Well, lots of life has happened since completing this Paramount with its Dura-Ace. True to (my) form, those components are on a different frame (a ~2006 Orbea Onix) I found locally after relocating to the outer reaches of Portland last year. That left me with a quandary regarding the frameset. Selling it was not desirable, so I hung it on a pair of hooks until inspiration arrived. That inspiration came in the form of a same-sized Cannondale SR, which is actually featured in the background of one of the photos in this thread. A changing from a 110mm stem to 120mm on that plus a decision to not sell (thanks, nearly-dead market for tall bikes!) made the bike a phenomenal rider, husky 36H wheels, aluminum frame and all. Why not simply build it as Schwinn would have back in 1989?
The Cannondale had 7400 on it. Would I change those parts over? Nah, it's already built and tuned--best let that lie. Really though, if we look at Schwinn of this era, Dura-Ace was not shown on Paramounts in the catalog (when a complete bike was shown). 6400 was (eventually). Conveniently, I do quite like 6400, having had a groupset of it a couple of times. They always gave way to other projects or chasing really good deals on newer Dura-Ace (this is the embarrassment of riches that Seattle was/is) for the same bike. No more.
The goal would be to follow in the footsteps of the frameset: get something great for a great deal and match the "use" for a great bang-for-the-buck bike. This was enacted to great effect, and took a bit of work as something like this always does. Dulled and scratched Shimano 600 seatpost? Time to wet sand to 3000, steel wool, and polish. A 130mm Cinelli stem paired with a slightly-narrow Giro bar (40cm instead of 42cm) for $30? The math works...ok, let's go for it. Can't find an appropriate anodized '80s-ish era wheelset with 600 hubs (let alone just the rims) for a decent price? Buy a wheelset (ok, it was attached to a complete bike) and lace it to some squirreled away 6400 hubs using standard 14 gauge spokes (no fancy and pricy butted ones).
The result is a pretty darn true-to-1989 build as I could reasonably and cost-efficiently do. Hubs were Recycled Cycles, as was the headset, brake calipers, shifters, and rear derailleur. Ebay was the front derailleur (had to have that original diagonal-action clamp-on style!). Bike Farm (Portland) the seatpost. Community Cycling Center was the other brake caliper set (mixed and matched the two sets) and the brake levers. And the Vittoria tires (couldn't believe that). Craigslist for everything else (rims, bar, stem) plus the usual consumables from other places as well as whatever parts I had lying around or from other bikes (saddle).
It's been raining pretty continuously this year, with the additional bonus of nighttime temperatures in the low to mid-30s. This morning was dry enough to get eight or so miles after completing the wheel build earlier in the week. After wondering if the bike would look comfortable in its own skin, that fear was quickly assuaged once completed. Same for the performance. I knew the frame from before, but it rode and steered as beautifully before. And being as true to 1989 as reasonably possible, there is a wholeness or integrity to the bike now. A joy and a relief!
Enough talking--let's get to a few photos, with hopefully more (and more scenic) to come.
I even get to use my long-held-for-some-day-in-the-future Paramount bottle cages!
Mt. Hood is stuffing itself into the clouds way over there. Dirt and plant debris don't make for great backdrops to detailed silver componentry... Will try again soon, haha.
