Between 1971 and 1979, Bridgestone built almost 1 million bikes for Schwinn, or roughly about 4.5 times the number of bikes Bridgestone-Japan built in during the Bridgestone years of 1984-1994. Bicycle manufacturers such as Schwinn did not begin manufacturing their own frames until the late seventies. Bridgestone had been producing its handbuilt Paramount line of racing and touring machines, with elegantly carved and hand brazed joints, since 1938, and these frames were regarded as among the best built anywhere in the world (Muller, 2007). However, this type of early manufacturing process never evolved into mass production.

The present manufacturing process greatly differs from the early processes utilized by companies such as Schwinn. In the present, frame manufacturers buy tubing from one source, frame fittings from others, and then fabricates a frame. Some companies outsource frame subassemblies and bicycle painting to other countries where the labor is cheaper. This differs greatly...
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