led

The bike had only one owner before me - he was the original purchaser in '72. Supposedly he was a fixture around his town because constantly on this bike. A story was even done on him in the local paper. He road until he was about 80 or so (bought the bike later in life after a stroke). He figures he put almost 100k on it. So, yeah the parts do have inordinate wear. I'd like to replace the worn out parts with correct parts - don't mind if there's a bit of use - most will be in better shape than these. I realize the frame and couple other parts are the only decent pieces but given how he loved this bike and got so much out of it I want to put it back in servicable condition. I do think all the grease had some protective effect.

I am still curious about the one decal remnant which I believe is from a later year - the rainbow colored 'PARAMOUNT'. Maybe this was serviced by Schwinn and this decal put on?

Thanks and I am interested in parts that may fit if anyone has them. I'll probably sell my old Bridgestone 550 bike to help with a little $. My wife doesn't want more than a couple bikes in the garage ;-(

rootboy 

That's a great story, led. Good that the old guy rode the hell out of it.

You've supplied lots of pics. But some of the frame decals might help.

qcpmsame 

100K miles speaks well of the Paramount, I always admired them as a teenager. New chain rings, cassette and chain, cables and housing, replace or repack bearings as each needs, brake pads and tires, your choice of bar tape and a thorough cleaning as you strip it down will give you one fantastic bicycle. Even with all new stuff in the list you will be well under what you would have paid elsewhere for a P-13 of this vintage. Check that left crank arm as DD said, make sure it is safe or find a replacement, or even an entire crankset might get you chain rings and all in one swell foop.

Won't he need to get this one listed in the various registries?

Bill

Kactus

Are you looking to use only correct year parts or just the same type of parts but not year specific? That decision will make a grey difference in the time frame and cost of getting the bike back on the road.

If the previous owner rode the bike so much, I'll bet the original decals pretty much disintegrated; the rainbow decal was not original to the bike. You can find proper decals for the bike from Waterford or ebay.

led

I'd kind of like to have correct parts - hopefully some were consistent over a few years. Yes the only decal remaining in part is that one on the downtube. I'm sure you're right about the others disintegrating.

led

Here are some pics of the extra wheels that came with - Shimano hubs. One rim says Weinmann but I don't see anything on the other. Can anyone shed more light on these wheels?

led

Would a crankset like this be correct and does it appear to have enough life left? What's a reasonable offer on a used set like this?

Michael Angelo 

If your crank arms are in good shape you would just need new chainrings.

led

My crank arms are shot unfortunately - amazing amount of wear.

bikingshearer 

I'd have said $300 for the frame and fork alone would have been well worth it, so you done really good in my book.

As others have said, the SunTour shifters were almost certainly not original. I don't think they look as nice as Campy ones, but they definitely work better. Not enough better for me to try to talk you out of getting some Campy ones if you really want to for aesthetic or "period correctness" reasons, but enough to notice.

I agree that what looks like the amount of wear on the driveside crankarm is an invitation to disaster - replace it. As the price of the set you linked to, I'm not sure if that is out of line or not. Check the eBay "sold" lists (look at the left side of the screen once you have drilled down to a listing of mostly Campy cranks or (better yet) Campy Nuovo Record cranks. That will tell what they have actually been selling for, not what people have been asking and not getting.

It does look like your head badge is in very good shape. Excellent - I love those old Paramount head badges - one of the coolest things about the bike, along with its great ride.

I also love that a bike with that kind of history is going to someone who can appreciate it. That frame should be good for another 100,000 miles. You now have a goal, a purpose to your cycling.

The wife won't allow too many bikes in the garage, huh? Simple solution - start parking them in the living room, the kitchen, the bedroom, etc. All of sudden, bikes in the garage won't seem so bad. (Yes, I know it doesn't really work like that, but we can dream . . .)

Michael Angelo 

I would disassemble the bike completely, make a list of needed parts. When you have them all, clean adjust and reassemble. Also Bar end shifters were available in two selections, Campagnolo and Schwinn Approved. I have Schwinn Approved on my Paramount.

