Originally Posted by dnkjones

About a month ago I discovered this forlorn Paramount hanging by its rear rim under the eave of a shed. It was bought new by Jeff, late husband of a dear friend. Further inquiry revealed that Jeff was quite the cyclist and rode this bike from Seattle to San Francisco when it was new and he was young! She was going to run it to the dump! So it's now my bike and my responsibility to bring this bike back to its original condition, in honor of Jeff, as much as its current neglected state and my finances allow. What I know so far is that the serial number is H945, meaning 45th built in August 1969. It has Campagnolo Nuovo Record components and Weinmann brakes. The saddle is by Brooks. I have no reason to believe anything on it is not original other than the front spokes, which have rusted badly while the rear spokes are stainless. The rims appear identical but I have not unearthed a maker mark yet. Below is the steering head after some rust removal and polishing. I have been in touch with Richard Schwinn at Waterford and my aspiration is to have them refinish the frame as original while I enlist expertise as I can to restore the components, using the original pieces as much as possible. Trust me, much advice will be asked of this forum as the project proceeds. I have preserved a number of old bikes (see 1984 Peugeot P18T elsewhere), but I have never restored one before now. Wish it and me luck!