Steve Whitlatch 

I have finished cleaning and building my Schwinn Paramount and have taken her out for a good 33 mile C&V ride to test her out. Not only does she look good, she rides great. She fits like a glove and I honestly felt like I have been riding her for years, right from the start. No learning curve or should i say getting used to, it just felt like my bike. I am very happy with my new to me grail bike that Ii have lusted after for a very long time.

She came to me from the C&V sales forum mostly original but for the Galli brakes that I have replaced with the proper NR levers purchased from eBay and the calipers from another forum member. The bike looked as if it had not been ridden in 35 years. Tires rotted, headset almost frozen with varnish for grease and The BB was full of old grease that turned into window caulk. This was the first time either had been opened up since 1972. The BB still has the cardboard inside of it from the factory. I spent a lot of time cleaning and polishing this bike.

The tires are new but have a lot of glue residue on them because, well, it was my first time and I am not very good at gluing tires. No they are not tan wall. I read so many comments about how you should go for the good ones if you want to experience the true ability of tubulars. I was on a budget. A guy on eBay, surprisingly, took my offer of $100 shipped for this set. So I was cheap but I did not cheap out.

I am really happy I got these tires. The ride on them is amazing. I am blown away. These are narrow 700 x 21 tires that eat up road bumps. I was bracing myself for the harsh ride of a stretch of road that was all cracked up. When i hit the bad surface, it still felt like I was rolling on smooth pavement. No vibrating, bouncing or rattling at all. I must give a lot of credit to the bikes spectacular ride to the tubulars. This is my first time on them and all I can say is wow!! At my weight, 207 lbs, I am a bit *** shy about fast cornering but, I`m turning 50 and I am not racing.

Enough of my blabbering, here is the reason you opened this thread anyway. The pictures.

Steve Whitlatch 

CycleryNorth81

That Paramount looks great

lord_athlon

Whats going on with the cable in this one.

Btw, i am 50 shades of jealous.

Steve Whitlatch 

After I posted the photos, I noticed it myself. cables must have stretched. I am fixing it now.

sloar 

Beautiful

pastorbobnlnh 

Beautiful and well done! Thanks for sharing the pics and you are correct about how a Chicago Paramount rides so nicely.

It is interesting the difference in the red paint of your '72 compared to my '71 P-13. Mine is Flamboyant Red which has a bit of transparency to it and has over the years "crackled." Your red seems more solid and I don't spot any "crackling" in your pictures. Do you know which version of red is your paint?



Your review about the tubular ride motivates me to mount the tubulars on mine as well!

pcb 

A most beautiful machine!

What I'm seeing in your rder/dropout photo is the cable housing butting against the rear of the housing stop, and bending it forward. The housing, or a reducing ferrule at the end of the housing, is supposed to go through the hole in the rear section of the stop, and butt up against the front section. If the housing is too wide to fit through the hole, you'll need a reducing ferrule (5mm>4mm probably) at the end.

As a well-over-50yr-old who doesn't race, I'll say that if you like those 21mm tubs, you should try some 30-32mm fatties. Won't slow you down appreciably, and will have that lovely Paramount both hammering and floating over all kinds of trashy roads.

Steve Whitlatch 

I had to bend the stop back into place. I will be keeping a very close eye on that from now on. it is funny the things you notice when you take pictures of your bike up close.

Steve Whitlatch 

I had the cable set inside, the right way when I put the bike together. Maybe It came lose during an adjustment I made without noticing it? i am not sure what happened, but i will keep a close eye on it from now on. I do not want to have to bend that too many times. It is fixed now.

I may have to try some fat tubs out some day. I can only imagine how smooth that must be. Can you even feel the road at all? LOL

Steve Whitlatch 

I assumed mine was Flamboyant Red as well. i am not sure? The paint looks to be original to me though.

Fahrenheit531 

Awesome, amigo. Congrats on one heckofa bike. Look at us, joining bikeforums at the same time, getting hold of Paramounts at the same time... someday I'm sure we'll end up at the same ride, God-knows-where, and meet completely by surprise astride our glorious steeds.

In the meantime I've gotta give you kudos for patiently building up the bike to totally correct before taking it out. I couldn't do that, so I've experienced a ride with a screwy headset (x2), a ride with a too-long stem, a ride with a too-short stem, and zero rides so far with brake hoods (speaking of which, mine arrived today. Dia-Compe from VO in "gum." they look much like yours haha). 90mm Cinelli stem arrives sometime this week. Then, I'll at least have all the physical points of contact handled.

No tubulars on mine. Maybe one day...

Anyway, a ramble. Glad you're loving the Paramount. Like I said before, after riding 80s-era Japanese steel up till now, the combination of 531 and Campy is like a whole different bike species. A very, very impressive species.

gsinil

Nice!
I am in the process of restoring a '74 P13-9. Just ordered a provenance letter from Waterford to get as much info on the bike as possible.
Did you have any problems with the 700c wheels and fitting the brakes? I wasn't sure and bought 27 rims.

Thanks,
GS

Metacortex

@Steve Whitlatch are you sure it's a '72? I ask because the color looks like Opaque Red, which would be a non-metallic color that was first offered in '74. In addition the decals suggest '73 or later as well, since a '72 would have the white seat tube panel with Olympic rings: https://www.bikeforums.net/classic-vi...l#post15491104

pastorbobnlnh 

GS,

All P-13s originally had 700c tubular tires. The P-10s and P-15s came with 27" clinchers. However, I've been running 27 X 1 and 27 X 1&1/4 on my '71 P-13 with no issues. Let us know what you learn from the provenance report.

Steve Whitlatch 

Well that could be. I am not sure. I just went by what i was told it was. i guess i should check. LOL

Steve Whitlatch 

Serial number is H72301

pastorbobnlnh 

What is the serial number on the left rear dropout?

Pars 

Beautiful bike!

That rear der housing should have a ferrule on it inside the stop.

Steve Whitlatch 

Serial number is H72301. Components are dated 1972 as well. I will look into getting a report from Waterford as well. Maybe it was sent back to Schwinn for a repaint in 74?

CV-6 

Nice job. One of the best looking Paramounts I have seen in some time. Enjoy the ride.

Steve Whitlatch 

Thanks. It is kind of crazy all of the similarities between us in our time here. So what is next for us, Italian steel ?

Steve Whitlatch 

I also have the original pedals, clips and I think original straps. My feet are too big for them though.

Fahrenheit531 

The thought has crossed my mind. Not any time soon though!

rccardr 

Very nice, Steve.