Paramount Elite
#1
Junior Member
Thread Starter
Paramount Elite
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edited to include seller pics
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Last edited by awrycycle; 02-28-24 at 12:00 PM.
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#2
Freewheel Medic
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Beautiful! Great find!
Pictures do tell a story, but not the complete story. Please share more about this rare bike and how it came into your possession.
Have you looked for an old-style Chicago era serial number on the left rear dropout? It might or might not be there buried in the paint. I believe the number stamped in the BB shell is the size of your frame in mm. The serial number on my '83 Standard is very faint. A light smear of polish helps it to be visible. My BB stamping is "600" and it is a 60cm frame.
![](https://hosting.photobucket.com/albums/p71/pastorbobnlnh/Paramounts/.highres/52E3535F-6536-4B6C-879C-8DCBC479E6BB-9742-00000A946BEDBB00_zps2eccf1b1.jpg?width=960&height=720&fit=bounds)
Pictures do tell a story, but not the complete story. Please share more about this rare bike and how it came into your possession.
Have you looked for an old-style Chicago era serial number on the left rear dropout? It might or might not be there buried in the paint. I believe the number stamped in the BB shell is the size of your frame in mm. The serial number on my '83 Standard is very faint. A light smear of polish helps it to be visible. My BB stamping is "600" and it is a 60cm frame.
![](https://hosting.photobucket.com/albums/p71/pastorbobnlnh/Paramounts/.highres/52E3535F-6536-4B6C-879C-8DCBC479E6BB-9742-00000A946BEDBB00_zps2eccf1b1.jpg?width=960&height=720&fit=bounds)
![](https://hosting.photobucket.com/albums/p71/pastorbobnlnh/Paramounts/.highres/0C3DC855-FD9E-4410-9847-47BCB2AA2D10-9742-00000A945999E29A_zps4296d4d0.jpg?width=960&height=720&fit=bounds)
__________________
Bob
Enjoying the GA coast all year long!
Thanks for visiting my website: www.freewheelspa.com
Bob
Enjoying the GA coast all year long!
Thanks for visiting my website: www.freewheelspa.com
Last edited by pastorbobnlnh; 02-27-24 at 06:36 AM.
#3
Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2020
Location: Phoenix, AZ
Posts: 982
Bikes: 1964(?) Frejus Tour de France, 1967(?) Dawes Double Blue, 1979 Trek 710, 1982 Claud Butler Dalesman, 1983 Schwinn Paramount Elite, 2014 Brompton, maybe a couple more
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Lovely bike, and looks similar to my 1983 Paramount in many ways. I look forward to hearing more about it. Mine is number D8305.
![](https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikeforums.net-vbulletin/2000x1504/img_1574_2ebfcff017532e6ad6a8050c8eb660cd5950b394.jpg)
The chrome fork and stays on mine were originally painted - the paint didn't adhere too well to chrome, so I removed the paint.
![](https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikeforums.net-vbulletin/2000x1504/img_1574_2ebfcff017532e6ad6a8050c8eb660cd5950b394.jpg)
The chrome fork and stays on mine were originally painted - the paint didn't adhere too well to chrome, so I removed the paint.
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#4
Junior Member
Thread Starter
sorry to disappoint on historical details. only known origins, prior to discovery and listing, a storage locker in/around rockford, illinois.
shipment expectations were.. nerve-wracking, but actually turned out smooth. two boxes!
while not exactly mint, it does appear fairly low-mileage. in terms of components, it feels to have remained fully intact, despite a few odd choices, up to and throughout its hibernation.
I had read about the serial number location, and suspected something could be hidden down there, but didn’t have the time to examine closely. will definitely try to decipher when back in town.
got a 7 speed suntour to swap over, but still undecided on the rest of drivetrain. very eclectic mix, but maybe overly so. leaning away from the avocets, in particular.
to top it all off, the 21” tt & 20” ctt is just right on the money for me.
shipment expectations were.. nerve-wracking, but actually turned out smooth. two boxes!
while not exactly mint, it does appear fairly low-mileage. in terms of components, it feels to have remained fully intact, despite a few odd choices, up to and throughout its hibernation.
