[ameybrook]

The serial number begins 96B.. does this indicate 1996? Any experts out there?

 

[ameybrook]

Okay, I'm bringing this thread back, if thats ok... the only reason is I think this came from the Schwinn Project Underground scheme.

I've determined this is a '96, or at least thats when the dropout was stamped. The only reason I think its from the PU scheme is because of the paint. From what I've learned (from FirstFlightBikes), the Schwinn PU was to redevelop the company name within the high end MTB market in the mid-nineties. All of the frames I've seen were made of thermoplastic, carbon, and had featured ti dropouts (or so I've heard). I've seen no other PU frame painted anything other than bassboat blue. Now, this has none and its made of standard aluminum. However, no one can figure the paint out. This was painted bassboat purple, and I've never seen its mate.

Come on, someone here has to know. Thanks!

 

[Rumpfy]

I don't know, but that frame looks like it could use some love and attention.

 

[Shayne]

Several 'Bassboat' Colours

While I've never seen purple it isn't beyond the realm of possibility.
I've seen gold, red, blue, and green 'Bassboat' schemes on Schwinns.

Project Underground was the name of the carbon/thermoplastic frame. That's it. It wasn't a 'movement' or anything. They were garbage IMO.

 

[Tracerboy]

That frame doesn't look like a Schwinn, The area behind the bottom bracket doesn't look like a schwinn at all. I own a 98' ....................... nope nothing like it! Are you sure it's a Schwinn?

 

[ilostmypassword]

mmm .... sparkly :skep:

 

[ameybrook]

That frame doesn't look like a Schwinn, The area behind the bottom bracket doesn't look like a schwinn at all. I own a 98' ....................... nope nothing like it! Are you sure it's a Schwinn?

I'm positive its a Homegrown... I've got the catalogs from those years and its identical. The current debate is how to determine what Homegrowns were made at Yeti and which weren't. The current theory is there's no way to tell. Any thoughts?

 

[DeeEight]

Looks exactly like a schwinn to me. Perhaps yours isn't really a schwinn, but the original poster's definitely is.

You can still get new homegrown frames on ebay. See this auction...

https://cgi.ebay.com/2000-SCHWINN-H...7QQihZ007QQcategoryZ98083QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Note the closeup pic of the area behind the BB of the chainstays.

Note how its identical to the above purple evilness.

 

[Shayne]

Its My Understanding That...

only the Team or Pro or whatever the top of the line Homegrown was was built at the Yeti facility. I could be wrong. That was 10 years ago and I haven't kept up on my Schwinn knowledge.

I do know that you can visable tell the difference between a 'Yeti' and a 'Schwinn' built frame

EDIT: Guess I was wrong. According to the 1997 Schwinn catalogue 'all Homegrowns are handbuilt in Durango'

 

[ameybrook]

I've heard this, but I cant find anyone that knows what the 'difference' is...

 

[Shayne]

Build Quality

Its something you have to see/feel to appreciate. Generally better looking welds, more attention to detail, etc.

 

[mdcmoto]

My 97 Homegrown Factory XTR Bassboat Blue frame looks exactly like it. It also came in a Yeti box.

 

[DeeEight]

It certainly wasn't paint quality, there was a then regular poster named Jennifer Tipton (she was a helicopter traffic reporter as memory serves) who got I think it was a 98 or 99 Bassboat blue homegrown team and the paint just went totally flake job on it, and there was a missalignment issue, as well. Anyways, she kept trying to enter bad reviews of the bike regarding the frame quality issues and the lack of satisfactory resolution coming from schwinn and the reviews kept getting mysteriously deleted by some mtbr staff member for reasons never explained (though there was no doubt in any of us following the story at the time that it was to appease potential advertisers/sponsors).

 

[ameybrook]

It was recently suggested that the key to figuring it out is in the frame decals. Simply enough, I know. Apparently, the Yeti made frame decals said "Homegrown Factory," whereas the others were just named "Homegrown." If you look at the 96 and 97 catalogs, it shows just that.

 

[mdcmoto]

Here are a copy pages from the 97 Schwinn catalog showing that the Factory Homegrowns were made in Durango by Yeti and the normal homegrowns say just made in the USA. Some Homegrowns were built by ControlTech. The 95 Homegrown I had, I believe was made by ControlTech. Not sure if they built the normal ones up to 97 or not. I know after 97 the Homegrowns weren't the same. Bass Boat paint jobs looked more like assembly line work. Surface was smooth compared to the rough surface of the 97 Bass Boat paint.

