Andy Caro’s 1971 Schwinn Grey Ghost
1971 Schwinn Grey Ghost
So when Schwinn named this bike the “Grey Ghost” do you think they knew what they were doing? Do you think they knew that years later people would claim to have seen one (but hadn’t)? Do you think Schwinn knew that people would scream in horror when they found out that their parents had given their beloved Grey Ghost to the Salvation Army? Did they know how frightening the prices would become for these old collectible bikes? I think it’s likely.
From 1968 to 1973 Schwinn took their style cues from Detroit (well, they actually did that for decades). At the time, GM was selling “Muscle Cars” to adults, so Schwinn made Sting Ray “Muscle Bikes” for kids. With the Krate series, Schwinn went a step further with the “Muscle Bike” idea and went from stock to modified. What is the next step after racing a stock muscle car? Why, racing a dragster, of course. The Krate series is a bunch of dragster-inspired bikes.
5 speed “Stik Shift”
Small front wheel with a drum brake
The crankset looks like a mag wheel
The Grey Ghost joined the Pea Picker, the Apple Krate, the Lemon Peeler, the Orange Krate and the Cotton Picker. While the white Cotton Picker is fairly rare (it was offered for just two model years), the Ghost was part of the Schwinn Krate series for just one year, 1971.
Polished and sparkly
So shiny it’s scary
Spring-loaded comfort
This particular bike belongs to our friend Andy Caro.
From the looks of it, this was a project that took some time. Andy put in a lot of hours getting his Ghost back together, and he has done a great job. Andy, just like Schwinn, emulated the choices a bunch of car guys would have made while fixing his bike up. In every aspect, this restoration was done just a bit better than the original. The paint is richer, the chrome is thicker, and the parts are tuned with even greater precision. The bike is waxed, polished and it sparkles even brighter than new.