Paramount mileage contest
 

Calling all Paramount owners, there are too many of these bikes hanging up as wall art. I propose a month long mileage contest to get the bikes out on the road. Anyone in? The prize is spending time with your wonderfully riding Paramount.

Note, I'm at 230ish miles so far this month on the 86 road and 30 on the 72 track so we could wait until next month =P

Sorry, I'll probably be too busy building up my '72 all-chrome ;)

(That is, providing I can sell my Trek 610).

-Kurt

I would but I tend to "spread the wealth" among my bikes. On weekdays I commute on a fuji or bianchi track, or silk hope road. I ride the paramount on weekends. Probably not high enough mileage on it to contend.

Count me in. When do we start-end? Sep 1-30? Any other rules, such as mountain miles verses city miles?

Sep 1-30 sounds good, we can do KOM (though you will have to use mapmyride to verify elevation unless you have a GPS) and pure mileage winners.

I use Bikely.com to map my routes. Of course my KOM challenges are nowhere close to any TdF KOM climbs. :o

Here's one I do. Click on "Show" and the "Elevation" and you can see what I'm up against. :innocent:

http://www.bikely.com/maps/bike-path...ld-Wilmot-Loop

I won't be able to keep up with you all on mileage, but I will be watching the thread if you update it. I've been riding my 1964 Paramount a couple of times a week when the weather permits.

I ride my new bike more often, which is a Cannondale Criterium I bought new in 1984 ( I think it was '84 ), just because I'm more used to it. My Dad bought the Paramount new in '64 and rode it a lot until just a few years ago. He fell and broke his hip, and never really recovered from that. But, he rode it for 40 years and it's like a family heirloom.

Last September he gave it to me and I just started riding it this July. I've only got a couple of hundred miles on it so far, but it is a blast to ride. It's got higher gears than my Cannondale which makes me work a little harder on the hills, but I just love the way it eats up the miles. :thumb:

why just paramounts? Lets have a vintage bike monthly mileage contest.....we just need to define what vintage is...say before 87 or something.

I'm in if someone's willing to loan me a Paramount. :bike2:

Kurt says they're crap so maybe he'll give you one of his (particularly since it sounds like he's not going to be riding them).

Neal

Might as well fork on over that '51 Clubman that doesn't fit you (and doesn't get ridden because of your back issues).

-Kurt

Tie score.

Come down here then. You have a fondness for my '61 - do I recall correctly? You ride that, I ride the Superior, and we'll do some McMiles around the golf course.

-Kurt

I'm not sure I know how to ride flat terrain. And I'm certainly not experienced dodging misdirected golf balls.

Flat terrain? Spin at a moderate cadence and keep telling yourself that Duopar territory is not far off.

Not so far from the truth. Some folks have been hit, and I've had a close call myself.

Granted, that isn't half as bad as when golfers looking for their stray balls (pun not intended), drive off the course and across the street onto the adjacent sidewalk, and prepare to launch his golf ball back onto the course from somebody's lawn with a swift drive.

In other words, across the sidewalk, across the swale, across the road, and onto the course. Potential targets include walkers, joggers, cyclists, motorists, children, pets, and anything other living object within the vicinity that may be minding its own business.

-Kurt

:lol:

Ild love to, but I will be away for the first half of september! guess that means I will have to ride more the second half!

http://www.usatf.org/routes/map/

This is another great website for figuring out mileage.
It takes some time but its fun to guess the mileage and see how far off I got.
Just zoom into your area and start clicking.
TP

Oh yeah,
if I get mine rideable i'm in...

Neal,

You sound a bit "cranky" lately. :innocent: Was it the lack of summer in June and July (too cool and way too rainy) and now with a nice stretch of fine weather you are up against the start of a new academic year? :(

It has really been a bummer of a summer. Our average temperature here in the mountains was 57F in June and 61F in July. :mad: So now I'm heading to Cape Cod next week for a few days, and what's aiming for the New England coast? Category 4 Hurricane Bill! Dang! :eek:

My apologies for the crankiness, and I'm soon to be away from BF for a couple of weeks while we head up to mid-coast Maine. The last few days my neck has been killing me (fallout from riding the D2R2 most likely), which makes me less patient than usual with Interweb inanity.

Neal

Actually, the '51 Clubman doesn't get ridden because it's waiting for me to build a rear wheel (the original was too square to hold a tire, and I ended up selling off that rim). The '50 Clubman is the one that needs a complete overhaul, and I haven't had the time or gumption to take that one on yet. I did take the '48 Claud Butler on a 60-mile ride earlier this summer. What's the longest you've taken your '61 Paramount?

Neal

Neal,

I just looked up what the D2R2 ride is. It does look interesting. Did you ride the 106 or 65 mile route? I'd really like to try one of these, but Sunday's are out, and I'm concerned about recovery from a Saturday ride and my ability to work on Sunday. It does sound as if it was quite a challenge.

Tell us more. :)

http://www.bikereg.com/events/register.asp?eventid=7685

Bob, I did the 100K/64 miles option, which was plenty for me. It was very challenging with 7500 feet of climbing and 7500 feet of descents, but I seem to remember the climbs the most. I found the first 12 miles to be the toughest, particularly as my body tried to acclimate to the heat and humidity, but after the first rest stop, I felt pretty good and was able to grind out the rest of the ride without ever feeling like I had nothing left. I did have two flats in the last 5 miles, which was a drag, but my riding buddy, another Bob, used both occasions to take a short nap. Next year, the D2R2 will be on Aug 21.

And to come back to the subject of this thread, I did see at least one vintage Paramount on the ride!

Neal

Listeners who are sticklers for the truth should start their own mileage contests.

So what exactly is your complaint? :p Yes, I'll agree June was rainy, but July was incredible riding weather. It's the recent humidity and moderate heat that's unfavorable, in my opinion.