mycoleptodiscus

I picked up a Paramount Track bike. The head badge stamp is 0726. The stamp on the fork head tube dates it to June of 1974. The fork is a correct round-blade Track fork. Any idea what the head badge stamp stands for? It doesn't seem to fit any Paramount labeling scheme. Also, no serial # stamping on the rear dropout like I have seen on other 1970's Paramounts. It has low-flange hubs. Anyone know if these were ever offered with low-flange? Thanks!

St33lWh33ls

There are no numbers on Paramount badges of that era. Serial should be on the drop out, sure it’s a Paramount? Photos would help.

Scooper

1970s Paramounts serial numbers are stamped into the non-driveside rear dropout, not the head tube. We need closeup photos of the head badge and the number on the head tube to figure out what you have.

mycoleptodiscus

I am evidently not allowed to post URL's until I have at least 10 posts :/. So here goes

mycoleptodiscus

I will get those tomorrow. Thanks!

Metacortex

The serial number on the original fork steerer tube should match that on the frame LH rear dropout. The frame/fork serial indicates when the frame/fork was built, the stamp on the original headbadge indicates when the bike was built. A 0726 badge stamp indicates a bike built on Friday March 12th 1976.

Scooper

Wouldn't 0726 be the 72nd day of 1976?

Scooper

OP, here's the P14-0 page from the 1976 Paramount catalog FYI. Note that large flange track hubs were standard.

Metacortex

Yes indeed, a minor malfunction. Note however the link I included was correct.

mycoleptodiscus

F7433 stamped on fork steerer tube and non-drive dropout. It was a pretty faint stamp. Sorry no pic's. Again, I need 10 posts first :/

repechage

By association reading this thread, I have noticed that the 70's bikes with chrome fork crowns got a more interesting crown, similar or the same to bikes from the late 50's -early 60's. The bikes with painted crowns from the 70's received very plain and even cheap looking units. Uninspiring.

mycoleptodiscus

Yeah, I'll agree with that sentiment. Maybe there weren't that many options for fork crowns for round track blades?

mycoleptodiscus

It seems odd to me that there was such a large time gap between when the frame was brazed and painted and when the bike was built up. Thoughts?

Scooper

June, 1974 frame build assembled in 1976 isn't that unusual for Schwinn. Paint and decals would most likely have been applied to the frame in 1976.

If you'd like me to post a couple of photos in this thread, you can email them to me: Stan Cooper k4drd at earthlink dot net, and I'll post them for you.

mycoleptodiscus

OK. Thanks! Done

Scooper

Here are the OP's photos.

One other possibility regarding the discrepancy between the serial number and the head badge assembly date is that the original head badge, presumably with a 1974 assembly date, got stolen and the owner replaced it with another (later) head badge.

The frameset is a Schwinn P14-0, and was clearly produced in June, 1974.

Scooper

Here's the 1974 P14-0 catalog page.

miamijim

Frame and fork was brazed in '74 and it wasn't painted/assembled into a bike until '76

Scooper

Yep.

miamijim

Sarcasm noted... I should read all posts first!!

I've seen Schwinn date code discrepancies first hand. Back in the 80's certain Schwinn models would come through with both the metal plate date code as well as paper sticker date code. It didn't take long for me figure out one was a frame code while the other was build code.

Going back to the OP's frame... 1974 was the peak of the 70's bike boom. Schwinn probably brazed up the frame, the bottom of the market fell out and it wasn't finished until early '76 when an order was put through.

St33lWh33ls

Fork looks non-original, the crown cut outs don’t match a 70’s era Paramount, maybe a replacement fork? I have 6 Paramounts from 30’s, 40’s, 50’s, 60’s, and 70’s, none have number stamped badges so maybe previous owner stamped? Could be a custom build, my 73 has larger stays and beefed up fork crown. What does the rest of the frame look like, Nervex lugs?

Scooper

The fork crown is a bit of a puzzle, but the matching serial number suggests the fork is original to the frame, and it wouldn't be unusual for a track fork with round blades to have a crown that doesn't look like the crowns on road forks with oval blades.

The practice of stamping the assembly date into the head badge began in the mid-seventies.

mycoleptodiscus

Nervex lugs except for BB

St33lWh33ls

Hello Stan, Five of my Paramounts are track bikes with round blades, none that look like the OP’s fork. Could be a later fork design I guess, but what is confusing is that I have seen more than a few track Paramounts as late as 77 with no stamp on the head badge and the later bikes had fork crowns similar to my 73. Thanks for the info, learning all the time.

St33lWh33ls

Thanks! Post more photos when you have an opportunity, if you haven’t guessed I’m a big fan of Paramounts.