 1957, before the Stingray but it was a Schwinn. My older brother and middle brother both had Schwinn's too, but also before the Stingrays. My two youngest brothers both had the Stingrays. The Schwinn's were really good bikes and took a lot of abuse from the kids I knew.

[@RhettyforHistory]

They really were great bikes that could take a beating. I'm curious how tough the new schwinn bikes are but it would really be tough. Kids don't ride them anywhere near the same amount. Thank you for watching and sharing the memories of what you and your family had.

[@kurtwise7356]

I'm 64 and have great memories of those bikes!

[@rogertootkaylok5716]

Hah ! I very well remember when the Shwinn Stingray was being sold -though not for me personally. I did buy a Stingray bike. It's frame was metal flake green with a white banana seat, ape hangar handle bars. A sissy bar on the back. From Montgomery Ward I was able to purchase a set of chopper fork's in the front-How About That ! Of course it had a dragster slick for the back tire. I did buy a chrome chain with a combination lock to keep it safe with I went out & about. I just remember the back had a red reflector underneath the back seat. I also, I think I bought a headlight for the front of my bike as well. Very fond memories of owning & riding my Schwinn many more times in Fairbanks, Alaska where I was raised by wonderful foster parents. So there is most if my memories of the Stingray I rode around at that time. Thank you for allowing me to share my life experiencies. Care of Roger Dean Ruuska.

[@JoeR203]

Something tells me the "Cotton picker" color wouldn't go over very well in today's market. Two bikes I remember having were, a chopper that had a purple frame, mirrors, a flame design on the seat and actual chopper fork extensions, putting the front wheel out farther than the "Choppers" in this video. The other bike I had, had a black frame, knobby tires, motorcycle type hand grips, thick dirt bike type seat and a yellow plastic faux gas tank. I remember my cousin rigged up a car headlight and a 6v battery that fit perfectly in the frame of the handlebars.

[@maxwedge5683]

We would hacksaw the forks off wrecked bikes and just slide them over the existing forks to rake our Stingrays. That and small front wheels gave it the true chopper look. I even bent the seatpost back too (I was getting bigger) but that put my weight so far back behind the rear wheel that I couldn't keep the front wheel on the ground. Eventually I graduated to the next logical step. The iconic "Ten Speed".

[@scottanthony3426]

Yeah, I thought I was pretty cool with those knobby tires. Back in that era you could get a lot of accessories. My family always went for the headlight/tail light combo that ran off a small generator. You mounted it so the tire would spin the generator. Wasn't much good when you stopped though. I also had a bolt on siren. It went on the front fork, and when you pulled up on a string, it engaged the end of the siren impeller with the tire, causing it to spin and make siren noises. Some of the kids thought it might be "illegal" to be possibly confusing someone with this fake siren. LOL

[@that70sschwinn]

Nice! Thanks for using my video Thumbnail at 4:21 The Krate line up was certainly special from 1968 to 1973, Schwinn introduced 6 models and 7 colors, Kool Orange was offered on the 1968 Orange Krate and Sunset Orange was offered on the 1973 Orange Krate with rear Disc brake. The other models included, Apple Krate, Lemon Peeler Pea Picker, Cotton Picker and the 1971 Grey Ghost, 1971 was the only year all 6 colors were offered, in 1972 Schwinn went back to only 4 colors, including Apple Krate, Orange Krate, Pea Picker, and Lemon Peeler. 1973 was the last year and offered only the original 3 models offered in 1968, Apple Krate, Orange Krate and Lemon Peeler... An unforgettable line up of the coolest bikes of the 70's.👍

[@ivorwm2291]

My first bike was from Western Flyer. I had several. They fell apart. I finally got a Schwin in 1969. I rode it everywhere in town

[@davidbarrera308]

My uncle bought me a green one in the 1980's. I can remember jumping ramps with that bike, falling down and getting back up. So much freedom and adventures back then.

[@samuelschick8813]

Had both a Schwinn and Huffy at different times but never the shifter. Butterfly handle bars, banana seat and the standard sissy bar. One thing is for sure. Just like the Tonka trucks back in the day, Schwinn and Huffy bikes could take a beating and still work great. Only thing that slowed you down was a flat tire or a tank ran it over. LOL

[@RhettyforHistory]

Yeah I went thru a lot of tubes and tires as a kid. I really enjoyed my bike. At one time i had one of those spedometer/odometers on one bike. It would go all th3 way to 999 miles and then flip. I flipped it twice. Thank you for watching and sharing your memories!

