Johnonaschwinn

I have asked about a half dozen riders as we were riding whether they thought I looked to big for my bike and no one said it looks small. I went to Bill Rons cycle shop and asked him too. I have exectly 4" 3/4 seat post showing. the bars are a tad bit lower than the seat. I do not want to be more hunched over. I guess I am the guy who likes a smaller frame size.

My set up now looks more like newenglands bike, but of course smaller

cobrabyte

When I first got in to road biking in 2007 from a BMX and MTB background I know nothing of "proper" frame size. My first road bike was a 21.5" vintage Trek with a 8cm stem. I loved that bike, rode it for about a year, in that time I must have logged 1500 miles. I never really felt uncomfortable or odd....until I rode a larger frame of a friends, a 56cm....then I was convinced my proper size was 56cm, so I sold my Trek and got a 56cm Peugeot...then I rode a 58cm...and so on

I'm 6' on the dot with a 34" pbh ( I wear a 32-33" pants inseam)

All of my bikes are now at least 60cm, and I prefer 60-61 frames with a 57-59cm top tube and a 10-12cm stem, which all of my bikes are.

If you are convinced your bike is the right size for you, great. Tell us if you feel the same after a few years of riding road bikes.

Johnonaschwinn

your two inches taller than me, so it makes sense you ride a bigger frame. I here it really sucks trying to ride a bicycle that is to big. In a few years when I can not touch the ground in front of me flat handed, do a backflip or feel like I am not as flexible or strong I might want to step up to a bigger more comfortable bike with a less aggressive feel

cobrabyte

Yeah riding a too big bike is a hassle for sure. It sounds like you are doing everything right and learning along the way. Just be careful not to get caught up in the technical stuff and enjoy the act of riding, and it seems like you're already doing that so more power to you!

Oldpeddaller

You're comfortable, having fun, spending time with your son (that's something that can't be replaced) and your vintage bike is beautiful. It's great that you are riding it, rather than hanging it on a wall to gather dust. My PBH is 32" and my bikes range from 21" to 24", with the easiest fit at 22 1/2". Top tube length really is more important than top tube height. Your bike seems to fit you OK, although from the photos I'd raise the saddle a little so the leg is straight at the bottom of the pedal stroke and think about a longer stem - maybe 100mm or 110mm? If changing the stem, it would be worth buying one with more height adjustment if that helps to bring the bars level with the nose of the saddle. After a while riding like this, the muscles become stronger, the neck and shoulders no longer ache and you can lower the bars a bit again without discomfort. Just my view - everybody is different and if it works for you, go with it - there's no right answer!

ftwelder

Progression..

Johnonaschwinn

I raised the seat. We rode up in Palos Verdes this morning for an 1.5 to see if my adjustments were right then home for something to eat then from redondo beach to malibu today 24.2 miles each way. The guy before me was a bike hanger.
Forgot we stopped in Santa Monica to mess around.

Fred Smedley

I am pretty sure that frame was designed for a seat post with set back and with the saddle near the center of the rails. Well designed frames put the riders weight in a specific area for handling, using components that "FIT"a rider to a frame yet change weight distribution compromise handling. Unless you have a specific reason to set your bike up that way , A shorter stem with a set back post with the saddle near the center of the rails might make that bike handle a lot better.

NightShift

Another fit issue you may want to consider is crank length.
A lot of newer larger frame bikes come equipped with 175mm cranks, will your Paramount likely has 170mm cranks.

I can tolerate 175mm with an upright position, but for long and low it's a real issue.
Leg (and foot) length and proportion are factors in what crank length will work best and be most comfortable, but to a large extent it's personal preference.

If you do want to try a larger frame you may want to try one with the same crank length as what you're already comfortable with.

Johnonaschwinn

I have realized the frame is too small
I did buy a 1973 schwinn voyaguer in orange size 23" I am a little bummed about the Paramount, but will be happy and comfortable on the 23" voyaguer. pictures later.


