CORNISH: The Sting-Ray was born after Fritz traveled to California, where kids were modifying bikes to look like suped-up, chopper-style motorcycles. He returned to Schwinn's Chicago headquarters ...

The direct forerunner of the Chopper was Schwinn’s Orange Crate from the 1960s, itself an adaptation of bikes cobbled together by West Coast USA teenagers to look like ‘chopped up’ Harley Davidson ...

Krates are part of Schwinn's popular Sting Ray line, conceived in 1963 by engineer Al Fritz. He spotted children rebuilding bikes to resemble motorcycles with chopper-style seats and extra long ...