The Schwinn Orange Krate

Many baby boomers grew up in the ’60s riding a Schwinn Sting-Ray bicycle. The initial bikes came from the factory with “banana seats” and tall “butterfly” type handlebars. The colors were Flamboyant Lime, Red, Radiant Coppertone, Sky Blue, and Violet.

Sting-Ray, known as “the bike with the sports car look,” has revolutionized cycling since it was introduced by Schwinn in 1963. It has won the praise and captured the imagination of youngsters of all ages across the U.S.A. The director of research for Schwinn noticed that California kids had started to take old 20-inch bicycles and customize them into motorcycle looking sport bikes. The director reacted quickly, making a prototype that was mostly laughed at by the Schwinn upper management. Senior management didn’t laugh long as the entire first production run of 45,000 sold out in a matter of months and they were not able to make more because of supply issues. 

The bike evolved into the Schwinn Krate that had various features such as a gear shifter. The colors and model names were the Apple Krate (Red), The Lemon Peeler (Yellow), and the Orange Krate (Orange). 

My childhood bicycle was orange. Oh, the fun we had with those bicycles. With influences from icons such as daredevil Joie Chitwood and Evil Knievel, many a home-made jump was constructed and “popping wheelies” was a finely honed skill. With such fond memories, I pondered what if an Amish man could experience the fun that was had on a Schwinn bike and what might that look like?

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