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It's Curious City, where we take your questions about Chicago and the region. And investigate. Report.

Explore.

From WBEZ.

Hi, I'm Anna Mason.

If you see a low riding bicycle with high handlebars, lots of shining chrome, and a long

banana seat, you may think two things. First, that's one hot retro ride.

And second, if you know your bicycle history, that's a Schwinn. The Schwinn family owned and operated

their company out of Chicago for four generations, and it's single-handedly shaped bicycle culture across the country for decades.

Curious city listener, Maddie Field, is a vintage Schwinn bike rider herself and wanted to know more.

I've always ridden a Schwinn world sport, and I've always wanted to understand what is the legacy of Schwinn in the city.

To answer Maddie's question, we need to go back to the 1880s when the modern day bicycle

was all the rage.

Ignaz Schwinn was a gruff, hardworking businessman who emigrated to Chicago with his wife

from Germany.

He had aspirations for a better life and a passion for the newly booming bicycle market.

He had been a bike mechanic builder, jumped into Chicago in the late 1890s, where the bike

was a big deal.

...