miamibeachcg

I won a 70's Italian Atala 101 w/Campagnolo group in a auction last week and drove from Miami to the west coast of Fla. yesterday to pick it up. While I was there the guy told me he had a Schwinn Paramount from the same estate that was going into the next auction (these bikes have been sitting in storage for at least 25 years & the son was selling them after they were passed down to him). When he brought it out I thought it was beautiful! - The chrome lugs(? I think they're lugs but there is also one on top of forks) are incredible & the frame's paint is near perfect + no rust that I could see. I asked him if he would call the owner & ask them if they'd accept $150 (the Atala sold for only $83). He called them and told me they'd accept $250 - after a little haggling we agreed on $200; with no auction fees or taxes.
It had the original handbook so I know it's a 1976, and Campagnolo everything except the derailleurs (brakes, drop outs, hubs, the ring on the frame's neck, pedals, sprocket, etc) -
And made in japan cyclone derailleurs!? So I'm guessing the previous owner swapped out the derailleur (maybe put it on the Atala?).
My question is can someone tell me which model Paramount I have? I've seen them sold from $300 to over $1,000 on eBay.
What is it worth as is? Would it be worth buying whatever the original derailleur was on eBay & putting it back on it (I plan on selling it)
As always I appreciate your help!

oddjob2

Calling @Scooper, @wrk101, and @Metacortex.

You have the desirable touring model in a desirable smaller frame set, so you should do well. Be curious to see how it looks after a cleanup.

The water bottle is an added bonus for you too.

wrk101

Even missing the correct rear derailleur and shift levers, it looks like $800 to $1000 to me. No, you won't make more replacing parts if you have to buy them. If you have a pile of parts, sure, make the change.

I would invest your time into careful cleaning, and DON'T use anything abrasive! I would remove the electric tape/foam bar covering and install something decent.

Looks like a P-15 to me but I would defer to the experts.

merziac

@miamibeachcg,

If you ride and this fits you, I would keep it. You got a killer deal and this bike is one of the most desirable you will find, it arguably out classes the Atalia hands down imho and the Atalia is no slouch. These are one of the coolest parts of cycling history, culture, etc. No way I would sell. That being said, the small size may be a challenge, all that I see don't move very fast at all and I have bought several small frames cheap for it even though I ride big ones. If you can find the person that needs and wants this you may be golden. If not well....

Worth is what you can get for it, ebay is all over the map as anyone can see, no help.

I'll go along with your original assessment of $300 to $1000, cleaned up, presented well AND the right person, maybe $1500.

miamibeachcg

Thank you - just went out to car & got the owners manual; it says Professional Road Racing Paramount on cover not touring (but it does say P-15 where filled in inside.
PS - It is a 20" frame.

miamibeachcg

Never mind - I see the Deluxe Touring Paramount under it!
Thanks again for your help; it is appreciated.

tkamd73 

trainman999

Whats your bike worth ? Maby $600-700 the way it sits. $800-1000 if it was all cleaned up ,polished, greased, and new consumables. If you go to Ebay and look at the completed listings you will see the last few Chrome Paramounts were in the $1100- 1300 range. Painted ones don't generaly bring as much.

3alarmer 

...as already stated, the derailleur you have on that bike was a common upgrade. I would not change it. A touiring Paramount from that era with Nervex lugs has been a desirable commodity for many years. Even with the current downturn in prices, I can't imagine that would not sell for 6-700 dollars.

I think that if you pay someone else to do the work of disassembling and cleaning it, the work will cost you more than you will gain in the resale. Were it me ( I know you are in this for resale ), I'd post it on the Bay as is.

For some inexplicable reason, the premium you would expect on selling a bike like that all cleaned up and ready to ride rarely materializes at time of sale. Conversely (and also mysterious to me), there is usually a group of bicycle aficionados who is willing to buy older stuff with good paint and original components like yours at a good price, and do all that work themselves in order to ride it. Which works to your advantage in this case.

merziac

Imho, for me, I don't want anybody else to clean it before it gets to me. There are many ways to do things and I don't want somebody else doing it. Clues can be washed away and sometimes important details can be lost. That being said there is value in not having to clean so it can be used as a bargaining point anyway.

79pmooney

+1 I raced a Cyclone equipped Fuji against (almost entirely) Campy NR competition. I had much better shifting that required less skill (that can be important late in hard races)..

Ben

Drillium Dude 

The rear hub in particular is one of the drillium versions done in a batch especially for use on Paramounts from this era.

Nice score for $200. Small size will limit customer base.

DD

Dean51 

I have two bikes fitted with Cyclone GS rear derailleurs that are otherwise Campy SR and Record. They shift better than the SR derailleurs and can handle a 32 tooth bottom cog with ease.....old legs and lotsa' hills for me. The date correct SR rear derailleurs for these bikes are safely stored away for the day when these bikes move on to new owners.

Dean

Feldman

Eyelets on the dropouts, significant clearance between rear tire and seat tube, that I think is the P-15 aka "touring" Paramount.

Bianchigirll 

That was my first thought too. Wouldn't that Suntour handle a bigger cog and shift it smoother than the Campi NR or Ralleye? Is it a replacement/ later upgrade or did the buyer specify he wanted this RD?

Great looking bike.

Fahrenheit531 

Sell it as-is. The "untouched since god-knows-when" aspect will work to your advantage.

fitlerbend

I had both the P-10 and P-15 1973 Paramounts. The Sun Tour rear was original on the P-15. The Campy Nouvo Record would only go to 28 teeth. My P-15 had the Weimann center pull brakes.

merziac

The Paramounts came with Campy Rally and Shimano Letour/ Crane GS, a SunTour would have been a dealer change, maybe to go with the Schwinn approved Sun Tour bar-cons or a swap out/replacement.

fitlerbend

I bought both mine "used" from a local dealer, his personal bikes.

Metacortex

The P15 came with a Campy Gran Turismo ('70-'72) or the GT300 (rebranded Crane GS, '73-'79). Schwinn never installed the Rally from the factory..

merziac

Tx, I stand corrected, point was no Cyclones installed original.

TugaDude

Totally agree. Damage can be devastating when well-meaning folks try to clean things. Two events stand out in my mind where people that were careless tried to be helpful. The first, I showed up to look at a bike and without asking, the guy looked at me and said, you are taller than me so I'll raise the seat some. He loosened the binder bolt, grabbed the saddle and twisted it while lifting. Created a nice Z-shaped gouge in the alloy seat post that had otherwise looked pristine. I felt like crying. The second, I showed up to look at a very nice Waterford with tri-color 600 on it. Sometime between the pictures of the bike and my showing up, the owners girlfriend decided that one of the shifters was crooked and proceeded to grab it and twist. It broke the bolt off inside the shifter body. I was not thrilled to say the least.

So other than possibly wiping off the major grime, I would leave it alone. If you insist, Mothers makes a wipe that can be used on chrome that is non-abrasive but will shine things up. I'd leave it alone.

dmerk2

Wow, Original paper work and everything.

vintagerando

And, and....original dork disc.

orcas island