1972 Schwinn Manta Ray
Manta Ray – the Sting Ray for big kids
One of Schwinn’s more successful ideas was the creation of the “Muscle Bike” in the late 1960s and early 1970s.
While dad was driving around in his Mustang, or big brother was working on his GTO in the driveway, little brother could be doing wheelies on his Sting Ray. Not to be out-done by the hood scoop and racing stripes on big brother’s car, Schwinn loaded these bikes with features. Banana seats, stick shifters, slick racing tires, disc and drum brakes, suspension… these were the coolest bikes.
Manta-Ray
Schwinn disc brakes from 1972
Wow, a stick shifter… Cool!
Manta banana
While the Sting Rays and Krate bikes (Apple Krate, Lemon Peeler, Pea Picker, etc.) were a great success, the Manta Ray was not.
Schwinn built Manta-Rays for only two years, in 1971 and 1972. They weren’t very popular. These bikes were designed for bigger kids than the Sting Rays, with larger wheels, greater overall length, and a different saddle.
The problem was that kids who were tall enough to ride a Manta-Ray were probably old enough to want a 10 speed like the Schwinn Varsity instead.
Image was an issue for the Manta Ray. Older kids didn’t want to be seen riding around on a kids’ bike.
And then there was the saddle… Check out the large-pan banana seat and you will see why everyone thought that the Manta Rays were bikes for fat kids.