Howdy Folks:
About oddball Campagnolo changers from the Dark Ages(before 1967):I have a
1960 Frejus with a Campagnolo Turismo OEM on it.Like a Gran Sport with stamped
sheet metal roller cages and cadmium(?) plating instead of chrome.Same bike has
those undocumented Campag large flange hubs that resemble old Normandy.Locknuts
dated 1960.I also keep around at least one of those Campagnolo no-name changers
which is otherwise just like the Turismo.These all have smooth ball bearing
rollers.
Back around the forties,the Schwinn Paramount was very English.The cranks were
real close to Chater-Lea,while the hubs were modelled on Airlite
Continental.The lugs had that BSA kit look.In the meantime,Schwinn was
producing the first Continentals,with fillet brazed full sized Chrome-moly
tubing,small flanged aluminum freewheel threaded hubs,and cottered cranks with
a decidedly French character.A stem with reversible extension was available
with these-halfway to the current Aheadset style-where the extension could be
parallel to toptube or have some rise.These Continentals were very continental
all right.Strangely,they came with English style EA1 rims,in stainless steel.
Velo-Retro has a reproduced catalog for the early Paramounts and Superiors,if
you need to zoom in on the details.
Oh yeah,I once saw a forties Paramount with road ends that was brazed up for
Osgear(now missing).Owner wants to keep it,so it will vanish from my sight...
Good Luck,Seth Finkelstein,Santa Cruz CA