A message regarding Paramounts .
Basically , the pivotal year was 1972 .
( perhaps sometime during 1971 ?? ?? )
What had been the frame style and geometry for BOTH the " P13 Road Racer " , and ALSO the " P15 Touring " , prior to 1972 ,
Became just the "Touring" frames only , in 1972 , and after .
The 1972 " P13-9 Road Racer " , was the beginning of the style that many people assume was the only way that P13 Road Racers were ever made .
BUT , before 1972 , the P13 Road Racer had :
a longer wheelbase ,
a longer fork rake ( & more concentrated toward the tip ) ,
eyelets on the Campagnolo 1010 drop outs ,
brake cable stops under the top tube .
Also note -
The "Tourist" had an upright handlebar , and a mattress saddle . The "Tourist" was available with a single-speed freewheel , or a Sturmey Archer 3-Speed rear hub . The very first "Paramount Sports-Tourist" models were available with a New Departure coaster brake ! The very last "Paramount Tourist" models were only available with Campagnolo Record ( "steel" ) rear derailleurs .
The "Paramount Touring" was the one with the dropped handlebar , and the Brooks Professional Saddle . The "Touring" is the one most folks are familiar with .
( I'd dearly love to own a 24-inch framed , Sturmey Archer 3-Speed equipped , Paramount Tourist , with genuine "Schwinn Built" caliper brakes !! )
cut & paste from earlier stuff I've written :
sources :
a photocopy of a 1954 Schwinn consumer catalog ,
a 1965 Schwinn consumer catalog ,
a photocopy of a 1967 Schwinn dealer catalog ,
a 1968 Schwinn consumer catalog ,
a photocopy of a 1970 Schwinn dealer catalog ,
a 1971 Schwinn consumer catalog ,
a 1972 Schwinn consumer catalog ,
a 1974 Schwinn consumer catalog ,
a 1975 Schwinn consumer catalog ,
a 1976 Schwinn consumer catalog ,
a 1977 Schwinn dealer "Super Lite Specification Book" .
& also ,
http://www.geocities.com/
note , the Waterford Web site is wonderful , and Waterford is the spiritual home of all Paramounts ( even the later ones Made-In-Japan ) , but there are several small errors , so the person who set up the Web site may not have been checking everything as carefully as they might have ,
http://www.waterfordbikes.com/
The Paramounts offered for sale were :
1954 P-11 "Tourist" P-12 "Racer" ( one speed fixed gear "stiff hub" ) this is the OLD name , for the OLD Racer this was NOT at all like the later P12 this had track style "rear fork ends" not "drop outs" was most like the later P14 "Track Bike"
P-61 "Tourist Ladies' "
1965 P11 "Tourist" P12 "Road Racer" P13 "Deluxe Road Racer" P14 "Track Bike"
1967 P11 "Tourist" P12 "Road Racer" P13 "Deluxe Road Racer" P14 "Track Bike"
1968 P11 "Tourist" P12 "Road Racer" P13 "Deluxe Road Racer" P14 "Track Bike"
1970 P13-9 "Deluxe Road Racer Ten Speed" P14-0 "Track Bike" P15-9 "Deluxe Touring Fifteen Speed"
1971 P13-9 "Professional Road Racing" P14-0 "Track Bike" P15-9 "Deluxe Paramount Fifteen Speed"
1972 P13-9 "Professional Road Racing" P14-0 "Track Bike" P15-9 "Deluxe Paramount Fifteen Speed"
1974 P10-9 "Deluxe Touring 10-Speed" P13-9 "Professional Road Racing" P14 "Track Bike" P15-9 "Deluxe Touring 15-Speed" P60 "Deluxe Ladies' 10-Speed" P65 "Deluxe Ladies' 15-Speed"
1975 P10-9 "Deluxe Touring 10-Speed" P13-9 "Professional Road Racing" P14 "Professional Track" P15-9 "Deluxe Touring 15-Speed" P60-9 "Deluxe Touring Ladies' 10-Speed" P65-9 "Deluxe Touring Ladies' 15-Speed"
1976 P10-9 "Deluxe Touring 10-Speed" P13-9 "Professional Road Racing" P14 "Professional Track" P15-9 "Deluxe Touring 15-Speed" P60-9 "Deluxe Touring Ladies' 10-Speed" P65-9 "Deluxe Touring Ladies' 15-Speed"
1977 P10-9 "Deluxe Tourer 10-Speed" P13-9 "Professional Road Racing" P14-0 "Professional Track" P15-9 "Deluxe Touring 15-Speed" P60-9 "Deluxe Tourer Ladies' 10-Speed" P65-9 "Deluxe Touring Ladies' 15-Speed"
So , by 1974 , things seemed to make some sense . The Touring models were easy , P10 = 10-speeds , P15 = 15-speeds . The pure , all-out racers , were the P13 = road , & the P14 = track .
Note - The names were changed a bit loosely . The names "Touring" and "Tourer" seem interchangeable . The "Paramount Track" gained and lost its "dash zero" ( P14-0 ) with seemingly no meaning . All 15-Speeds used the "Touring" frames , whatever they may have been called . All of the " Ladies' " frames were "Touring" frames , whatever they may have been called .
But , remember , the Road Racing , and the Touring models , had the same geometry , until 1972 , when they changed the geometry of the P13 . They made the P13 even racier , by giving it a shorter wheelbase , less fork rake , and no eyelets on the dropouts .
And , at the same time , they let the Touring frames keep the same old geometry .
Also remember that 1971-1972 was just about the time when they started making MANY more Paramount bicycles , than they EVER had before .
This was the "Bicycle Boom" . Production went up , by huge amounts .
So , many people will take a quick glance , see the longer wheelbase , see the longer fork rake , see the eyelets , see the brazed-on brake cable stops , and say , "Oh! A Touring Frame!"
But , the Road Racing frames had those very same qualities - - - - prior to 1972 .
Raoul Delmare
Marysville Kansas