Go Back  Bike Forums > Bike Forums > Classic & Vintage
Reload this Page >

help decoding Paramount (?) serial number

Notices
Classic & Vintage This forum is to discuss the many aspects of classic and vintage bicycles, including musclebikes, lightweights, middleweights, hi-wheelers, bone-shakers, safety bikes and much more.

help decoding Paramount (?) serial number

Old 11-29-16 | 03:26 PM
  #1  
xiaoman1's Avatar
Thread Starter
Freshman Member
Titanium Club Membership
10 Anniversary
Community Builder
 
Joined: Mar 2014
Posts: 5,864
Likes: 4,152
From: City of Angels

Bikes: A few too many

help decoding Paramount (?) serial number

HI,
Any help on decoding this number?
It is supposed to be a paramount E84100 on the cineilli BB and 495 4 at top of bracket
seller says nothing on the rear stays?
Is this a waterford...says columbus sl
yes i did use search but coild not find my answer




Since frame is bare any thoughts on Grouppo?
Would this also be Italian threaded?
No listing for color on the waterford site either...ideas about the paint, its not metallic?

Thanks, Ben
__________________
"EVERY PERSON IS GUILTY OF ALL THE GOOD THEY DID NOT DO"
Voltaire

Voice recognition may sometimes create odd spelling and grammatical errors




Last edited by xiaoman1; 11-29-16 at 03:32 PM.
xiaoman1 is offline  
Reply
Old 11-29-16 | 04:26 PM
  #2  
seedsbelize's Avatar
Senior Member
10 Anniversary
 
Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 15,315
Likes: 903
From: Tixkokob, Yucatán, México

Bikes: 79 Trek 930, 80 Trek 414, 84 Schwinn Letour Luxe (coupled), 92 Schwinn Paramount PDG 5

This is what I found. Seems to match the sequence you have. Surely the experts will chime in.


Determine the Manufacturing Date


Capacity Added for the Boom Years

Month Code: This one letter code corresponds to the month with A=January, B=Febuary and so on. Because I is not used, September=J and December=M.
Year Code: This two digit code is the last two digits of the year – 86 is 1986.
Sequence Number: This two digit number represents the nth frame and/or fork scheduled during the month. During the peak of the bike boom, Schwinn would add another digit, sometimes producing as many as 500 frames a month.
For example, H7634 is the thirty-fourth frame or fork scheduled during August of 1976.

Edit: https://www.cyclofiend.com/cc/2006/cc...lubin0706.html
I have an '84 Schwinn LeTour Luxe that came win an '85 paint job. Mfg date April, I believe.

Last edited by seedsbelize; 11-29-16 at 04:38 PM.
seedsbelize is offline  
Reply
Old 11-29-16 | 04:58 PM
  #3  
xiaoman1's Avatar
Thread Starter
Freshman Member
Titanium Club Membership
10 Anniversary
Community Builder
 
Joined: Mar 2014
Posts: 5,864
Likes: 4,152
From: City of Angels

Bikes: A few too many

Originally Posted by seedsbelize
This is what I found. Seems to match the sequence you have. Surely the experts will chime in.


Determine the Manufacturing Date


Capacity Added for the Boom Years

Month Code: This one letter code corresponds to the month with A=January, B=Febuary and so on. Because I is not used, September=J and December=M.
Year Code: This two digit code is the last two digits of the year – 86 is 1986.
Sequence Number: This two digit number represents the nth frame and/or fork scheduled during the month. During the peak of the bike boom, Schwinn would add another digit, sometimes producing as many as 500 frames a month.
For example, H7634 is the thirty-fourth frame or fork scheduled during August of 1976.

Edit: CC Bicycle Gallery: Neil Lubin's 1985 Paramount
I have an '84 Schwinn LeTour Luxe that came win an '85 paint job. Mfg date April, I believe.
seedsbelize,
Thanks did not find this site lots of info...I always thought Paramounts had the YMF on the rear stays...wonder what the upper letters/numbers mean.
Thanks again, Ben
__________________
"EVERY PERSON IS GUILTY OF ALL THE GOOD THEY DID NOT DO"
Voltaire

Voice recognition may sometimes create odd spelling and grammatical errors



xiaoman1 is offline  
Reply
Old 11-29-16 | 07:45 PM
  #4  
seedsbelize's Avatar
Senior Member
10 Anniversary
 
Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 15,315
Likes: 903
From: Tixkokob, Yucatán, México

Bikes: 79 Trek 930, 80 Trek 414, 84 Schwinn Letour Luxe (coupled), 92 Schwinn Paramount PDG 5

Now you can figure out if it's an '84 with '85 paint or a true '85. I would guess the former.
seedsbelize is offline  
Reply
Old 11-29-16 | 08:28 PM
  #5  
xiaoman1's Avatar
Thread Starter
Freshman Member
Titanium Club Membership
10 Anniversary
Community Builder
 
Joined: Mar 2014
Posts: 5,864
Likes: 4,152
From: City of Angels

Bikes: A few too many

Originally Posted by seedsbelize
Now you can figure out if it's an '84 with '85 paint or a true '85. I would guess the former.
waterford built correct?
__________________
"EVERY PERSON IS GUILTY OF ALL THE GOOD THEY DID NOT DO"
Voltaire

Voice recognition may sometimes create odd spelling and grammatical errors



xiaoman1 is offline  
Reply
Old 11-29-16 | 10:05 PM
  #6  
seedsbelize's Avatar
Senior Member
10 Anniversary
 
Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 15,315
Likes: 903
From: Tixkokob, Yucatán, México

Bikes: 79 Trek 930, 80 Trek 414, 84 Schwinn Letour Luxe (coupled), 92 Schwinn Paramount PDG 5

I don't know, that far back. My understanding is that Waterford split off after the bankruptcy.
seedsbelize is offline  
Reply
Old 11-30-16 | 07:59 AM
  #7  
Pompiere's Avatar
Senior Member
20 Anniversary
 
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 4,035
Likes: 2,114
From: NW Ohio

Bikes: 1984 Miyata 310, 1986 Schwinn Sierra, 1987 Ross Mt. Hood, 1988 Schwinn LeTour, 1988 Trek 400T, 1981 Fuji S12-1977 Univega Grand Rally, S LTD, 1973 Sears Free Spirit 531, 197? FW Evans

According to Waterford's site, Ed Schwinn shut down Paramount production in Chicago in 1979. He put Marc Muller in charge of rebuilding the brand and production was resumed in Waterford in 1983.

Under "Self Describing Serial Numbers", the 495 A indicates a 49.5 cm road bike.
Pompiere is offline  
Reply
Old 11-30-16 | 09:47 AM
  #8  
Scooper's Avatar
Decrepit Member
 
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 10,488
Likes: 92
From: Santa Rosa, California

Bikes: Waterford 953 RS-22, several Paramounts

E84100 would be the 100th Paramount frameset scheduled for production during the month of May, 1984, at the Waterford facility. This was around the time Waterford began using the "self-describing" serial numbers.

Paramount production began in Waterford in 1981 using the same serial numbering scheme Schwinn had used for Paramounts made in the Chicago factory "cage" during the seventies.

Here's the 1981 Paramount road bike catalog page after the move to Waterford. Note the copyright date in the upper left corner.



This is a 1983 photo of the Waterford facility taken during an "open house" event; Marc Muller is second from left.

__________________
- Stan

my bikes

Science doesn't care what you believe.
Scooper is offline  
Reply
Old 11-30-16 | 02:36 PM
  #9  
seedsbelize's Avatar
Senior Member
10 Anniversary
 
Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 15,315
Likes: 903
From: Tixkokob, Yucatán, México

Bikes: 79 Trek 930, 80 Trek 414, 84 Schwinn Letour Luxe (coupled), 92 Schwinn Paramount PDG 5

Thanks for the clarification.
seedsbelize is offline  
Reply
Old 11-30-16 | 09:11 PM
  #10  
xiaoman1's Avatar
Thread Starter
Freshman Member
Titanium Club Membership
10 Anniversary
Community Builder
 
Joined: Mar 2014
Posts: 5,864
Likes: 4,152
From: City of Angels

Bikes: A few too many

Originally Posted by Scooper
E84100 would be the 100th Paramount frameset scheduled for production during the month of May, 1984, at the Waterford facility. This was around the time Waterford began using the "self-describing" serial numbers.

Paramount production began in Waterford in 1981 using the same serial numbering scheme Schwinn had used for Paramounts made in the Chicago factory "cage" during the seventies.

Here's the 1981 Paramount road bike catalog page after the move to Waterford. Note the copyright date in the upper left corner.



This is a 1983 photo of the Waterford facility taken during an "open house" event; Marc Muller is second from left.

