m750rider

I found what I guess is a mid-80s Paramount and was wondering if you guys could give me some idea of what it is and its value. It is just the frame, fork, Campy headset with a Campy front derailleur (don't know the model) and Dura Ace FC7701 crankset, 165 mm arms, Cinelli "Top 66 Ergo" bars with kind of a blueish cast to them. The paint is a very nice red, some dings and scratches but overall good. Chromed chain stay. Columbus SLX tubing for the nicely lugged main tubes, the forks are labelled Columbus foderi laminati. Cinelli bottom bracket shell. The only number I saw was on the bottom bracket, maybe I missed some, and it was stamped 545 B. It looked to be about 54 cm. 126 mm rear axle. Campy drop outs. It looked almost identical to this photo that I found on here (https://www.kurtkaminer.com/Paramount_84_0025.jpg) except the lugs are pinstriped in yellow. It has a red/silver/black Schwinn Paramount head badge. Thanks in advance. The asking price is $300, what do you think? I have some parts I could use to put it back together.

Scooper

The 545 B means it's a 54.5cm frame size (seat tube length center of crank to top of seat lug) with the "B" length fork steerer tube. There should be date code and sequence number, possibly on another line below the 545 B. The date code will have a letter representing the month with "A"=January through "M"=December ("I" isn't used). The letter is followed by two digits representing the year ("85" would be 1985), and the year would be followed by a sequence number representing a sequential number the frame was scheduled for production during the month. For example, my '87 is serial number 620E WK 87077. It's a 62cm frame with an "E" steerer length. Thw "W" means it was built at the PDG facility in Waterford Wisconsin. K 87 is the month/year of manufacture (October, 1987), and 077 means it was the 77th Paramount frameset scheduled for production in October, 1987.

If the frame and fork are straight and rust-free, and there are no dents in the tubes, $300 is a fair price IMHO.

FastJake

+1 If the frame has no issues and the original paint is in decent shape then that's definitely a good price!

Poguemahone

+2

daf1009

+10...

m750rider

Thanks for your feedback.

I went and looked at the frame again and I had missed a serial number that was lightly stamped into the BB shell. F8498 so I assume that means it was built in June of 1984. There was no "W" or other stamped letter. Is this significant and does it change your opinion any? The frame and fork look straight and the paint would clean up nicely although it does has a couple good scrapes on it - but nothing that a little touch up paint couldn't fix. Not that I need it but leaning towards getting it.

Scooper

The "self-describing" serial number scheme changed over the years, so the W may not have been included when the frame was made, but rest assured it is a Schwinn Paramount built at the Waterford PDG facility. The serial number confirms it was the 98th Paramount frame scheduled for production in June, 1984.