Kactus

The hubs are incorrect for a '72 Paramount. The correct wheels will be Campy Record high flange hubs with Weinmann tubular rims.

Those look to be from 1978 and would be correct. They are in a lot better condition than yours and the crank arms look good. The chain rings look just OK but you can still find NOS replacements if needed.

oberthecat

I have a chrome 72 like yours that has the original fork and frame. It is chrome with weird decal placement. I also have a 73 that is mostly original but I have all the original parts. I believe that the original brakes were center pulls as i have them and the cable brackets. I really like the sew up tires and wheels on the 73 a lot. I can provide pictures of the brakes if you are interested.

MrCoffee

How can you tell when a crank arm is worn out? I've never heard of that happening, unless it has to do with the bolts to the chain rings. Can someone fill me in?

rootboy 

Look closely at the picture of the crank , above. There is an inordinate amount of toe strap wear on the drive side crank. Never seen so much wear before. He certainly did ride this bike like crazy, and either had largish feet or had the toe straps mis-routed.

That crank in the auction would work fine, Led, unless you want to get very technical on dating, etc. That one is slightly later than your bike. The original probably/may, have no date code on the back of the arms. Or, see if they have a circle with a 3 in it.

pastorbobnlnh 

Since I'm not a purest on dates and have too many parts floating around, let me check to see if the spare cranks I have are '73s. I'd be glad to pass them along.

I do have a great selection of Regina ORO cogs which might fit onto your original freewheel body (if the current cogs are worn beyond use). The cogs are steel and should not have worn as much as the chain rings, but if the OO put 100K on this bike, they are probably ready to be turned into art work.

miamijim

Here're some reference pictures of my old bone stock P13-9...

led

MiamiJim - how can a bike be so pristine? It looks like one could eat off it. Beautiful! I know mine will never look like that but I do appreciate the pics (as I'm sure everyone else does) for reference. It looks like yours came with center pull brakes...but as far as I can tell my Campy side pulls are correct as well?

led

Pastor Bob,
It would be super if you had spare cranks that are from the same ballpark era. Very nice of you to check. I will clean up a bit these cogs and see what they look like. If they are shot as is likely I'd be glad to purchase some that fit.

Luca

rootboy 

Yeah. Trying to find a "no-date" Record crank isn't worth it. They all look the same, basically, so a nice one like that one in the auction would be just fine. Only if you're making a show bike would finding a no date crank makes sense.

miamijim

Thanks. I bought it from the original owner. He worked summers at country club and saved up to buy his dream bike. After riding it a few times he flatted one of the tubulars and stored the bike indoors ever since. He owned his dream for almost 40 years!!

Yes, the center pulls and extension levers are original, even the vinyl saddle. There were a variety of option available, I believe the Campy side pulls were an option. Looking of the order form it appears the down tube levers on your bike may be original. The order from say, 'finger tip ratchet' which would be Schwinn branded Suntours. Do your levers say 'Schwinn Approved' on them?


I have a set....but the he doesn't need a complete crank set. What led needs is pre-cpsc chain rings which are readily available at reasonable cost.

Hoss Cartright

My 1972 P13 has also the Weinmann center-pull brakes, and mine was ordered with clinchers. The only change I have made is to put the Brooks saddle and the turkey levers on the shelf. Mine has the Suntour Schwinn Approved barcons. Mine is also very close to NOS.


Smokin' deal this bike was! It's funny, I was looking at the images when it was first posted. I saw the worn drive-train and thought to myself that this bike must have something close to 100,000 miles. Then on page two I saw that this was the estimated miles. I also thought that this machine was a perfect example of how well-made these old Paramounts really were.

My 1972 P13

Sixty Fiver

Despite the condition of the drivetrain, you did really well here.

The Suntour shifters are a step up over the originals and there is nothing wrong with the Tange headset... they are very well made and if the original headset wore out that speaks to the bike seeing a ton of miles (or poor servicing)as does the wear to the crank arm and chainwheel.

If a Campy crank and rings are out of reach (price wise) a Stronglight would not look out of place... you might find one of these for less although you want to make sure you have the matching bottom bracket.