 

[ameybrook]

Thanks for posting that! And thanks everyone for the attention to this thread.

it defies all logic to say all Homegrown frames were built at Yeti. I've seen the factory. The infastructure there was way too small to handle the workload.

 

[txpgl]

The first homegrown frames where not made by schwinn, schwinn contracted control tech to manufacture the frames here in the good old USA. Control Tech only after a year or maybe two could not produce enough bikes to cover the demand so schwinn contracted yeti to produce the homegrown and the rest is history. As far as being able to tell the difference by the weld quality thats crazy, control tech in know for their high quality aluminu products and I assure you they where top knotch. Control tech actually made a slightly lighter frame at 2.9 lbs, with the only distinct difference being the area behind the bottom bracket and the paint schemes. As an original owner of the control tech made homegrown I can say it is the best hard tail I have ever riden.

 

[Shayne]

Not Really.

As far as being able to tell the difference by the weld quality thats crazy.

I think it is a very valid method to determine the difference between 2 of the 'same' frame made by different people.
I've owned Control Tech built frames and I think their welds are distinct and found it easy to tell the difference between a frame they made the same frame outsourced to another company.

 

[myitch]

I'm bringing this thread back to life too.

So, what's the current word? Is there a way to tell definitively where the frame was built? Yeti, Taiwan, Control Tech?

When did they officially stop making them too?

 

[ameybrook]

Is there a way to tell definitively where the frame was built? Yeti, Taiwan, Control Tech?

This is a tough question to answer accurately...I might be the only person to have spent the time to thoroughly research it. Funny how my original posts show how much I didn't know. Homegrowns are beautiful, great riding race frames, but it pisses me off when people automatically assume their 95-2002 Homegrown was made @ Yeti in Durango simply because of the relationship.

One Answer: None. Ex-Schwinn employees will say many, but I live in Durango, and I've spent some time in that factory. There was no way it could have efficiently produced anything else other than Yeti frames. I emailed a friend who worked there from 96-99. This is his answer:

The only schwinn bikes that came through the doors at our factory in Durango were the higher end "homegrown" models. We got shipments of already built & painted schwinn homegrown frames. This was in late 98 for the 99 model year and we had 2 shops- 1 for yeti and 1 for schwinn. At that time the painted schwinn frames showed up at our factory and then we performed a 90% build- to ship to shops, the frames were not built or painted by us.. Some frames were boxed & shipped as "frame only" sales & some were shipped to warehouses for warranty frames. The full suspension frames were all assembled by us (rear shock, bearings, bushings, etc.) and parts will hung; the hardtails parts were hung and then everything was boxed up & shipped out by us. We were slammed just trying to do 90% builds on schwinns and build and ship yeti frames, so schwinn homegrown frames were not cut, welded, or painted by Yeti, however for what it's worth I'm nearly positive that they were made & painted in the US- I think up in Seattle….

Second Answer: Some. This one, my 1994 Ruthie Matthes Evian Team frame was built in Durango.

https://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j52/ameybrook/Bikes/Random Junk/DSCN1057.jpg

The influence can be seen on the ARC-style seatclamp of the time, which I've not seen on any other production Homegrown.

A more comprehensive answer: Likely many. I hear stories from some other ex-Yeti employees of having to work on some of the aluminum project underground frames.

In the end, I've come to the conclusion it would have been unreasonable for Schwinn to not capitalize on its resources at Yeti. Thus there were probably a handful of special frames built there. However, if you've got a stock Homegrown frame, any year, Pro, Factory, or whatever, the chances are it was built at either Anodize Inc in Portland or Control Tech in Seattle.

Scott Sports sold Schwinn and Yeti in 1999 and Durango closed. So there was no relationship after that time. Homegrowns were probably built in Taiwan after that. I know my 2000 was.

Now Internet forums are a famous breeding ground for people who "know" this and that about something that happened 10-20 years ago and cant back it up. One of the things I like best about this forum is there it is generally known most of the people here know what they're talking about. Now can I back up this stuff? Was I there when all this went down? No way, this is third-party information, and I'd love it if someone else with more concrete knowledge stepped forward.