Originally Posted by
stronglight
Paramount was having tough times justifying their top level prices and sales were falling. They were struggling to change their racing image during the PDG (Paramount Design Group) era. Unfortunately, this was a period when much lighter weight aluminum and titanium racing bikes were gaining recognition in serious racing circles. So, they were mainly appreciated by die hard, often nostalgic, Schwinn fans. I think the plain looking style was an attempt to simulate the plainer looking Italian racing bikes (Masi and such) which were noticed as having much better sales success - at least during the first half of the 1980s.
I really respect your opinion and historical knowledge. But I'm having a little trouble making this add up. Steel bikes were prevalent in the pro peloton well into the 1990's. Titanium and carbon-fiber were becoming more common, yes, but were still not "everyday wear" for most pros or amateurs. I think the OS frames were pretty up-to-snuff as serious racing tools - they were very stiff for one thing. Paramounts were also used prominently by domestic pro squads - first Schwinn-Icy Hot and then the Wheaties Schwinn team (and by a young Lance Armstrong). Aluminum frames didn't become dominant in the pro - or other - ranks until Paramount had become Waterford,
AFAIK. If Schwinn was fighting for market share for the Paramount, they were doing it for the most part against other steel designs. And I believe the Paramounts actually sold pretty well - they created enough demand for Schwinn to outsource production of some of the frames. (I'd love to own a Paramount frame built with Reynolds 753 OS).