Originally Posted by
Danbianchi881
I have been wondering which one out of the two is better quality , Schwinn paramount or Schwinn with Columbus tubing?
The context of the question isn't clear, but I'm guessing it's about the difference between the Columbus SLX (SL/SP mix for larger frames) Paramounts and the "Paramount Design Group Tubing" Paramounts introduced in 1989.
Marc Muller, the then head of PDG, worked closely with True Temper to develop oversized (OS) tubing with a flared seat tube at the BB shell, and a new Paramount version using this new tubing was introduced in 1989 as an alternative to the established standard diameter Columbus tubed Paramounts. According to Schwinn, the advantage of the new tubing was that it offered greater frame stiffness at lighter weight, with the flared seat tube adding stiffness in the BB area.
In 1989, and for a couple of years after the OS Paramount introduction, Schwinn offered both versions. As sales of the PDG OS tubing model rapidly increased and soon surpassed sales of the SLX and SL/SP models, Schwinn phased out the Columbus tubing models. As the OS Paramount evolved in the early nineties, Schwinn switched to a heat treated version of the True Temper tubing and then to Reynolds 753 OS tubing just before Paramount production ceased.
