Classic & Vintage - My Paramount - It's finally done!

TA DA! She's finally done! I just picked her up today. Many thanks to Steve at Carmichael Cycle. He did a great job on the overhaul, the wheel build and the decal application. And thanks to the folks here on this forum for the advice, for a part I needed and for the decals. I couldn't be more pleased with how it turned out. I did a quick 8 miles on it today and it rides like a dream. I just love it!! :love:

For the "before" photo and some background, see this thread:
http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=262415&highlight=paramount


And here she is today:
http://img462.imageshack.us/img462/8049/paramountwo8.jpg

http://img301.imageshack.us/img301/2276/paramount2kp6.jpg

http://img301.imageshack.us/img301/8091/img0263kh9.jpg

http://img132.imageshack.us/img132/8982/paramount3oe4.jpg

Beautiful, just beautiful! I love that BLUE. Congratulations!

Lisa, great job! I'm with Stan, the blue is fantastic! And I'm impressed; you can certainly turn big gears! You go girl! (My Paramount only has a 49 tooth for its big ring. :o )

A beautiful job! I wish I was tall enough to ride something like that, but I already know that there's no Paramount small enough for me to ride...all I can do is admire. But I can certainly do a good job of admiring!

East Hill

Lisa that's a beautiful Paramount. Were the water bottle bosses on the frame when you bought it?

That's a beaut, simple yet elegent. The way bikes ought to be. Enjoy riding her.

I like the upgrades. The open pro wheels look perfect on this bike. Well done!

Only one word for it: Elegant. But boy, I'd skin whoever got that seat tube decal on cockeyed

That is the purdiest blue bike I've ever seen! Beautiful! Make sure you send those photos to the previous owner. He'll surely get a kick out of how well you detailed his bike. :)

Lisa, best of luck with that gorgeous bike. I remember lusting after one of those as a child, and it took me another ten years to save up for a real road bike, one that I still have today, but it's not a Paramount!

Wow, that's pretty. Great color too. And I like those Campus pedals as a substitute for original Campy.

Stunning finished product! Absolutely beautiful.

Thanks for posting the picture! It is absolutely beautiful! :D You got it for a great price and made it look perfect.

I love threads like this, especially for Paramounts!

The bike is gorgeous! I see you decided to keep the retrofriction shifters. I think that was a good move.
I'd like to know what the color is. It's hard to tell on a computer screen, but it looks somewhere in between the Schwinn Sky Blue, and the older and darker Radiant Blue. Do you know what it is?

Wow, that looks great! I just finished my bike too, it is a great Easter.

Ouch, the braze-ons!

Thanks for all the compliments! To answer a few of the questions/comments:

In regards to the size of the bike: Sadly, the bike is a bit too big for me. I'm pretty stretched out and it's hard for me to reach the brakes. I've decided that I'm going to have some in-line brakes installed so I can ride it more comfortably and safely. I hope it won't look too terrible. I really want to ride it. I don't want to just admire it. All that being said, I would consider a trade for a smaller Paramount in similar condition.

The water bottle bosses were already there.

Yeah, I noticed the seat tube decal after I took the photo. Oh, well. I still think Steve at the LBS did a better job with the decals than I could have.

I have mixed feelings about the campus pedals. I'd like them better if they didn't say "Performance" on them. Maybe I can paint over it? They were a compromise so that I could still go clipless.

Sorry, I have no idea what color it is. It was that color when I bought. I love the color, though!

Thanks again for all the positive comments. Happy Easter, everyone!

In regards to the size of the bike: Sadly, the bike is a bit too big for me. I'm pretty stretched out and it's hard for me to reach the brakes.

Beautiful bike!....The stem on the bike looks like it has about 100mm of forward extension. You should be able to find a Cinelli stem on ebay with as little as 70mm of forward extension, that would help some with the fit problem. Just a thought-

Beautiful bike!....The stem on the bike looks like it has about 100mm of forward extension. You should be able to find a Cinelli stem on ebay with as little as 70mm of forward extension, that would help some with the fit problem. Just a thought-

Thanks! I'd never considered that. I will look into it.

Thanks! I'd never considered that. I will look into it.

And don't forget there's fore/aft adjustment at the saddle rails, too........I bought a 70mm Cinelli stem not long ago on ebay, I had to be patient to find a nice one, and I ended up paying around $40. But you do what you have to do to make a better fit- :)

I bought a 70mm Cinelli stem not long ago on ebay, I had to be patient to find a nice one...

I think a shorter stem will help quite a bit. I only see one 70mm on ebay now. Is this a good one?

http://tinyurl.com/2674hg

I think a shorter stem will help quite a bit. I only see one 70mm on ebay now. Is this a good one?

http://tinyurl.com/2674hg
Yes. I am not related to the seller but I have bought some stuff from them and they get my recommendation.

Lisa, great job! I'm with Stan, the blue is fantastic! And I'm impressed; you can certainly turn big gears! You go girl! (My Paramount only has a 49 tooth for its big ring. :o )

Amen to the good Pastor on every count. (By the way, Capo #2 also a 49T outer chainring. 49/13 is always high enough for me, and 49/14 usually is.)

Lisa, a very short-reach stem enabled me to ride my PKN-10, which is one size too large for me. It doesn't look as elegant as a standard or long-reach stem, but it does the job.