I had read about the serial number location, and suspected something could be hidden down there, but didn’t have the time to examine closely. will definitely try to decipher when back in town.
got a 7 speed suntour to swap over, but still undecided on the rest of drivetrain. very eclectic mix, but maybe overly so. leaning away from the avocets, in particular.
to top it all off, the 21” tt & 20” ctt is just right on the money for me.
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#5
Freewheel Medic
Join Date: Oct 2005
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albrt I didn't realize our Waterfords were just a month apart. While in the picture my serial number looks to begin with "F," it is actually an "E." It is also interesting to contrast the finish differences between your Elite and awrycycle 's Elite. His paint and chrome match very closely to my Standard, where as your Elite has those lovely full chrome seat stays, the non-drive-side chrome stay, and the head lugs.
![](https://hosting.photobucket.com/albums/p71/pastorbobnlnh/Paramounts/1983%20Makeover%202012/.highres/83ParamountSideB071012.jpg?width=960&height=720&fit=bounds)
__________________
Bob
Enjoying the GA coast all year long!
Thanks for visiting my website: www.freewheelspa.com
Bob
Enjoying the GA coast all year long!
Thanks for visiting my website: www.freewheelspa.com
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#6
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Thread Starter
by the way, there’s currently a listing up with plenty of pics for another elite.
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#7
Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2020
Location: Phoenix, AZ
Posts: 982
Bikes: 1964(?) Frejus Tour de France, 1967(?) Dawes Double Blue, 1979 Trek 710, 1982 Claud Butler Dalesman, 1983 Schwinn Paramount Elite, 2014 Brompton, maybe a couple more
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Mine is painted and decaled almost exactly like the test bike loaned to Bicycling magazine for the June 1983 article, except that for whatever reason most of the chrome was painted over at the factory. Original owner was a Schwinn dealer, so maybe he got a deal on sample or an order cancellation.
#8
Full Member
#9
Full Member
awrycycle
Is this the Paramount sold on E Bay a month or so ago?
link to the Elite pages of Paramount cataloug
https://waterfordbikes.com/SchwinnCa...1982_pb01.html
Is this the Paramount sold on E Bay a month or so ago?
link to the Elite pages of Paramount cataloug
https://waterfordbikes.com/SchwinnCa...1982_pb01.html
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#10
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trainman999
‘tis. that’s interesting, I wasn’t aware of a touring model, nor a standard.
my geometry and rear cluster point to the road model, so the touring crankset and deore feel slightly more out of place.
‘tis. that’s interesting, I wasn’t aware of a touring model, nor a standard.
my geometry and rear cluster point to the road model, so the touring crankset and deore feel slightly more out of place.
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#12
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Join Date: Oct 2020
Location: Phoenix, AZ
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Bikes: 1964(?) Frejus Tour de France, 1967(?) Dawes Double Blue, 1979 Trek 710, 1982 Claud Butler Dalesman, 1983 Schwinn Paramount Elite, 2014 Brompton, maybe a couple more
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The early 1980s Elites were all custom - frame designed for the buyer and then you could get whatever components you wanted.
Road Test/Bike Review (1983) SCHWINN Paramount
Mine is also a sport-touring hybrid.
Road Test/Bike Review (1983) SCHWINN Paramount
Mine is also a sport-touring hybrid.
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#13
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Thread Starter
chipped..
![](https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikeforums.net-vbulletin/2000x1504/img_3124_8fd81ef62a46bdabb350af78cca5df178999ac27.jpeg)
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#14
Freewheel Medic
Join Date: Oct 2005
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Is the SN "F82**"?
The seller was certainly careful not to show the rusty chrome on the drive-side chain-stay. Did he/she mention it in the description?
The seller was certainly careful not to show the rusty chrome on the drive-side chain-stay. Did he/she mention it in the description?
__________________
Bob
Enjoying the GA coast all year long!
