I like Harvey's suggestion to group early Schwinn Paramounts and Superiors at Cirque. I would show up with two in tow.
I'm looking forward to seeing Ray's new acquisition, too.
Pete Rutledge
Woodbridge, VA, USA
<sheldon_family@verizon.net>; <prutledge1@comcast.net> Sent: Saturday, January 31, 2009 7:40 PM Subject: Paramount A685, eBay 150320188264
> Many of you will remember the recent eBay posting of this Paramount from
> the late 1930s. It was a "buy-it-now," and I can't find on the eBay
> completed listings any more. Pete Rutledge outed this bike's sale:
> <snip>
> "Nice orange bike,...It has a little more chrome than most '38/39
> Paramounts--head tube and all lugs, fork tips, and track ends. Based on
> previous pictures that I have of this bike, hubs appear to small flange
> Schwinn Superior variety."
>
> Ray Sheldon, the new owner, also lives in NoVa, and brought it by today.
> You know, maybe it would try mating with my '38, and we'd get valuable
> progeny...
>
> It is really nice, but many features are not like anything I've seen
> before. Everything except the chain and the axle adjusters seems to be
> original. I think that Pete's right that it has the Superior hubs, but,
> unlike other Superior hubs I've seen, it takes regular (British) track
> cogs and lockrings. It also came with a pair of Paramount "telephone dial"
> hubs as spares, but one of them has a Superior axle set (as does one of
> mine) instead of the "vacuum fitted" cones with double lock rings. Tough
> luck, eh? The saddle even looks original, and has the proper oval Brooks
> badge on the flaps. If the paint is not original, then it is pretty
> old...sure looks original to me, and the decal looked right, too.
>
> Ray's a recovering bike racer and a Paramount fan, and maybe we can have
> an area for older Paramounts (and Superiors) at Cirque this year. There
> are a number in the area: Larry Black, Pete Rutledge, mine, and who knows
> what else!
>
> harvey sachs
> mcLean va