Gorgeous Schwinn! Looks like you have another cm or two to move the seat forward, combined with a shorter Cinelli stem should get you more comfortable.
Meaning no disrespect but natural gum sidewalls would look tons better esp as in Veloflex tubulars on Mavic Reflex silver rims.:D

I think a shorter stem will help quite a bit. I only see one 70mm on ebay now. Is this a good one?

http://tinyurl.com/2674hg

Yes but it won't be period correct like the stem you have. however should you decide to change he stem please consider me if you are selling the one on there:D

Short Cinelli stems are hard to find, especially the old logo version.

Darn! Someone has bid on that stem. :mad: I hate ebay bidding wars. I wish there was one with a "Buy it now".

Darn! Someone has bid on that stem. :mad: I hate ebay bidding wars. I wish there was one with a "Buy it now".

Here ya go...
http://cgi.ebay.com/Cinelli-1A-Road-Stem-7-cm_W0QQitemZ120096968699

Looks like it's a similar style to yours. Hurry, there's only 19 left. ;)

PS Check out his other stems. The 80mm looks nice too.

One other point to consider: what is your bar diameter where the stem attaches? You will need a shim if it's smaller than 26.4mm.

Here ya go...
http://cgi.ebay.com/Cinelli-1A-Road-Stem-7-cm_W0QQitemZ120096968699

Looks like it's a similar style to yours. Hurry, there's only 19 left. ;)

PS Check out his other stems. The 80mm looks nice too.

Be nice if they would show or state which logo it is....

Here ya go...
http://cgi.ebay.com/Cinelli-1A-Road-Stem-7-cm_W0QQitemZ120096968699

Looks like it's a similar style to yours. Hurry, there's only 19 left. ;)

PS Check out his other stems. The 80mm looks nice too.

Cool! Thanks for that. According to my research "All Cinelli bars prior to 1996(?) have a 26.4 diameter..." so it looks like that stem will work. Thanks again!

Hi,
I really like your choice of wheels. I think upgrading old bikes is a great idea.
And on that note... if you need to... you can use a Nitto Technomic stem and
a new handlebar if you can't find something on Ebay. You can also contact Harris
Cyclery, they specialise in hard to find parts.

Another trick you can try is to raise the bars. As you raise the bar, it comes back towards you at the same time. Sometimes it really helps in this sort of situation.

Another trick that often helps in your situation is a seat post with no set back. This will
bring your saddle forward a bit; and bring you about a half inch closer to the bar.

The last trick is that they make handlebars with different reaches. You can buy one with a shorter reach to the drops.

The stem that McDave linked to is a nice one for sure, and the "buy it now" price isn't bad, either. I shopped for at least a couple weeks when I bought mine, and I saw bidding wars take the price on some of those short stems close to $100. I decided my limit was $40, and I held out until I finally got mine for $38. It's definitely a seller's market with those stems, supply and demand I guess-

The stem that McDave linked to is a nice one for sure, and the "buy it now" price isn't bad, either. I shopped for at least a couple weeks when I bought mine, and I saw bidding wars take the price on some of those short stems close to $100. I decided my limit was $40, and I held out until I finally got mine for $38. It's definitely a seller's market with those stems, supply and demand I guess-

Done and done. I went ahead and pulled the trigger on the stem McDave was kind enough to point out. Now I just have to wait for it to get here from Switzerland...

A beautiful job! I wish I was tall enough to ride something like that, but I already know that there's no Paramount small enough for me to ride...all I can do is admire. But I can certainly do a good job of admiring!

East Hill
Here's one that should fit, but it's not really a mixtie:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=220100707332&indexURL=0&photoDisplayType=2#ebayphotohosting

Done and done. I went ahead and pulled the trigger on the stem McDave was kind enough to point out. Now I just have to wait for it to get here from Switzerland...

Good deal! Don't worry, I regularly get stuff from Europe in less time than Nashbar's or Performance's basic shipping takes. You should have it in about a week.

In the meantime, if you were thinking about making a change to the bar tape, changing the stem would be a good time to do it as the tape has to come off one side anyway. If the tape is new it could possibly be reused, but if not it will likely need to be replaced.

I was doing a little checking around to see what the Cinelli 1A looks like and ran across this link...
http://www.bikepro.com/products/stems/cinelli-road.html

The 1A is plain without a logo, but, look closely at the auction. The stem in the photo is an XA, and the XA's do have a logo! So, no telling what you're getting Lisa. :)

Edit: After looking at the link I provided above, it's obvious the auction is for a 1A in an XA box. Oh well.:o

Nice job! And I agree, that blue color is stunning.

wow beautiful. congrats and dont dare even sit on it. you wouldnt wanna put it in danger

lol

Lord! I'm in lust! That is a sweet ride!:eek:

TA DA! She's finally done! I just picked her up today. Many thanks to Steve at Carmichael Cycle. He did a great job on the overhaul, the wheel build and the decal application. And thanks to the folks here on this forum for the advice, for a part I needed and for the decals. I couldn't be more pleased with how it turned out. I did a quick 8 miles on it today and it rides like a dream. I just love it!! :love:

For the "before" photo and some background, see this thread:
http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=262415&highlight=paramount


And here she is today:
http://img462.imageshack.us/img462/8049/paramountwo8.jpg

http://img301.imageshack.us/img301/2276/paramount2kp6.jpg

http://img301.imageshack.us/img301/8091/img0263kh9.jpg

http://img132.imageshack.us/img132/8982/paramount3oe4.jpg