Part love letter, part true story, a new documentary tracing the rise, cultural impact and collapse of iconic American bicycle brand Schwinn is set to hit the festival circuit in early 2026, with narration by former Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong.
The film, titled “No Hands: The Wild Ride of the Schwinn Bicycle Company,” is the debut feature from Los Angeles–based Unfeatured Films and comes from the team behind “The LEGO Brickumentary” (narrated by Jason Bateman) and “Loopers: The Caddie’s Long Walk” (narrated by Bill Murray).
The documentary retraces the bike company’s origins as Arnold, Schwinn & Co., founded in Chicago in 1895. Over the next century, Schwinn became a powerhouse in American manufacturing and a staple of childhood, producing models such as the Paramount racing bike and the Sting-Ray, which helped define youth culture in the 1960s. Schwinn also became an early force in BMX and later in the emerging mountain biking movement.
No Hands also explores how the family-owned business lost control of the company after decades of prominence, culminating in Schwinn’s 1992 bankruptcy. For the first time on film, Richard Schwinn, the great-grandson of co-founder Ignaz Schwinn, appears on camera to discuss the family’s role in the company’s ascent and eventual downfall.
“Part love letter to a brand we grew up with, part riveting true story of an iconic American brand filled with mystery, No Hands is a passion project for this team,” said producer David Brookwell. “There aren’t many names that elicit this much passion and nostalgia.”
“At its peak, Schwinn stood alongside Coca-Cola and McDonald’s — not just as a brand, but as a fixture of American life that gave generations their first sense of freedom,” said director Daniel Clarke.
(Image credit: Unfeatured Films)
One of those people is Armstrong, the film’s narrator and the former cycling star who was stripped of his seven Tour de France titles due to the use of performance-enhancing drugs.
“My first bike was a Schwinn Mag Scrambler, which was the beginning of everything for me,” he said. “I have always been curious with Schwinn and its history, and this documentary captures the essence of the iconic brand in a truly compelling way.”
The new studio says its goal is to highlight culturally resonant stories using a mix of traditional documentary storytelling and AI-driven technology. The production team is using AI-enhanced restoration to bring more than a century of archival photographs and materials to life.
The documentary is produced by Brookwell of Brookwell McNamara Entertainment, written and edited by Emmy winner Carl Cramer, and executive produced by KSQD Media founders Khristian A. and George K. Howell. It is presented by Tiburon Productions and Gem Pictures, in association with Brookwell McNamara Entertainment and KSQD Media, and produced by Human Design.
“No Hands: The Wild Ride of the Schwinn Bicycle Company” will premiere in early 2026.
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