on 4/5/03 4:46 PM, Stephen Barner at steve@sburl.com wrote:
> This is probably justified by the fact that Paramounts had
> a very good reputation with the uninformed, while many bikes, while superior
> in workmanship, were largely underappreciated. Those chrome Nervex curlies
> loist their appeal when the more sophisticated eye spotted the filemarks and
> sloppy bike boom workmanship that too often lay underneath. . .
> They compare very well against similar off-shore companies, such as Raleigh,
> Peugeot and Atala. In 1973, the bloom was still pretty shiny on the
> Paramount rose, so, yes, it would be a shame to part it out, and I bet it's
> still a really sweet ride.
Steve,
This is quite an indictment of the Paramount name. Remeber that the Paramount history is quite a long one (starting in 1937) and includes many famous builders. For example, Albert Eisentraut apprenticed under Oscar Wastyn.
Personally, I would place the quality of the Paramounts that I have been familiar with above most Raleighs, Peugots, and Atalas, but I'd like to hear comments from others on this matter.
Todd Kuzma
Heron Bicycles
LaSalle, IL
http://www.heronbicycles.com/