Thanks for visiting my website: www.freewheelspa.com
Bob
Enjoying the GA coast all year long!
Thanks for visiting my website: www.freewheelspa.com
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#15
Junior Member
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to be fair, the rust was more apparent in the seller’s pics before they were shrunken.
‘426’ as the last 3 digits is all I can actually confirm.
E, F, B; I couldn’t tell ya.
‘426’ as the last 3 digits is all I can actually confirm.
E, F, B; I couldn’t tell ya.
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#17
Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2020
Location: Phoenix, AZ
Posts: 982
Bikes: 1964(?) Frejus Tour de France, 1967(?) Dawes Double Blue, 1979 Trek 710, 1982 Claud Butler Dalesman, 1983 Schwinn Paramount Elite, 2014 Brompton, maybe a couple more
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On my bike the paint was chipping off from the chromed parts (which I did not know were chrome). Underneath the paint was a greyish layer sort of like the picture of the rear dropout on yours. The greyish layer turned out to be a gummy substance that I suspect was used as a sort of primer when they painted over the chrome. May be worth scraping off a tiny bit of the greyish stuff to see what is underneath. I mostly used a razor blade with a very light touch.
Restoring chrome under paint?
Restoring chrome under paint?
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#18
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not the best pic, but it looks like polished chrome to me.
#19
Junior Member
Thread Starter
welp, gonna have to soak the stem and post.
hopefully evaporust will suffice, as I’ll be filling the tubes with it anyway.
![](https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikeforums.net-vbulletin/2000x1504/img_3328_5aaf081908f6f734da7a3e240b8ec0dd644964ef.jpeg)
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hopefully evaporust will suffice, as I’ll be filling the tubes with it anyway.
![](https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikeforums.net-vbulletin/2000x1504/img_3328_5aaf081908f6f734da7a3e240b8ec0dd644964ef.jpeg)
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#20
Junior Member
Thread Starter
no movement from:
punching on the saddle clamp bolt.
ice inside, boiled sock outside.
more punching.
30 lbs in plates as a, sort of, gravity-assisted slide hammer.
zero budge.
now just more penetrant-soaking in the hot weather, with 45 lbs of consistent pressure. but this probably goes nowhere.
might be time to destroy the seatpost..
![](https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikeforums.net-vbulletin/2000x1504/img_3612_338b75a48c79653befabf85482f393178d146e1c.jpeg)
punching on the saddle clamp bolt.
ice inside, boiled sock outside.
more punching.
30 lbs in plates as a, sort of, gravity-assisted slide hammer.
zero budge.
now just more penetrant-soaking in the hot weather, with 45 lbs of consistent pressure. but this probably goes nowhere.
might be time to destroy the seatpost..
![](https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikeforums.net-vbulletin/2000x1504/img_3612_338b75a48c79653befabf85482f393178d146e1c.jpeg)
#22
The last stuck post attacked, I placed the front triangle flat on a surface such as a bench and let the rear float freely. I stepped on the tip of the saddle of the secured front and it popped on the rotation attempt. This was after a few days of repeated use of PB Blaster.
That bike had stuck post, stem, and crank dust caps. They all took a tremendous efforts but all were salvaged.
That bike had stuck post, stem, and crank dust caps. They all took a tremendous efforts but all were salvaged.
Last edited by Mr. 66; 06-18-24 at 09:51 AM.
#23
Junior Member
Thread Starter
I’ve tried a good bit of twisting, but watching the frame flex and sway underneath is terrifying. all I’ve managed to create is a bit of play in the saddle itself.
might try clamping a screwdriver onto the rails and wacking that with a hammer, but not sure I’ll be going any further with brute force.
tho, I’ll have to see if these high temps will allow the penetrants to have any impact.
if not, guess it’s gonna be the drain cleaner.
might try clamping a screwdriver onto the rails and wacking that with a hammer, but not sure I’ll be going any further with brute force.
tho, I’ll have to see if these high temps will allow the penetrants to have any impact.
if not, guess it’s gonna be the drain cleaner.