Classic & Vintage - One Frame - so many different builds

Do you guys have that one frame, you know, the one you will never let go of? The trusty 'ol steed that has seen so many different variations. No matter how many times you 'thin the herd', this one doesn't have any worries of leaving the stable.

My Paramount

It started as a bike found in a goodwill by my dad. $25, yep. It had a BMX freewheel threaded onto a freewheel hub. Chainline was way off. SR and 105 parts throughout. I don't have a pic of it then.

I started getting into the SSFG and started buying parts. Here it is with different bars/stem/saddles/etc.
http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f61/thejapino/IMG00202.jpg
http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f61/thejapino/DSCN0318.jpg

Fixed was fun but I knew the frame had so much more potential. I slowly collected some nice parts and built it up as I went. Once I picked up some wheels, I was hooked!
http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f61/thejapino/DSCN0552.jpg
http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f61/thejapino/76fee9b1.jpg

I picked up another frame and transferred all the road parts to it, leaving the Schwinn frame alone for a little while. Then a wheelset popped up on eBay that sparked an idea. IGH Nexus 3 spd coaster break!
http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f61/thejapino/0e357791.jpg
http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f61/thejapino/85879c6b.jpg

Another trend started lingering in my head, this time one with promises of a fast, plush ride. One with a possibility of running fenders. The do-it-all bike. Collecting more parts, learning to build wheels. Here's it's current state, 650b.
http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f61/thejapino/6c567188.jpg
http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f61/thejapino/0cecbfdb.jpg
http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f61/thejapino/89610a7f.jpg
http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f61/thejapino/87291b34.jpg

i love the current state. ive been tempted to do a "balloon tire road bike" as well. that is exactly what i had pictured.


are you using 10spd ergos to shift 8spd shimano? are you happy with it?

I'm using 10s ergo with 9s Shimano using the shimergo Hubbub mod (http://www.ctc.org.uk/desktopdefault.aspx?tabid=3946). It works nicely once it's dialed in.

I dig it!
I have a thing for nice rides with fat tires ;)

Cheers,
Chris

Careful, that bike might just end up with an identity crisis.

All very nice, but the 650 version is really something special.

fun thread. the progression isn't so much about the bike, but your own riding style.

That's great! I love the 650b version. The skinwalls look great with the blue. What year is the Paramount?

yes.
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-_lQvOfZQG9o/TQfSZM8JM-I/AAAAAAAAAdE/cWzE7t4he3U/s800/miyata6.jpg

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Y7WOrwk8g_8/TQfShJL_g3I/AAAAAAAAAfU/Cvj9GARXfnc/s720/Picture%252520290.jpg

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-FRUVfMAFPFo/TRj9KHnn7_I/AAAAAAAABGo/Hmy8SKcpeV0/s640/1000001899.JPG

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-jUn0DDW_RL8/ToXHF3mLF2I/AAAAAAAAFgc/CwgcqR_86-g/s640/1000003128.JPG

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-npYR9ICcHyE/TTIOYKBeuvI/AAAAAAAABUA/qGlUP9hjlxA/s640/CIMG4576.JPG

and there is always the day i brought it home for $30.
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-6EidFmcrXWY/TQfSX_9GVVI/AAAAAAAAAfA/105GO1WVoTQ/s640/DSCF0172.JPG

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-SyhucQcwC-g/TPa3EJPH8-I/AAAAAAAAAR0/04UELMAKbyY/s640/DSCF1680.JPG

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-96NxiaO3Coo/TPa4acL1jgI/AAAAAAAAASg/mniPkEME5SQ/s640/DSCF1573.JPG

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-nozhLBX-9mo/TPa_1gaPLXI/AAAAAAAAAVc/JXFgjV-G38I/s640/CIMG0084.JPG

That's great! I love the 650b version. The skinwalls look great with the blue. What year is the Paramount?

Thanks! It's an '86.

Holiday, is the first pic posted the current configuration?

no on both counts. The Gitane is gone, and the Miyata is my beater with the rear basket pic.

650b works so well with these smaller frames, awesome stuff!

I love seeing the progression there, and it's **SO**CUTE** as a 650b bike.

Is it as fast and plush as you'd hoped it would be?

I love seeing the progression there, and it's **SO**CUTE** as a 650b bike.

Is it as fast and plush as you'd hoped it would be?

Oh yeah, changes the ride completely. I have a do-it-all bike now

I've been wanting to do this to show all the possibilities. You wouldn't happen to have pictures with this bike with fenders and a rack, would you? ;)

Wow inspiring post thanks!

I've been wanting to do this to show all the possibilities. You wouldn't happen to have pictures with this bike with fenders and a rack, would you? ;)

Haha. Fenders? Not yet. Rack? Hmm iunno...

JAPINO-

What brakes are you running on your 650B Paramount?

-D

My Kuwahara Shasta and Cascade have seen many changes through the 5 years I have owned them...

Cascade went from stock 18 speed to running as a fixed gear and then was transformed into my expedition bike running a 21 speed drive train.

The Shasta came to me as a frame and fork was was first built to use as a fixed gear winter bike and then went to being a 3 speed winter bike and this spring it transformed into an 18 speed all rounder.

My Phillips 20 has seen more changes than any bike I have ever owned as I have gone as far as customizing the frame by adding a new rear triangle and fork and it has been a stock 3 speed, fixed gear with drops, 1 by 6, and is now an 18 speed.

My changes have been less drastic. I went from a full brakeless fixie with my Schwinn, to a braked fixie/SS, to a geared road bike, to a commuter, to something I call "the cafe racer." Road double, corncob, fenders, rack, and an aggressive body position.

It's such a good frame. I love it to death.

JAPINO-

What brakes are you running on your 650B Paramount?

-D

They're some Tektro r556 types I polished up. Next upgrade is salmon pads!

yeah i was wondering how you managed the brakes on the 700c to 650b conversion. i like fat tires

i guess this is the simple solution for not having alot of bikes in the herd? you just transform the bike to what you want ahead of time, just make sure you have all the parts ready to go

+1 My late 80's Giant Iguana approaches this relm. Began as a straight bar MTB and now it sports drops and fenders, slicks for the summer and light tread in the winter. If I had only one bike, I think I could see different wheelsets, hubs and gears moving on and off this frame with some regularity

i keep coming back to this... what hubs and rims are you using on the 650b build

^^Curious as well. I was seriously contemplating doing a 650b conversion on my Trek 660 until I saw this thread. Now I am definitely doing it.

THE JAPINO, I'll have to mine the hard drives from my dead PCs to get a progression of the builds my '89 Cannondale CR300 has been through, perhaps someday. Long story short, I had some newer Cannondale framesets I'd built and/or rebuilt and the '89 would sometimes then be rebuilt with hand-me-downs. Not quite as romantic as finding a gem in a dumpster, eh?

Playing around with some NOS handle bars and brake levers in the bin I accidentally hit the bullseye WRT how I wanted the bike to ride and look:
226696

Brad

PS The tinkering may never stop, however. Since this photo I've replaced the crankset with a NOS 53-39T 600 to appease my knee and when I robbed the Serfas saddle to try on the touring bike I installed a tried and true Flite.