1973 paramount is for sale 1400.00

kiwigem

Wow, what a turnabout! What made you decide?

newenglandbike

Nice score on the Voyageur man, those are awesome bikes, along with the Schwinn Passage. Do post pictures

Johnonaschwinn

The frame is 21" 1/4 I can only pull the neck up so far. It l;ooks ridiculious with the neck so high up. I am a little heart broke. The voyaguer is nice, however it is NO PARAMOUNT!!! I am going to miss the paramount. I plan on finding a paramount in my correct size. a 22" 1/2 would be ideal. Pictures of the voyaguer are coming


I am taking the stem and bars out right now and replacing with a set of 3ttt bars, milremo stem and modolo levers. I will pull the center pulls as well and replace with side pulls(modolo)

speedy25

Interesting insight on this thread. Being a tall guy I have almost always ended up with something too small. Most of my around town riding is on an old Diamondback MTB, but I have a large framed Peugeot road bike. I never thought of measuring the top tube. I'll have to check that out and see if it makes a difference on something I ride.

-SP

Bikedued

The World Votageurs are quite a nice bike. If I had found a 25" I would still own it. Keep those parts you take off though, as they are also very collectible as well. The brake reach might be too far for the Modolo's, so be sure and measure them first.,,,,BD

Johnonaschwinn

I pulled the bars,stem,levers together. I am going to put all the stuff in a labeled box. I want to put better parts on it for me. I am using weinman 500 series(short reach) for the calipers.

Bikedued

Short reach is not going to work on that frame, is what I meant. The brakes are long reach to leave room for larger tires, fenders, etc.,,,,BD

They "might" work now that I think about it. The brakes were 650's that I remember though, front and rear....

Gravity Aided

I think fit varies with bikes . Hybrids, I tend to buy small, and ride with a lot of seatpost . My 10 speed Fuji Sports is a big frame , but I'm 6'3" and it fits me well also . But if I'm going somewhere distant, like by train, and return by bike, I like the Hybrid , a Cannondale H300. Lower the seat, turn the bars, take off the wheels, and it's a pretty small package .

newenglandbike

That looks sweet! Ace color too. Don't worry you'll find another Paramount if you look- but hold on to that Voyageur man.

Rex81

Just remember to enjoy the ride, no matter what gear you have beneath you. This is tricky, as the right gear tends to make the ride more enjoyable...

DiegoFrogs

I'm 5'8-1/2" tall (5'-9" for the ladies ;-) !) with a pants inseam that ranges from 30 to 32 inches, so I'm a maybe slightly long legged average American male.

An odd thing that I find about my most comfortable bikes is that they have the same top tube length for comparable stem and handlebar setups. 56 cm center-to-center. Another thing I find is that they have a rather tight range of seattube sizes, 57-61 cm, C-T, with ones in the middle being more positively received.

The only thing I can absolutely conclude is that if you rarely ride in the hoods and never ride in the drops, the handlebar position is too low, and may need to be adjusted fore-aft. I find the position is about right when I spend half the time in the hoods and one quarter each in the drops and flats.

Johnonaschwinn

So after buying another schwinn voyageur touring model I am going to tray a longer reach stem 100mm. the one in the paramount is 85mm. the center to center measurement on the 23" voyaguer top tube is 22" 1/2 the paramount is 21" I am going to try a set back seat post and a longer stem. I am going to try and get the same distance from the center of the bars to the center of the seat.

The voyaguer is a slow and not as responsive as the paramount.

jyl

You mean, you're going to put a longer stem and a more setback seatpost on the Paramount to get the same seat-to-handlebar distance as the Voyager?

I hope it works. You seem to really like the Paramount, so it's worth swapping a few components to see if you can get it to fit you right.

You may need a longish seatpost too?

revchuck 

It's easier to measure the distance from the front tip of the seat than it is the "center", since the tip is a fixed point.

1.5" is just under 4cm. I'd go with a 110-120mm stem rather than a 100mm, unless you just happen to have a 100mm laying around. Once you've gotten your seat in the right spot, it needs to stay there, and additions to or subtractions from the distance to the bars are changed via stem length. Then again, I'm not sure you've determined where your seat needs to be yet. IMO, you really need to get a bike fitting - we can all make suggestions, but we can't see you. You should be able to get a basic fitting for ~$75, and you can save that much or more by not buying stuff that you think you might need to change the bike to fit you...especially if you want to stick with quill stems, which run $40-$50 a pop.

Also IMO, I think that your perception of the relative speeds of the two bikes is just that - perception. Given the same level of effort, you're probably going about the same speed.

Johnonaschwinn

The perception feels like 8-10 LBS The tire size is 27 " 1/4 compared to a 700X 23
How can that not make a difference??
I am going to call Bill Ron and ask his advise on the stem and seat post issue. I thought splitting the distance between the stem and seat was good for balance???
I am sure this frame is small, however until I find the right size I want to ride it