mountaindave 

A VGT in better condition? A Cyclone would be the bees knees. There’s not much better in the vintage variety.

Welcome! Kudos to you for trying higher gears - most people want lower gears as they age (no exception here and I’m only 44). But I also appreciate closer gear ratios, so maybe a triplizer would do it for you. Pair that with a long cage replacement for your NR and you could go campy? (Google NR long cage, they’re floating around out there - did it on a Gitane TdF with a granny gear.)

gilatm

Is there a suntour derailleur that would fit more exactly my range - to be a bit "tighter"? 42/52 x 14-28 freewheel cluster?

Gil

gilatm

The bike is a 1972 Paramount. I traded for it 1n 1974 giving up my Nishiki touring bike that I had just ridden to Lake Tahoe and back from Pasadena, CA. I had to add an additional $100 (about $400 in today's dollars) for the deal. I've ridden it up the California coast to Canada, back in the day, as well as several tours and commutes over the years. It was originally brown, I had Cycle art paint it back around 1986. I have a touring bike also, but I don't care for the feel of that bike as much.
Gil

gilatm

picture

pastorbobnlnh 

Nicely done beautiful blue Paramount! Looks as if it is a P-13 since it is missing the rear brake cable stops on the top tube. Are the wheels clinchers? 700c or 27"?

SJX426 

That is a beauty! Love that color blue.

due ruote 

That’s a beauty. It looks like your rear axle is barely in the dropout - I would give it a little more margin than that.
Edit - never mind, now I see the fw is off and it’s just propped in for a picture.

Narhay

I had the same issue with the sunrace 14-28 5 speed being too wide because the lock ring is on the outside of the smallest cog.

The sunrace 14-24 happens to not use the lock ring and fits these narrower dropouts.

mpetry912 

nobody has mentioned the Suntour winner pro in Ultra-6. These have become pretty sought after in desireable ratios. They allow you to run a 6 speed block on a 120mm axle which is as cool today as it was 35 years ago. I have a couple of these NIB that I picked up years ago.

As always, a new chain is a good idea when putting on a new freewheel and for the Ultra-6 spacing you will likely need a Sedisport or Sach PC-850. I don't care for the KMC chains, but that's just me.

Mark Petry
Bainbridge Island, WA USA

pastorbobnlnh 

Also Suntour ProCompe, Perfect, New Winner and Winner came in Ultra spacing, as well as a version of the Regina CX and the Atom Compact. All 6 speed in just a hair over a 5 speed width.

FWIIW, I've had good luck using modern SRAM & KMC 8 or 9 speed chains on the narrow spaced six speeds.

gilatm

700c, Mavic rims and Campy record high flange hubs. I built the wheels some time ago - probably in the 90s. Thanks for the offer for the derailleur - let me see how this one works out once I have it all together. (Derailleurs always look like improbable machines until you put them to the test.) I did look up the Cyclones mentioned below - they look cool.

The triple crank would be great for touring - if I manage to get back into that - my absolute favorite type of bicycling - it would be a wonderful modification. (Or I might find my aging body needs it for normal riding at this point.)

gilatm

Good idea, I'll pick up a chain - I was surprised how inexpensive the Sach pc-850 is. I had just cleaned my old chain, and did not notice wear marks on the pins - but for little money, I'll change it out.

noobinsf 

A Suntour short cage of that era will likely handle the 24-tooth spread just fine, but you may run into some issues with a 26 or 28-tooth large cog, depending on the specific derailleur. These issues can usually be overcome with some fiddling, but it’s beyond my expertise, because I have only used long cage derailleurs.

Disraeli Gears is a great site to help understand the limits of various derailleurs. Here is the Suntour page, but many other brand are covered:

SunTour derailleurs

Fahrenheit531 

I've got some serious paint envy. Very nice.

Kent T

Yes, I'd bet he has a suitable freewheel for your Paramount. And freshly serviced and overhauled, and looking like a new one. Pastor Bob is a fine artisan when it comes to freewheel restoration.

Cougrrcj

Keep perusing the Classifieds here in the C&V section of BF for a spare freewheel. Personally, I like the SunTour Winner Ultra series that fit the six cogs in the same total spacing as the original five. I have several that I swap out depending on the expected terrain of my ride/tours. Here on the glacially-scoured south shore of Lake Erie, we seldom see anything over a 100-foot climb (and that is a big river valley!). As such, I habitually use a 13-21 six speed freewheel and ride almost exclusively on an inner chainring, like my Fuji's 38, or the 42 of either the Miyata or Univega. I have others ranging from a 'straight-block' of 13-18 to a wider range of 14-32. For really hilly rides, two of my bikes have triple cranksets with 26t or 28t 'granny' inner rings.

If you really want to waste some time, check out this bicycle gear calculator https://www.gear-calculator.com where you can change chainrings and rear cogs by moving the sliders. You can input different tire sizes and cadences as well... This also works for the NUMBER of chainrings and number of rear cogs on your freewheel/freehub, from 2x5, 1x11 or 3x7

Cougrrcj

Oh, and keep a lookout for a early Cyclone GT rear derailleur. The VGT Luxe is a bit more 'robust', but the early Cyclone is next to perfection...

CliffordK

Are there any spacers or washers on the left end of the axle? You can move all the spacers and washers to the right end of the axle. Re-center the axle, and re-dish the wheel.