I was confusing in relation to the discussion below. I think just the upright touring bars are a Schwinn product to fit the Titan Stem. They are definately an American type bend.
I am fairly certain that Titan is Belgian.
On a side note, the Titan stem is steel but has an aluminium part, the binder bolt. It always looks scary, even bends a bit, but does the job.
Joe Stuck inside in Ann Arbor today
At 05:31 PM 3/10/01 -0500, Sheldon Brown wrote:
>I wrote:
>
>> >That would be the most appropriate thing, "Forged Hiduminium" with
>> >matching GB bars. Some racy bikes of this period used Titan bars &
>> >stems with their proprietary 27 mm diameter, but I don't recall ever
>> >seeing these on a tourer.
>
>Joseph Bender-Zanoni responded:
>
>>My '64 Paramount Touring bike came with a Titan stem and upright steel bars
>>with a 27.0 center section. The bars are light and well made, not the Wald
>>type. Along with the stainless steel fenders the bar may be some of the
>>last vestiges of Schwinn making (or having made) quality lightweight parts
>>in the US. The stem was too short and I found a longer Titan I have yet to
>>install.
>
>Most certainly _not_ "Wald" type! Titan was a super high-end
>product, and, if I'm not mistaken, was the top-of-the-heap for bars &
>stems before Cinelli came along. My '61 Paramount and also a '50s La
>Perle I used to own both came with Titan sleeved aluminum drop bars
>and steel stems. They are very light. (I don't know that Titan ever
>made aluminum stems, and aluminum handlebars were a pretty exotic
>item in the '50s.)
>
>This was not a Schwinn product...I think they were Belgian, but I'm
>far from certain of that.
>
>Sheldon "'50s High Tech" Brown
>Newtonville, Massachusetts
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