What was the Schwinn Stingray bicycle trend of the 1960s?

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An African American family of four, all wearing helmets, rides bicycles together on a tree-lined country trail, with two children in front and two adults following behind. — bicycle Family bicycling on a country road.

The Schwinn Stingray was the defining model of a teenage fad in the 1960s that transformed the American bicycle market. These "high-rise" bicycles were characterized by their distinct design, which featured small wheels, long handlebars, and banana-shaped saddles.1

The trend was immensely popular among youth; by 1968, these high-rise models accounted for approximately 75 percent of all bicycle sales in the United States, with an estimated 20 million teenagers owning one. As these young consumers outgrew the Stingray, they transitioned to 10-speed bicycles, which helped fuel a subsequent boom in the U.S. cycling industry during the early 1970s.1