b dub 

I scooped up this bike from Craigslist this morning but have no clue what it is.

I know it has Nervex lugs, 27.2 seat post, english bottom bracket & mostly Campy Record components. The orange paint is definitely not original and I can see chrome underneath.

What do you think it is?

I can see the bottom bracket is stamped with a serial number but I can't figured out the number.

juvela

Photos nr. 2 and nr. 5 show what appears to be a hole in the head tube for a headplate fastener. Getting the measurement between it and its companion on the other side will be an aid to ruling in or out possible identifications.

Have you checked the threading as yet? Chainstay stop would tend to rule out an Italian origin.

One possibility which would appear to fit is Schwinn Paramount 1963-66.

kroozer 

Paramount? Mondia?

b dub 

I was thinking Paramount myself but wasn't sure the top tube cable routing is correct. I thought it always came with clips.

The bb threading is English. I'll measure the space between the two head tube holes.

juvela

Another thing you can check is rims. Schwinn used Weinmann at this time. I see the front one has a Mavic label. Of course we do not know if it is original to the bicycle. You can check the hub lock nuts for a date. The 151 bcd chainset limits the date going forward.

b dub 

If I have to guess I would think the wheels are original. The rims are matching and are both Mavic Montlery Championnat du Monde which according to VeloBase was the correct rims for early 70s Schwinn Paramount. The matching large flange Campy Record hubs match the Record group. I checked the front hub lock nuts for a date, it's 66.

Bingo (I think). It looks exactly like this one. Why would anybody paint of this need pin-striping? Or it used to be all chrome?

Kactus

Have you found a serial number anywhere? Paramount would have it on the non-drive side rear dropout.

b dub 

It appears to have been removed.

juvela

One of the many nice bits is the first generation Record front mech.

rjhammett

Please, please don't tell me you bought it for $30.

redscampi

That is without a doubt a Paramount. My '75 Paramount also has those cable guides on the drive side, though mine has braze ons for shifters on the down tube. If you do some research you will see a variety of configurations. Nice score, especially with so much of the original equipment. What are your plans for it?

Lascauxcaveman 

Dang, nice find. Worth a repaint, for sure. (Or in this case a re-repaint.)

I've got an exact same pair of those Schwinn Approved turkey lurkey brake levers; now I just need a vintage Paramount frame to go with 'em!

I'm guessing you stole this thing for song, since apparently nobody on either side of transaction knew what it was at the time.

b dub 

It was advertised as a Schwinn Paramount but the seller really wasn't sure. He was selling it for a widowed friend who's husband rode it for years. The frame is in rough shape and the tt has a small dent. I didn't get it for $30 but also didn't buy it for a Paramount price. Since I didn't know what it was I bought it for the components and figured whatever the frame was it was worth the risk.

No plans yet but the frame is too small for me

juvela

Gotta luv that orange Hunt-Wilde handlebar wrap going over from one side of the bar to the other. A wrapping technique I had not before encountered...

You will have no end of fun going through this find!

Numbskull

Removed serial number
Badly repainted
Likely a long ago sad story in there somewhere

b dub 

Yup, crossed my mind. But why did whoever rattle canned the frame go through the trouble to outline the lugs, including the bottom bracket? Like I said it's a mystery bike in many aspects.

juvela

Sometimes when things like this occur it can be someone attempting to replicate a bicycle they formerly owned or maybe just saw somewhere and liked very much...

b dub 

Any suggestions how to remove the slapped on paint without hurting the chrome below?

Also I confirmed the chainring is 151 BCD.

juvela

Paint stripper. It's nasty stuff so wear gloves and work clothes you don't care about. Best done out of doors with a dropcloth underneath the work. Will not harm chrome.

John E

The 52-49 ringset and the turkey levers shout "Paramount."

That is a wide-range freewheel, which demonstrates how far the official capacity of that rear derailleur can be pushed. Original block would have been 14-16-18-23-26, with that horrid 5-tooth gap. (I built a 14-16-18-20-23-26 6-speed for my Bianchi -- problem solved.)

3alarmer 

...you might already know this, but one of the unwritten rules of olde bikes is that chrome under crappy paint is almost always compromised in some way...which is why it got painted in the first place. But Schwinn chrome was great quality at that time, so you might end up lucky.

b dub 

I took it all apart. The freewheel is a Regina G.S. Oro 5 speed. I removed the fork and the steerer is all chrome. Does that proof that the bike most likely used to be all chrome without another color covering it up?

Well, then there is nothing to loose I guess...

oldbobcat

It means the fork is chromed. If it was intended to be painted, the chrome under the paint will be somewhat unpolished. Probably makes for better paint adhesion. The same might be true for the chain and seat stays. Chrome plating resists nearly everything except oxidation. Strip it and talk with a paint or powdercoat shop to get some options.

b dub 

Frame is not chromed but the lugs are. The paint flakes off with hardly any effort. But my nails don't like it.

juvela

Appears painter applied paint directly to metal without primer.

As for nails, perhaps it is time reparation...

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