[@GoodTimeBikes]

I’m in the middle doing a KZbin series on a Stingray restoration right now! I love seeing this! There’s not enough Stingray content out there! Great documentary :)

[@johngarrett7050]

Yep had a black, slick tire, 3speed stingray in “73. Man those jump photos sure brought back memories! ✌️

[@prmayner]

Scwhinn Stingray 1964 Long Beach, Calif. purple. My older brother bought me that bike when he got out of the navy, it was probably a months salary for him back then, I practically slept with that bike. Thanks Bro for making my childhood.

[@SlowPCGaming1]

I loved my Huffy with the banana seat! I went everywhere on a Huffy right up til I was in my late teens. I never knew about that wheelie attachment. We did wheelies the old fashioned way by bouncing off curbs to pop 'em. Nowadays I think the closest you'd have to a wheelie wheel are the rear mount pushers for making e-bike conversions.

[@RhettyforHistory]

I never had a wheelie bar either. I never had a problem popping it up and riding it as long as I didn't have to turn. Thank you for watching and sharing your memories!

[@kenmatthews6476]

I love this video because it takes me straight back to my childhood in West Covina CA. I don’t believe my parents bought me a Sting Ray so i think i put one together from parts I found. I painted it gold but can’t recall if that was the original color.

[@RhettyforHistory]

Thank you for watching and sharing your memories of what you had. Sometimes putting a bike together is the best kind!

[@steveskuras2515]

I got the 5 speed Sting Ray Fastback in blue with a white metalflake seat in 1966. Two years later I put ram's horn handlebars wrapped in blue grip tape...SO COOL. That bike was my prize possession and I took great care of it. Wish I had it today

[@gregorylichtenson757]

Yep..mine was Purple With Speckles and the Seat was Purple as well..Never forget that Bike

[@lorenclarke7815]

I had a second Orange Krate in the early 80's. Was my all time favorite bike...until it was stolen.

[@paulstan9828]

Ha!!! My younger brothers has one. Banana seat and all. They were pretty uncomfortable.

[@RhettyforHistory]

Thank you for watching and sharing your memory of what your brother had. I'm curious. What kind of bike did you have?

[@paulstan9828]

@@RhettyforHistory It was a Murray, I rode it everywhere. It was just a single speed. Ha!!! We lived in the country I Took it fishing, errands for my mom to town and hundreds of trips up and down back roads looking for pop bottles in ditches so I could cash them in for spending money. 😁👍

[@davidroush1224]

Man, this brought back memories. My first stingray was a purple Iverson that I saved mowing, Birthday and Christmas money to buy at the local G.G Murphy store. But it wasn't very sturdy. Within a couple if years I had a used Schwinn Stingray I bought from a friend when he upgraded to an orange crate. That bike held up better to abuse. Back in the days before helmets and BMX bikes we were jumping these off of ramps, then graduated to concrete stairs, and finally off of paved roads with steep hill drop-offs to their side. Our local public park had an ideal area with a bridge that had steep drop offs on both sides. We would get going as fast as possible on the road, then veer off the side and be airborne and free fall for 15-20 ft until we contacted the downhill side below. Lots of broken frames, seat posts, and handlebars, and road rash of course but fortunately nothing more serious. Rode the stingray and later a 10 speed road bike to junior high school then later to high school almost daily until I got my driver's license. Loved bikes all my life and still ride them into my mid 60s. Great memories, thanks again !

[@jimdickerson3255]

Got my 2-speed gold sting ray for my 13th birthday. Road that bike everywhere. Still have it to this day, will never let it go!

[@bostonrailfan2427]

you really know how to trigged memories with these videos, first the station wagon now this! this was the first bike that i ever owned, and also involved the only car crash that i was involved in and closest i ever came to breaking a bone…had one for three days and crossed the street in front of a car, got clipped on the leg sending me flying. bike was totaled, but the driver ended up buying me a new Huffy bike and helmet(at the insistence of the police in lieu of prosecution for failing to yield to pedestrians).

