Just picked this bike up on a trip to northern Nevada for I think a fair price ($650) from the original owner. He said he barely rode it and kept it inside and I think that shows. I have always wanted a Paramount - preferably a racer but at this stage a touring model probably works better for a bike I intend to ride.

Any thoughts on the elephant in the bike shed, the derailleur? Do I keep the Gran Turismo for stock authenticity or find a period correct upgrade?

personally, I'd pull it off and store in the closet. I'd replace it with a SunTour VGT, although the touring version of the Shimano Crane would be quite nice too. My understanding is this happened fairly often, back in the day.
A SunTour Cyclone GT would be fine too, although it didn't show up for a few years past 1971.


Steve in Peoria

+ 1 on all these options; that RD is an anchor on a bike this nice. I'm keeping my jealousy meter down on the bike; nice pickup!

Nice score. Archive the Gran Turismo and put on a period correct Japanese derailleur or a Campagnolo Rally (1st gen, 2nd version if you can get one). I use the Rally and i think it shifts well with modern chain/freewheel.

Orange!

I like my shimano crane long cage but the sun tour vgt seems way more common. Both work well for me

Great bike there. Many happy miles will be had!

I got my P-15 Paramount in January of 1972. I removed the Gran Turismo a year later and replaced it with a Shimano Titlist (basically a Crane with some steel rather than alloy in the parallelogram) and when that wore out a year or two later with a SunTour VGT which remained on the bike until it was stolen in 1991. Both the Titlist and the VGT were dramatically better than the Campagnolo. I did have some contact between the VGT cage and the 32T large sprocket. If there was a B screw I didn't know about it, so I solved the problem with a big file, filing off the edge of the cage that was interfering.

Yes, this was a very common upgrade. It made perfect sense in every respect: lighter weight, much better functioning, and it didn't cost much, either. If "period correct" means bike-in-a-time-capsule exactly as delivered by the bike shop, then keep the boat anchor. If it means set the bike up the way owners in 1972 and 1973 did, then by all means go ahead and put the Sun Tour on, and while you're at it remove the slippery plastic handlebar wrap and replace it with cloth, the way most owners did; and take off the suicide levers, too.

Schwinn replaced the balky Grand-Turd-Gizmo w/ a much more functional Schwinn Approved re-branded Shimano Crane GS as we had being doing in our shop for dis-satisfied P-15 customers back when. Easy and inexpensive to do if you feel the same about operating the Campag unit, and period correct.

Nice machine!

-Bandera

Really nice score, sweet looking 'Mount you got there. Listen to those saying Suntour or Shimano for replacing the RD. And agreed about taking it off, cleaning it up and placing it in safe keeping. they fetch a handsome price on the market, despite their reputation.

Bill

Are you certain it is a '71? It appears you have Prugnaut lugs and not Nervex lugs. Below is my my March '71 P13 for comparison. Can you post your serial number?

Beautiful! That CampI triple is a great extra. Personally if your going to remove the CampI RD to improve shifting you may want to consider just putting a late 80's early '90s Deore of some type. While not period correct I suspect the shifting would be much smoother even with the friction shifters.

lovely bike, i'd use whatever rear derailleur works best.

i am highly jealous!

According to hints on "The Headbadge" and elsewhere, Prugnat lugs may have been used on some 71's. If so, that makes the OP's bike a pretty rare frame. My '71 P13 also has Nervex lugs.

I will double-check and post the number this evening after work. Off the top of my head I believe the number was "(Letter)7109".

As you probably know, the letter is the month code. I'm just curious if it is an "A" or a "B" or something else. Mine being March is a "C."
[MENTION=312220]Kactus[/MENTION], now that you mention this, I do sort of remember this possibility. I had forgotten.

That's what I wonder. If an 'A' it will be one of the very first built in 1971 and one of, or possibly the last, built with Prugnat lugs. I don't know if non-Paramount nuts think that's cool or not, but I do.

Well, now I cannot wait to get home and give that number another gander!

Man, those Prugnat lugs are the bees' knees. I liked them even before y'all started talking about how rare this frame would be to have them. I like the look of the Nervex Pros, too, but the Prugnats are just the perfect bit of understatement.

I second the fact that this coming with a Campy triple made it well worth the price, boat anchor GT out back or no. Lovely bike

DD

Suntour VX- GT if you can find one.

The serial is F7109 - I guess that means June. Curious if that makes the frame mid-production or late in the run?

The serial is F7109. June?

.
...I'm not sure why, but I always think of the Shimano Crane as the preferred upgrade on these. The Suntour works well, but I've seen most of the 70's P-15's with Crane rear derailleurs. anyway, that's what's on mine. The fact that the Gran Tourismo is still on there bears out the history of little use.

Your bike is the 9th frame from June 1971. My P-13 with Nervex lugs is F7128, the 28th frame made in June of 1971. Your bike definitely confirms that Prugnat lugs were used in 1971... well into 1971 in fact. It makes me wonder if the original owner may have custom ordered it that way.

Very strange, but very cool!

June! Amazing! I think [MENTION=312220]Kactus[/MENTION] is on the right path in thinking a custom order. Of course the only way to find out is to order the report from Waterford.