Match Paramount: Why was I the only bidder?
 

I was expecting a war at the end for this, what happened?Is there something I've missed?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...MEWN:IT&ih=001

I don't think you missed anything; I think you got a really nice Paramount for a very fair price. Congratulations!

Maybe people were offended by the sexist "female owned" remark!

Now ditch the plastic fork and get a real waterford fork crown on that thing or it is not a Paramount but a Paraplastique.

I emailed the seller within 30 seconds after the auction closed, looking for that fork. Carbon forks sure are comfy, but I refuse to ride one as I'm really fond of my face and teeth. On a side note, would you object if I mounted an Italian fork to this frame? A Goodrich fork might be a tad expensive.

Danny

Any nice steel fork with the same steerer tube length, fork cone to dropout length, and rake (or offset, if you prefer) as the original will be fine. Bonus points for being a quality Italian fork. :)

Congratulations on your score!

I think you were the only bidder because of the high starting price. Maybe less people put it on their watch list, or maybe the planets just lined up in your favor. Psychologically, a high starting price seems to deter other bidders. Better to start really cheap and get more interest that way.

Even I was a bit nonplussed at that...the implication being that men trash everything, and that women are just too fragile to have ever actually ridden this bike really hard :rolleyes: .

I too think you got a good deal.

East Hill

Just so you know what the original fork looked like, it was straight bladed. The fork offset was 45mm for frame sizes 48cm, 50cm, and 52cm, and 40mm for frame sizes 54cm, 56cm, 58cm, 60cm, and 62cm.

http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d7...lParamount.jpg

You got a swell deal! I think that most people looking for a recent vintage bike are ONLY concerned about the overall weight. They'd rather spend $1i00 on a new, full Ultegra, generic, disposable, Taiwan made, aluminum frame bike weighing only 16.5 lbs. -- These days, 19 pounds is almost like saying 25 pounds.

Other people prefer to spend far too much for a plastic or aluminum brand name bike just so they can ride whatever Marque is in vogue this week. More the better for those of us who appreciate quality construction and a frameset which will still be desirable in 20 years. ~ Congratulations!

Any word on the original fork?

Heck, I didn't even know they were making lugged steel Paramounts in the year 2000. I think that's a very nice bike, congratulations-

Look carbon forks have a reputation for being of stout quality. I don't think your teeth have much to worry about.

Just to be a contrarian and perhaps a tad heretical; the CF fork is not really out of place on a STI bike with Bontrager wheels. I confess I ride a CF fork quite a bit and also fall into the Clydesdale weight range but am not fearful of catastrophic failure.

Now bars and stems are another matter.......Even the pros seem to be switching back to alum bars.

Beautiful bike.


:beer:


Edited to add info.

Well the the old fork doesn't go with it any better.

Yep; I agree. I like gracefully curved steel forks with semisloping crowns.

CF forks don't catastrophically fail, they spontaneously combust without warning. Please get your baseless facts straight before you go preaching The Word. :D

often the best ebay buys are ones where the starting price is high.

I really didn't find the starting price high at all. In my mind, a Goodrich frame starts at $3700 and even a contract Goodrich - used, read Rivendell, is minimum $1500 Frame alone. AFAICT, this is one of the most under-valued bikes available.

The carbon fork is history, without question. If anyone wants it, I'll gladly sell it.

Danny

I fought a battle for a flat crown, nicely curved DeRosa fork, but alas did not win it....I'll get something...

Funny thing is I agree with you. To me, the perfect fork is a double plate crown with a lovely curve.

The word is "no", sorry to say. I'm working on pleasant alternatives though.

Thank kid! I'm aluminum averse ever since I cracked my Aluminum frame in half after only two years riding it. I go steel or titanium. There are no other materials I'll ride.

Danny

I don't think selling is worth the liability. There is testing for carbon composite structures, infrared, and sonar stuff, worth the cost, no buy a new one.

Remember, Trek will sell you a new frame at a discount should you crash one of theirs, even with no visible damage...

NOS carbon, the future collectable.

I only weigh 137 and think carbon flat bars and cranksets are fine. Frames and stems I won't even consider, seeing what I've seen. Not to make light of it, but I witnessed the accident scene of a guy that had been riding a carbon Orbea, an older guy mind you and not a hammer sprinter, who'd been riding on a flat at around 10mph when the entire front end of the frame failed. He hit his helmented head on the curb and died; broke his neck.

My frames are for life, not dying.

Danny

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