Hoss Cartright

Folks, I'm sorry, seems my posts are always long.... grrrr.

This summer I got my two Paramounts up and running.
The 1973 P10-9 had not been ridden since I bought it in 1998.
The 1972 P15-9 was fully serviced just after I bought it in the fall of 1995. I last rode it in about 1998. So I took them off the wall, fully serviced them and new Pasela Panaracers tires etc..

So they are up and going again, I'm digging it big time! Riding with the local club for the first time in more than 30 years.

The '72 P15 got a few hundred miles in June and July, but I was not happy with the Campy Gran Turismo. (No big surprise) Too big of ratio jumps on the 5-speed freewheel made shifting difficult (especially down-shifts on climbs) and lots of gnashing and thrashing going on back there. Lots of hill climb momentum lost to gear fiddling, not a good gear combo for flat riding at certain speeds. So I parked it for a while to re-evaluate it's future use.

Switched to the '73 P10 and it got 500+ miles of use in August~October 2011.

NOTE: Both bikes are/were virtually brand new as the original owners didn't ride them much and then they sat for decades. Lucky for me they were in heated garage storage so not corroded.

In late summer I threw a test-set of 700c wheels on the P10 and WOW! So, I bought two complete matching mid-level wheel sets for both bikes with 7-speed 13-28 freewheels. Lucky for me, the brake reach was just OK so no problem there. (Just barely got by on the front reach on both bikes. P15 center pull Weinmann. P10 Campy NR)

Addressing the P15-9 ~ I shopped for a while and finally found a nice Campagnolo Rally to replace the Gran Turismo. Found a set of very nice "Schwinn Approved" 1970s Suntour bar end shifters with cables and housings. (all ebay) The Rally was a great find, got a good price, it's like new and already had a set of "bullseye" pulleys. In red but beggars can't be choosers. The DR is first generation without the later casting modification, but I knew what I was getting into when I bought it.
I am also running a 7-speed freewheel 13~28. Now I think I have found the right set-up for me. I have tons of experience with the Suntour shifters back in the day so I am happy with that and know what to expect from them.
NOTE: When I installed the bar end shifter set before the Rally RD arrived, WOW! It took a lot of effort to shift the Gran Turismo with that much cable. Once I installed the Rally, the effort was dramatically reduced. This alone showed me how much better the Rally is.

The original Brooks Professional saddles - I also renewed all four of my 40ish-year-old Brooks saddles. The ones on my Paramounts looked brand new but were rock hard. I had taken them off and was playing around with new saddles all summer. No real problems with the modern saddles except they don't look as nice as a Brooks.

So I started to research the Brooks ones on-line. Found tons of info about how great they are etc.. Bought the 1987 Cannondale "beater" in December and it has a well broken-in Brooks Professional and "OK, this is what I need".
So following the advice from numerous C&V zombie posts, and using the methods suggested by the highest percentage of commentators in the often heated discussions I treated them. I will only say that I didn't use Sheldon Brown's motor oil method. I can attest that they are now very subtle, look new and I can't wait to get them set-up and start breaking them in.
Here are some pics of the P15-9 today with the above updates.








The '73 P10-9

RubberLegs

WOW! Very Nice!

silvercreek

Both of the Paramount are very nice. I'm very proud of my '78 P13-9.

I've GOT to get me a White garage door.

jyl

Beautiful. I especially like the red one.

I've got to paint my garage door . . .

pastorbobnlnh 

IMO, garage doors are too over done. I like scenic settings. Not that garage doors don't have their place. Hoss' Paramounts look great there, especially with the snow dusting the ground. Bikes in front of interesting backgrouds are just too cool.

Hoss, great upgrades. Even though I'm not a big fan of camo, I like the bar tape on the P-10. It works!

Does anyone know why Schwinn never offered the Rally for the Paramount P-15? I realize they eventually went with the Shimano Crane (which became DuraAce) which was a far better RD than the Gran Turismo. But why not a Rally?

LuckyChow99

Both those bikes beautiful, but the red one is absolutely stunning. What a head turner. Great job on these! I love seeing threads like this.

Are the bars on the red bike original? If not, what are they?

Hoss Cartright

Actually the "red" bike is Kool Orange (Same color as the Stingray Orange Krate)

Yes, the bars are original. Cinelli bars and stem.

Thank you for the kind compliments.

This is my Kool Orange Stingray that I restored. (It's a 1978 model, and Kool Orange is not a correct color for that year. I built this one up to represent what we rode as kids. "fenderless" stripped-down model with "racing slick" rear tire)




Scenic settings around here this time of year are corn stubble and plowed dirt.

I am also not a big fan of "camo" but on this one, you're right, it goes well with the silver/black. I had gray bar wrap on there at one time and it got dirty and ugly very quickly. I thought this color combo might not show dirt as much and I was right. Generally I usually avoid black wrap as I think it looks "heavy" and on the Kool Orange Paramount, it seemed my only option as the oranges that seem to be available are not even close to a correct color match.

Thank you for the kind compliments.

Michael Angelo 

Very nice Paramounts.

silvercreek

Were these cable housing stock or a personal touch on Paramount models?

Hoss Cartright

These are the Suntour housings that came with the bar end shifter sets. And from what I have seen on ebay these housings are still popular. (As are the Campy ones of course)

This bike had the typical gray Schwinn cable housings when I got it.

silvercreek

Thanks for the information. I have always like those RD cable housing and since I can't find a totally correct set of rims, I may just put one of the Campy cable housing on my Paramount.

cudak888 

Beautiful revisions, Hoss. Mind if I update the photo of that example?

With the snow and lighting, he's closer to a drop cloth than a white garage door

-Kurt

Hoss Cartright

No, I don't mind the photo update at all. Thanks.

bibliobob

Beauty!