Schwinn Classic Sting-Ray Fair Lady Cruiser Bike

So, obviously, this bike is super cool. I wanted a basic bike for my 11 year old to cruise around on without all the bells and whistles. This really is great because it is a nice size allowing for a wide variety of ages. My 9 year, though he looks small on it, is able to ride it. I can ride it too. There aren’t many bikes that actually work for all age ranges. Is it worth 350 bucks – definitely not. Am I glad I bought in anyway- yep!

Pretty expensive bike compared to everything else on the market but I got it on cyber Monday. Got this for my grandson’s 8th birthday, had to adjust the handlebars back and the seat almost all the way down and he is 53” tall. I always wanted one growing up in the early 60’s but had to settle for a knockoff brand back then. Just saw 2 different episodes of American Pickers and both the original ones were worth $1,200 but both had hand brakes and one had a stick shift. Rear tire is a slick which is kind of neat. Very easy to assemble, basically the handle bars, seat and screw in the peddles. Quality seems really good, actually better than I expected but only time will tell. Everyone that sees it thinks its really cool.

Is this bike worth $300? Well, yes and no. It is a “real” Schwinn made by the same company (Dorel/Pacific Cycle) that makes and owns brands such as Cannondale, GT and Mongoose in addition to Schwinn. It has the look of a Stingray and will pull on your nostalgic heart strings, but IMHO for the price it should have been a more faithful reproduction of the original Stingray. There doesn’t seem to be any reason why one color costs more than the other when both seem equally available. It probably costs Schwinn less to make this bike than a more complex $100 China made modern BMX bike from Walmart. The front forks are not even close to the chrome capped originals. If I’m not mistaken the 1999 Country Time Stingray reproduction did have chrome capped front forks. There are no dart decals on the front forks either. Front wheel and tire is 20” x 1.95” instead of 20” x 1.75” of original. Rear tire is same size, 20” x 2.125”, as original. Wheels do not have any “S7” or “S2” stamping. No chrome fenders are included. The front stem uses 6mm socket bolts instead of hex head bolts like original. Stem diameter into front tube is 21.1mm (0.833”) and accepts a 1.0” raised clamp area on handlebar. The rest of handlebar is 7/8” diameter. Schwinn name plate on front tube is adhesive backed for attachment instead of using screws. Seat is not very plush and doesn’t seem as well padded as the original. Sissy bar uses spacers where it attaches to the seat because it doesn’t have the bends of the original that narrow the spacing. Sissy bar diameter is a thick 19mm. Pacific Cycle says they have replacement parts available, but if you are looking to restore an original they might not be what you’re looking for. The bike came well packed in the cardboard shipping box. Lots of foam wrapping and zip ties to protect the parts and paint. Not much to assemble. Attach front wheel to forks, attach pedals, insert stem into front tube and tighten socket bolt, adjust handlebars and tighten clamp bolt, slide sissy bar into clamps, adjust seat and tighten bolts, go ride. The bike seems to be built as sturdy as the original so probably no problem for 200 pound riders taking a gentle ride down memory lane. Might not hold up for the same rider at the local skatepark. This bike doesn’t seem to be selling out like other Stingray reproduction releases. Time will tell if this bike has any collector value. I asked about the production numbers and got a reply of under 300. Shipping box had printing that alluded to “XXX of 242”, but no number was filled out. I’m thinking this bike may not be that limited as it’s been on sale for around two months on Amazon. Overpriced? No question, but if you are very nostalgic and have the money this bike may fit the bill. It’s cheaper than trying to buy or restore an original to the same condition. I wanted to re-create a Stingray in the early 70s BMX style that my friends and I used to ride. On our old Stingrays we changed the tires to knobbies, changed the pedals to Rat Traps, tossed the chain guard, switched out the handlebars to BMX style with the crossbar, added front and side plastic number plates, cut the sissy bar and lowered the banana seat. After seeing what originals were available on eBay and their cost it was cheaper and easier to transform this bike. This is probably not the bike to buy for your kid to ride and leave lying around in the driveway. For those that just want a faithful reproduction of their original Stingrays from yesteryear I would hope that Schwinn does a better job the next time around. Especially for the price point Schwinn is charging for the nostalgic trip.

It’s a wonderful bike if you are no taller than 5 feet. I wanted my old bike back from when I was a kid and was thrilled the stingray style was available. I am 5’1′ and thin, so I have no problem riding it. However my sister has longer legs even though she’s 5 feet, and says it’s too small for her. So if you have longer legs, it may not work for you. For me, it’s a wonderful ride. Also, It isn’t built like a mountain bike and is not as durable, but it’s a great ride for cruising around the neighborhood and getting my cardio in.