I use shrink wrap tubing on the barcon cables for a couple of inches around the head tube on mine. My barcon cables are short enough that they don't touch the head tube unless I'm turning.

Uhm..................wow. Been wanting one of those for almost 40 years. Nice to see you riding it too. That is what they're for after all.

Looks great, Rob! Gorgeous.

I'm failing to see what all the fuss is regarding the brake cables. They're braided SS coated with some sort of plastic. And the frame is chrome; it's durable and really hard. That's part of the reason chrome plating is used. Those cables will not hurt that frame.

You can also reverse the cables beneath the down tube. That does a great job of lifting the housing off of the head tube completely. On my frame the cables don't touch at all and you are able to take nice bends with your housing.

Very Nice.

Beautiful.

Yes, there no paint to rub off.

I almost did that but had the rear cable connected by that time. I was reusing the cables and re-threading them through the housing w/o fraying was tricky. I have so many projects stacked up that I'll postpone additional changes. I have to build up to a 50 mile qualifying ride by the end of August and my longest ride this year has been 20 miles.

Very nice! What are the handlebars?

very beautiful bike, nice job

The handlebars are Velo Orange (VO). The stem, BB, crankset, rims, bell, and shifters are also from VO.

Yeah. I had convinced myself I was "done."

Yep, I do my bar-end shifters like that since I couldn't go all the way under the bar -- shifter cable wasn't long enough.

Lovely build with this paramount and I can see the appeal in these bikes.

Curious to know what it cost you to chrome the frame?

The chrome does look new! The Paramount came already chromed in 72 - I did not have her plated. I understand the previous owner didn't ride her for the five years he owned her. The first owner apparently put very few miles on her. She was in pristine shape when I received her.

I like to tape from the stem working to the bar ends so the tape looks very clean on top. It makes it harder to route the cable under the bar tape. On a couple bikes I routed the cable the first 6" or so but dont find it that important.

sweet, this is the chromeyist bike I've seen. besides tires, saddle and tape you pretty much have it all chrome. NICE.

I did see some chrome cable housing on the bmx pork chop site. that might be fun to try

very shiny

Very nice looking. You should be proud of yourself.

I'd love to see it after a few hundred miles and some dirty and gook on the chain, chain stays, etc. Looks so clean... like it's never ridden.

Wear shades before viewing? Don't you mean wear #5 Welding goggles?

Beautiful. So a question from a guy who's never owned nor ridden a fully-chromed bike: Do you have to kick up to SPF 150 sunscreen when riding one o'these?

Just curious - how rare are these chrome Schwinns, or any chrome bikes? I certainly havn't seen to many.

Also, when purchased new, did they cost much more than the standard painted models?

Oh yeah, she's a real beauty!!!

There's probably catalog images on the Findley site that list which models were available in all-chrome. IIRC, they went for $20 to $40 more per bike- quite a premium when the whole bike might be $250. Aside from the Paramounts, the Super Le Tour 12.2 was available in chrome.

Thanks Jeff.

That premium is actually not as bad as I might have imagined. Chrome frames are probably not for everyone but I really like the look. It certainly will standout in a crowd!

I'm 6-foot-4. I stand out in most any crowd. I also ride a polished aluminum recumbent. It's also really shiny.

To put it in perspective, the Super LeTour 12.2 was only made from 1976 through 1978 or so, and the regular price was $230, with $50 for chrome (1977)... so it's actually a pretty healthy percentage of the base price. On the other hand, I'm sure the cost to chrome a frame these days is way ahead of inflation!

I'll bet he stops to wipe the chain down every 400 meters . . .