One of the reasons my wife has ridden her 20" Paramount so little over the years (at least, so she says) is that it transfers too much road shock through to her shoulders. She's ridden centuries on our tandem, and has tried my Marinoni, so I don't think she is making it up. I've long thought it would be a good idea to get a light tubing set and building her up a frame with lighter tubing to see if it would get her to ride more.
I agree with Brian's comments about a custom frame. In the early '80s, I had a custom frame built by Marinoni. He mixed the tubing set, and there really is something different about the way that bike rides. It would definitely be the first bike I would save in a fire. It's a perfect fit, climbs well, descends well, and I've put in double centuries with no complaints about the bike. With my wife's name engraved in one seat stay cap and mine in the other, I guess I can't get rid of the either the spouse or the frame--so it's a good thing that I'm in love with both!
Get a custom frame while Baylis and Sachs are still making them, then ride it. You'll always be glad you did.
--Steve Barner, Bolton, Vermont
>
> Date: Mon, 07 Apr 2003 06:57:03 -0700
> From: Brian Baylis <rocklube@adnc.com>
> To: David Novoselsky <dnovo@ix.netcom.com>
> Cc: classicrendezvous@bikelist.org
> Subject: Re: [CR]Re: Paramount Quality
> Message-ID: <3E9183AF.615D@adnc.com>
> References: <E192WGo-0001Dd-00@stork.mail.pas.earthlink.net>
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> Reply-To: rocklube@adnc.com
> Message: 13
>
> David,
>
> That's an interesting developement. Sounds like a wise move on the part
> of Schwinn if it is true. I'd never heard about a subcontract builder
> that built the chrome frames but it makes lots of sense. I was thinking
> about why I've never seen the seat stay cap problem on one of the
> chromed frames. It seemed odd because it is so common on the painted
> frames. That would explain why it appears that way.
>
> I wonder if Dave Staub knows anything about the special chrome frames?
> What was the extra cost? I think it was almost nothing, even at the
> time.
>
> Brian Baylis
> La Mesa, CA
> >
> > I received a note in response to Brian's commentary on "the Grandmas"
who did the framebuilding on Paramounts during the 'boom years':
> >
> > " Don Mainland, who was building Paramounts for Schwinn
> > in the 70's under contract, [said] that the chrome frames were almost
always
> > made in his shop in Wisconsin because the brazing was cleaner, and
> > the chrome frames reveal workmanship more than paint."
> >
> > This individual found his 72 chrome Paramount to be quite well executed,
something that I also find in relation to my all chrome 73. An interesting
observation and one that I can not take further without some assistance from
our resident Paramount experts.
> >
> > It would seem that there is little middle ground here, with those that
disdain Paramounts as second rate on one side and those who avidly collect
them on the other side of this debate. One thing does appear to be coming
to the fore is a lack of adequate information about how these frames were
built. The information at the Waterford site does not cover the
'outsourcing' information I just received. And, while Richard Schwinn has
been very helpful with providing information when I have called
> >
> > Any more data of this sort out there?
> >
> > Dave Novoselsky