Stan, Thanks for the info....the frame is bare so will have to source the grouppo (just need to decide which direction) after the build I am hoping it rides as good as it looks.
Regards, Ben
__________________
"EVERY PERSON IS GUILTY OF ALL THE GOOD THEY DID NOT DO"
Voltaire

Voice recognition may sometimes create odd spelling and grammatical errors



xiaoman1 is offline  
Reply
Old 11-30-16 | 10:46 PM
  #11  
Scooper's Avatar
Decrepit Member
 
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 10,488
Likes: 92
From: Santa Rosa, California

Bikes: Waterford 953 RS-22, several Paramounts

Originally Posted by xiaoman1
Stan, Thanks for the info....the frame is bare so will have to source the grouppo (just need to decide which direction) after the build I am hoping it rides as good as it looks.
Regards, Ben
I'll almost guarantee it'll be an awesome ride.

BTW, Pompiere is right about the "495 A" indicating a 495mm (49.5cm) frame. The "A" indicates the fork has the shortest steerer tube. My '87 Paramount serial number 620E WK 87077 is a 62cm frame with a pretty lengthy "E" fork steerer. By 1987, Schwinn added a "W" for Waterford to the self-describing serial number. The K87077 translates to the 77th Paramount frameset scheduled for production during the month of October, 1987.
__________________
- Stan

my bikes

Science doesn't care what you believe.
Scooper is offline  
Reply
Old 12-01-16 | 06:41 AM
  #12  
Pompiere's Avatar
Senior Member
20 Anniversary
 
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 4,035
Likes: 2,114
From: NW Ohio

Bikes: 1984 Miyata 310, 1986 Schwinn Sierra, 1987 Ross Mt. Hood, 1988 Schwinn LeTour, 1988 Trek 400T, 1981 Fuji S12-1977 Univega Grand Rally, S LTD, 1973 Sears Free Spirit 531, 197? FW Evans

Originally Posted by Scooper
I'll almost guarantee it'll be an awesome ride.

BTW, Pompiere is right about the "495 A" indicating a 495mm (49.5cm) frame. The "A" indicates the fork has the shortest steerer tube. My '87 Paramount serial number 620E WK 87077 is a 62cm frame with a pretty lengthy "E" fork steerer. By 1987, Schwinn added a "W" for Waterford to the self-describing serial number. The K87077 translates to the 77th Paramount frameset scheduled for production during the month of October, 1987.
Mine sure is! I have a 635 and I should really have a couple sizes smaller, but whenever I start to think about selling it, I remember how great it rides. If another one came along in the right size, I would be interested. Until then, a Paramount in the hand is better than two in the bush.
Pompiere is offline  
Reply
Old 12-01-16 | 07:18 PM
  #13  
seedsbelize's Avatar
Senior Member
10 Anniversary
 
Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 15,315
Likes: 903
From: Tixkokob, Yucatán, México

Bikes: 79 Trek 930, 80 Trek 414, 84 Schwinn Letour Luxe (coupled), 92 Schwinn Paramount PDG 5

I feel the same way about my '92 Panasonic Paramount.
seedsbelize is offline  
Reply
Old 12-02-16 | 09:31 PM
  #14  
xiaoman1's Avatar
Thread Starter
Freshman Member
Titanium Club Membership
10 Anniversary
Community Builder
 
Joined: Mar 2014
Posts: 5,864
Likes: 4,152
From: City of Angels

Bikes: A few too many


Picked it up today with a few other parts....now to decide campy or?
Thanks to all for answering my questions. Ben
__________________
"EVERY PERSON IS GUILTY OF ALL THE GOOD THEY DID NOT DO"
Voltaire

Voice recognition may sometimes create odd spelling and grammatical errors



xiaoman1 is offline  
Reply
Related Topics
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
Cinci41
Classic and Vintage Bicycles: Whats it Worth? Appraisals.
2
05-20-17 07:33 PM
Frank72
Classic & Vintage
11
03-03-15 05:01 PM
tmh657
Classic & Vintage
13
08-01-14 10:22 PM
seedsbelize
Classic & Vintage
6
05-30-11 01:30 PM
Bobcat2
Classic and Vintage Bicycles: Whats it Worth? Appraisals.
4
02-28-11 04:53 PM

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


Thread Tools
Search this Thread

Contact Us - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Terms of Service -

Copyright © 2026 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.