Originally Posted by
Picchio Special
This is a common misconception - or perhaps "urban myth" would be more accurate. The "Paramount Design Group" name and concept predate the "Series" bikes by a good decade. Waterford frames with "PDG" decals sometimes fail to bring full value when sold because of the idea that PDG=Asian-built. It's rather remarkable this stuff continues to get repeated when the Waterford site makes all the information readily available.
Also, the unicrown fork does not equate to TIG-welded - as a cursory glance at the photos of the craigslist bike reveals.
Thanks for setting me straight on that. My limited (and apparently inaccurate) knowledge came from lusting after a Paramount during the days when they were being made. I devoured everything I could read about them, and I must say that I honestly do not recall ever seeing the letters "PDG" on their frames before they started importing from Asia. But what's on the Paramount webpage (link above) does sorta dispel the rumors. Schwinn would have been well served to distribute that information to its dealers at the time, since they were the boldest purveyors of the evident misinformation.
As for the frame in the OP - I still don't see anything in the photos that I can clearly make out as a lug, though I see a hint of one at the bottom bracket shell. Am I also incorrect in surmising that a frame of Tange OS was probably of Asian origin?