Hello group
So, the bike I've been waiting for finally came today via FedEx (it was
delayed two days due to weather). I was so relieved after opening the box
and unwrapping everything to find nothing bad happened. I think FedEx was
pretty gentle with it. The only thing wrong was a bent spoke on the front
wheel, and that was really the fault of the packer, not FedEx.
I am really excited with the bike and it is very much as I expected. It is
a fully chromed 1971 Schwinn Paramount P14 track bike. The chrome is pretty
gorgeous and the frame is clean and undented. The bike apparently just sat
indoors most of its life. It has the red pinstriping around the lugs, for
which I believe 1971 was the last year. I think that looks great.
Interestingly, it has a factory-installed front brake, which I saw on the
Schwinn Lightweight Databook site was an option.
There is some decal loss, and a bit of rust -- really just on the fork crown
and a bit around the bottom bracket area. The front of the fork crown is
the worst patch. I was thinking of using brass wool on that, but if anyone
has good advice on how to remove it, that would be great. I'm a little
nervous about the rust removal.
Gene Balk
Seattle