'61 Paramount: First Test Ride
 

The Paramount's IRC tires arrived this afternoon, the last parts I needed to get her back on the road.

The first test run was fantastic. The shallow fork rake takes a bit of getting used to, same with the rather narrow handlebars, but otherwise, the ride is excellent.

The brakes performed better then I expected from Weinmanns, but as with all 999s I've used before, modulating the braking pressure on them is hardly possible - either you don't use the brakes, or you lock up the wheels, one of the two. The Scott-M pads I have on it now make a hell of a lot of squeaking - will probably have to swap them out for something else.

As for the drivetrain, the rod-operated Campagnolo Gran Sport front derailer operates better then any other front mech I've ever used. Shifting is as close as you'll get to instantaneous. Of course, I'm sure the 51/54t crankset combo has something to do with it.

Rear derailer is very responsive, and shifts nearly as quick as a modern Shimano derailer running friction mode, however, shifting feedback feels as stiff as a piece of warm butter. I gather this is probably due to having the shifters set too loose, but I can't seem tighten them any more then they already are. Any insights?

Attached are two photos for your enjoyment.

Take care,

-Kurt

Gorgeous bike and nice report.

I have new Scott Mathauser pads with new rims - which made for a lot of squeeking on ride 1. Less on ride 2. I'm sure they will quiet down once the rims get a good coating.

55/Rad

Beautiful bike. Best of luck with it.
With regard to the loose shifters, I know you probably checked this, but is there any excess lube causing that loose feeling?

You might be right. I do believe I'll be ridding this bike of the S-M pads in the long run though. Powerful brake calipers set close to the rim with grabby pads just don't equal good braking feel. I figure some cheap aftermarket pads ought to do the trick.


To tell you the truth, I never did pull them apart. They felt fine when I recieved them, and that's how they were mounted. I'll try cleaning the grease out of it and putting a tad of white lithium powder in there.

Take care,

-Kurt

One other thing - the Suntour freewheel is shot. Sure enough, the low cog pops - doesn't matter that the chain is a brand-new, NOS Sachs.

I'm practically ready to pull my hair out at worn small freewheel cogs - that's all I've been able to run into this month. I must have at least 20 bad freewheels to one good...

-Kurt

When I put my Gitane back together with a new chain it skipped in fourth but not fifth. This was with a brand new chain. I switched freewheels with a known good one and it still skipped, just a little less. After a 14 mile ride it doesn't skip at all now.

I put the skipping freewheel on another bike and it doesn't skip. Maybe the chain is worn a bit? In this case maybe a little chain wear is a good thing.

My chrome Paramount is going to start getting some attention this morning. I can't wait to try it out!

Kurt,

The bike looks FANTASTIC!

Regarding the shifter looseness, Barnett's has a downtube shifter troubleshooting table, and for the symptom, "Friction-type shift lever will not hold its position after completing the shift, no matter how much the tension screw is tightened." lists three potential causes/cures:

1) Friction washers that sandwich lever are worn out/Replace washers if parts available.

2) Slik-plastic friction washers that do not need lubrication have been oiled/Disassemble lever, clean washers with alcohol, and reinstall.

3) Tension/mounting screw is not screwing fully into braze-on because of interference in hole/Install washers under head of tension/mounting screw.

I have owned several old pushrod Campag. Gran Sport front derailleurs and the far more familiar and more recent swing-arm Records. The Gran Sport is great for half-step gearing (your 54-51 or my 49-45 on Capo #2), but the Record is better suited to the 8- or 9-tooth 1.5-step gears on my other bikes (47-38 on Capo #1, 50-42 on the Bianchi). Unfortunately, the first owner of Capo #1 had worn out the front derailleur's aluminum case, evidently by failing to keep the unit properly oiled.

What brake cables and housings are you using? I have no trouble modulating my Weinmann Vainqueur 999s with KoolStop salmon pads and better-than-OEM cable housing.

Beautiful bike that captures the essence of all that is classic!

Good Job Kurt.

Great job Kurt! You beat me to the finish line! I hope to give a report on my '66 by the end of the month.

Not a freewheel I've found skips in anything but the small cog. Probably because the majority of fools down here ride their bike in the small ring and small cog 'till the end of time - shifters don't exist in their book.

Not sure if you noted this in my earlier post, but the chain is an NOS Sachs. Never been on anything before.

Enjoy your new Paramount...you'll be very happy.


Thanks! It is nothing compared to any one of your Paramounts though.

As for the symptoms:

#1: The lever and internals are NOS.
#2: No plastic inserts in these GS/NR levers - metal pressure-fit plate.
#3: No hole interference.

I did inspect the inside of the lever this morning though, to find that there was a considerable bit of grease in it. I cleaned it out and put just a tad of white lithium grease in its place. The lever runs slightly stiffer now, but not stiff enough.

Perhaps I'm asking too much of these levers - I keep comparing them to the Campy Triomphe levers on my '86 Raleigh Grand Prix. Then again, I believe the Triomphe levers have plastic inserts.


