Originally Posted by
teisco
Looking to buy a 70's paramount but it does not have the correct wheel set. Someone put newer wheels on it. I want to know if used wheel sets are available for this bike and also how much should one deduct from the value of the paramount for not having the correct wheels
I think you'll be lucky to find a correct front and rear wheel for your Paramount unless you're lucky enough to find them on eBay or craigslist, and IMHO that would be a long shot.
The correct wheels would have high flange Campagnolo Record hubs and either 27" aluminum alloy clincher rims with 27" x 1 1/4" high pressure "Le Tour" clincher type tires, or Weinmann or Mavic "Championnat Du Monde" Montlery aluminum alloy tubular rims with either Clement No. 50 cotton sew-up tires or Clement "Campionato del Mondo" silk sew-up tires.
If you plan on showing the bike at concours shows it might be worthwhile trying to assemble the correct wheels, but if you want to ride the bike you might consider lacing Campy Record high flange hubs to modern 700c clincher rims like the Mavic Open Pro using double-butted stainless spokes like the DT Swiss "Competition" spokes. That's what I did, and have no regrets. The hooked clincher rims of today are far superior to the seventies clincher rims and they accommodate tire pressures in the 120 psi range.
As far as deducting from the price for not having the correct wheels is concerned, if I were selling my Paramount I wouldn't be at all inclned to discount the price because I don't have the correct wheels. I gave away the original Mavic "Championnat Du Monde" Montlery aluminum alloy tubular rims that came on the bike, and by putting Open Pro clinchers on the original hubs I made it a much more rideable bike. As far as I'm concerned, the change added value to the bike; it didn't detract from it.
YMMV