View Single Post
Old 12-19-19, 06:12 AM
  #8  
cudak888 
www.theheadbadge.com
 
cudak888's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Southern Florida
Posts: 28,496

Bikes: http://www.theheadbadge.com

Mentioned: 123 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2401 Post(s)
Liked 4,350 Times in 2,075 Posts
Originally Posted by Kuromori
The Custom Bicycle (p.156-158) actually gave many of those specs. It should be noted that Brilando placed great importance on rigidity (he's been seen posed next to a 23" Varsity, he could have been more in the ~60cm frame range, where frame rigidity is a problem) and and strength but little emphasis in lightness (Paramounts were Schwinns after all), and the book mentions that these are not standard gauges and they are based on Brilando's beliefs (the exception, not the rule). I****awa was used for special order light weight frames. Otherwise, for the time period, Paramount's 531 was a 1/7/1 DT, 1.2/8/1.2 TT (according to the book that's how it was, perhaps because the TT is the most flexible tube with standard lugs, or because top tubes tend to get dented), 1.2/9 chainstays and 1.4/9 (Reynolds track gauge) fork blades. Bilando states this to be the standard 531 Paramount used at the time, used for all the standard track and road frames.
Part of me wants to get a copy of the book, so I can see exactly what specs were given - I only have anecdotes of said book. The other part of me feels this information may be incomplete unless Brilando gave historical info. Second-generation Paramounts went through a few different metamorphosis along their production, and if Brilando's comments reflected the Paramount available during the era the book was published, then I'd only be willing to accept these specifications for the final years of production, when Schwinn (and Brilando) were finally tried to modernize the aging second-gen Paramount. (In fact, one of the anecdotes I have from The Custom Bicycle specifically references that the rake was reduced on all Paramounts in 1978 (from 2" to 1-3/4" on the P10/P15 and 1.5" on the P13).

Let's not forget that between 1958 and 1979, Paramount seatstay diameter increased, tire clearance was increased, a new P13 was designed in 1971 because the original P13 had gone the way of a touring bike (becoming the P10/P15), and according to BobHufford and Scooper here on the forum, the P10 and P15's wheelbase and fork rake increased in 1973 (though there is no clarification whether the increase was also in chainstay length). Supposedly, this is listed in the 1973 catalog, but I haven't found the specs in said catalog yet (the original Geocities link is dead).

Did the tubing stay the same through all these years? Somehow, I doubt it. Brilando's answers only open up more questions.

-Kurt
__________________













Last edited by cudak888; 12-19-19 at 06:20 AM.
cudak888 is offline