Cables, stainless steel. Housing, Shimano, not teflon lined. The cables operate as slick as if they were teflon lined - not the slightest binding in them.


Exactly what I had hoped to achieve :D


Thanks Bob - looking forward to the latest on your '66.

Take care,

-Kurt

Kurt,

Yeah, ain't that GS front derailleur a mutha? I swear they work as well as anything built in the following thirty years. As to your feedback problems, it's gotta be something with the washers in the shift lever. My GS pair shift almost like they're indexed, now that I've got 500+ miles experience on the bike. I'll take a look at one of my sets of shift levers, see what you're supposed to have in the way of washers, etc.

Syke
Deranged Few M/C

That fork exhibits quite a bit of rake, I would not call it shallow, but considerable. might be an interesting investigation to measure the trail as built, how far behind is the tire contact patch center from the virtual extension of the steering axis as it hits the ground. If it is under 50mm that is why the bike might feel unstable or "darty" Contrary to initial thought, less rake might be more stable in this case.

The bike is handsome, by the way.

Also, does the wheel feel like it "flops" coming out of a turn?

You aren't kidding, Syke! That GS tops anything I've used before, save for second-gen Suntour Cyclone. It's nice being able to make shifts on the front rings without having to worry about the chain skating, grinding, or in bad cases, dropping, for a change.

Interesting - you'd think that they'd become looser after 500+ miles of use. Odd.


I did note that the appearance of the fork would imply the opposite. The narrow handlebar width probably has more to do with the skittish handling then the fork. No wheel flop.

Take care,

-Kurt

Kurt, I did a little experimenting today. I switched wheels with attached freewheels on the Gitane today and the skipping was worse than ever. I took a chain off another bike that I am taking apart and put it on the Gitane and no skipping at all. I think the Sachs chain is perhaps manufactured to too tight a tolerance and needs to be broken in a bit somewhere else. The substituted chain is also a Sachs, but with about 600 miles on it. Maybe a worn freewheel needs a slightly worn chain. I do know the Simplex Criterium isn't so good about chain wrap.

I got a suitable set of clincher wheels on the Paramount and took a quick run up and down the block. It shifted perfectly and felt great. The 1971 vintage Weinmann pads were about as good as nothing at all. When I get my Kool Stop Continentals I will ride it a bit more. Still need to clean everything and overhaul headset and BB. I took the original sew ups off the Weinmann wood filled rims and noticed that there was no tread wear at all. Both tires matched and appeared to be original, so I think this one didn't get out very much.

Kurt,

Back in 1972, I was buying Campagnolo because it was the best, but my understanding of that was more on snob value than actual mechanical appreciation. Riding my Raleigh has shown me just how much better Campagnolo was over anything else, until the Japanese stuff started showing up on the market.

In the past month, putting just shy of 400 miles on my Gitane Tour de France (Simplex Criterium) has: a. reiterated the superiority of period Campagnolo, b. snatched the rose-colored glasses from my memory regarding Simplex, and c. had me really aghast as to what crap we considered not only acceptable, but good, 35 years ago.

Syke
Deranged Few M/C

Well, it looks as if I'll probably switch everything to Regina Oro when I get a chance. Looks as if the Sachs chain isn't as compatible with Suntour freewheels as Sedis chains are.

Weinmann pads easily become nothing if they're allowed to dry. I've tried NOS Weinmann pads before with impressive results though - even on steel rims when using Weinmann 999s.


I couldn't agree with you more. Since I got my hands on that Triomphe gruppo, I won't ride anything but Campagnolo - not for the snob factor, but because it truly is superior.

I still have my doubts about Suntour or Shimano surpassing Campagnolo though. Perhaps in the field of index shifting VS. Syncro, but I've yet to use a rear mech by either of these companies that beats Campanolo's friction systems.

True, Suntour was one of the first to manufacture quality drivetrains for entry level machines, but these parts are pretty much on the same level as Simplex Prestige - with the difference being that Suntour doesn't explode/disentigrate/tear off/fall apart/crack/you-name-it after 1500 miles or 6 months, whichever comes first. (Anything to rile up the Francophiles!) :D

Oh, I wouldn't say that the "crap-considered-good" syndrome hasn't been eliminated. Don't get me started on Shimano's current low-to-mid-range gruppos.

For that matter, their high-end stuff isn't too hot either - I wasted about three hours trying to make the 8-speed Shimano 600 (the tri-color gruppo) derailer and brand-new Shimano barcons on my Peugeot PSV-10 shift properly on a nearly new 8-speed HG cassette I just bought off of eBay. This Hyperglide stuff is too precise to be practical - it either doesn't shift up on one specific cog, or it doesn't shift down on another. No amount of fine tuning the adjuster barrel helps, and the spacing between each cog on the cassette measures exactly 3mm by my caliper. Junk under the disguise of "technology."

-Kurt