[@RhettyforHistory]

Wow! That sounds scary and could have ended very badly. Did you get on that new bike much after the crash? Thank you for watching and sharing your memories.

[@bostonrailfan2427]

@@RhettyforHistory i got a cheap Huffy that got six hard years of use before it fell apart so it wasn’t too bad. plus the neighborhood got speed restrictions that were needed so kids benefited for years afterward

[@bushranger51]

They were made under licence in Australia by Malvern Star, and were called "Dragsters" if my memory serves me correct. A lot of kids in my home town had them, although my Dad wouldn't let me have one, my old 28" wheeler 3 speed, could out do them anyway. I did envy them though, as I thought those kids were cool.

[@RhettyforHistory]

That is interesting that they made their way to Australia. I figured there might have been a brand unique to Australia that made some sort of version of them. Thank you for watching and sharing your memories of what you had. I'm sure the other kids were mad when you smoked them in races!

[@wyatberp3611]

bushranger51... I think you and I had the same Dad

[@TheHsan22]

Drag Star…. I wanted one, but settled for a 27” semi racer hand-me-down from my brother, with 3 speed Sturmey Archer hub gears

[@lindawoody8501]

My Dad crafted a pseudo Sting Ray for me out of my little Schwinn bike when I was about 9. He spray painted the bike Lime Green, added a banana seat and the upright handlebars.

[@jacksaintjack2844]

My best friend who lived 3 houses down from me got a purple one. I had to have one so my Grandmother ( I love you ) bought me one in purple as well. The main thing I recall is the spring and rubber gasket shock absorber for the front wheel which was smaller than the rear wheel. Ours also had chrome fenders. It was fun, but it couldn't compete with my metallic green Schwinn Corvette that I got rid of when I got the Sting Ray. The Corvette was an early 60's model andawas a full size bike with white sidewalls, chrome fenders and chain guard and that thing could not only fly, but punished potholes and any type of faulty asphalt or concrete. It was a beast. I wish I still had it.

[@bettytordoff8920]

Oh yes, my brothers had the 'rays. My first was a hand me down Schwinn tricycle, "borrowing" my brothers bikes, until I got my first blue cruiser. I then was able to scavenge onto one of my brothers 10 speeds, when he left the house. I was in bike heaven. My Grandfather was a Schwinn salesman. Nothing but a true Schwinn family, we were.

[@RhettyforHistory]

Sounds like you all had some nice ones and those schwinn's were great to pass down. Thank you for watching and sharing your memories of what you had.

[@throwingsparks]

Oh Betty, I am green with envy! My folks would never pony up the $ for a Schwinn but then again I did seem to destroy every childhood bike I owned.......

[@donald2106]

My first bike was a Schwinn in 1958 or 59. Cannot remember what it was called, but it was a standard type of bike in the 1950s. I did Get a stingray knock off I think it was a Murray 1963 or 64 not sure. I literally wore those two bikes out, my dad said that I probably put 100,000 miles on them.

[@RhettyforHistory]

I bet you could have. Kids used to really ride bikes a lot. Now I don't see kids on a bike so much. I really went thru the tires with mine. Thank you for watching and sharing your memories!

[@TheNoncritical1]

My dad couldn't afford to get me a Schwinn Sting Ray for my eighth grade graduation. I ended up with the Huffy version instead. In restrospect, I came out ahead because the Huffy featured an elongated frame which allowed my tallish physique to apply more torque than I could have on the Schwinn's shorter wheelbase. Sometimes things work out for the best in unexpected ways. Thanks Dad.

[@clarkrain3208]

Living in Hollywood, California from 1966-1968 with my 1966 gold 3 speed Schwinn deluxe Stingray with lowered seat and sissy bar doing wheelies up and down every street from Sunset to Santa Monica living on Fountain Ave. If you didn't have a Schwinn in my neighbor hood you didn't have a bike. That was the best time of my life that I will never forget

[@danpatch4751]

I think my first bike was one I modified to be like the ones on your video. I don't remember them being known as the stingrays. We called them banana bikes. I do remember one of my friends had one with the stick shifter. Interesting stuff.

[@RhettyforHistory]

We called them banana bikes as well. There were a lot of different brands that had them. Thank you for watching and sharing your memories!

[@SuperAndybk]

Banana seats

[@Alex_Plante]

We also called them banana bikes because of the long seat.

[@sligacheese6470]

I was 6 in Nova Scotia on Christmas with a green stingray bike number 76 on it. White metallic bike seat. ❤and snow on the ground. Had to wait to drive it.

[@donvito2682]

I got my first schwinn stingray in 1967..I was 7 years old at the time. I only had it for a few months before someone stole it off of our front porch. Then in 1970 I got a 5 speed schwinn stingray orange krate for Christmas. Everybody thought I had the coolest bicycle in the neighborhood. It had a rack on the back for my school books and rear shocks for the seat with a headlight on the front. There were four things that made this bike so cool looking. The stick shift on the frame. The little wheel on the front with the disc brake and front shocks.

[@MoparDan]

This video brings back memories for me. I remember seeing others with a five speed Sting-Ray bike, however I owned a Schwinn Speedster and later a Schwinn Varsity. Those bikes were fine for the times but what I have today is obviously better. I ride my '06 Trek Multitrack 7500 with the lightweight aluminum frame, suspension front fork and 27-speed drivetrain.

[@SGTDuckButter]

My whole family got a Sting-Ray on our 7th birthday, five kids. We loved our bikes, I looked exactly like the thumb nail, and out grew it about the time I was a teenager, when ten speeds came out.

[@robertnewton4610]

These bikes were a must have growing up in the 70's and early 80's. I had the huffy version. But as soon as the McCrum brothers came down the street in the Chrome-molly BMX bikes..... it was game over for the Stingrays!

[@mr.mendez9378]

I had a used bike from my older brothers from Montgomery Wards… I later saved up and bought a used Schwinn. Thanks for the memories.

[@shaunroberts9361]

I had a red sting ray. 1973. Best bike ever. Now i have a 1985 Red phantom. Love it. Thank you. This brought back alot of memories. I could do a wheelie for blocks...

[@georgekappland2935]

I still have my 75', Apple Crate red, Stingray Fastback. I got it new and it now hangs in a place of reverence in my garage. I love it just as much now as when I picked it out from the Schwinn shop in 75, when I was 6. Still one of the coolest things I own.

[@jeffyoung60]

My parents purchased a Schwinn Stingray bicycle for me in 1971. The inspiration for the Stingray were the famous chopper motorcycles of the 1960s. It was not my personal choice; my parents selected the Stingray at the huge Schwinn bicycle store. I presumed I would be getting a more typical bicycle with two equal wheels. It wasn't that I hated the Stingray but it wasn't my choice. But it did the job. Later, my neighbor, the same age as me, got a Schwinn goose-neck bicycle. I loved that bicycle. It was more ergonomic and comfortable to ride. Its narrow handlebars made the bicycle easy to manuever. In some ways that Schwinn goose-neck resembles the Dahon and Brompton folding bicycles today, with a wide, 20-inch back wheel and a smaller, more narrow front wheel, and a long stem front handle. In vain I pleaded with my neighbor to exchange bicycles. He owned the better bicycle and he knew it. But the Schwinn goose-neck was not a popular seller and it soon disappeared. My neighbor sold his Schwinn gooseneck without telling me. I would have bought it from him. Eventually I outgrew my Schwinn Stingray, but at least I had gotten a lot of use out of it. Bicycles were not made out of high quality steel back then. Many were chromed to make the bikes look shiny and to delay rusting. But eventually rust did set in to corrode the entire bicycle. I think I was already in high school when one day my rusted, unused Stingray was placed next to the trash cans for the trash delivery to pick up. No one even bothered to take it.

[@geraldhartley]

Growing up in Canada, I got a CCM metallic green "stingray style" bike for Christmas in 1974. Man that was the best day of my life!!

[@deniselawrie3570]

Wow! Blast from the past! Remember all of those! My most favourite was my Velvet doll, I still have her!

[@suze816]

I rode my Huffy bike to school in 4th, 5th, and 6th grade. One mile each way. (Houston TX).. It was great and I went everywhere on it in the mid to late 60's. Good memories !