StoneFence

I am not a C&V person as a rule (I'm not that mechanically inclined), but I sure do like looking at the rebuilds.

I really appreciate the updates and all the photo documentation. The glamour shots are killer.

I hope you have lots of nice weather to enjoy that ride!

Narhay

You may be able to fix the rumble in the 28T the same way I did. Move the wheel towards the rear in the dropouts and remove a chain link.

ollo_ollo

Beautiful and Superbe! That money shot brings back happy memories of the 60's-70's when we lived in West Seattle and rode all around those beautiful neighborhoods in the Emerald City. Don

bwilli88 

I love the look of the satin black with the chrome and silver. I have a Raleigh Super Course that I am slowly gathering a 105 Golden Arrow group that I was going to paint glossy black with gold trim and lug lining. This makes me want to go silver and satin black and highlight the bow and arrow of the group w black.

RiddleOfSteel

Thank you! The older C&V components and the setup for some of the frames can be a bit finicky. Towards the mid-'80s to early '90s (mid to upper end frames) is when they came very close to modern bikes in terms of set it and forget it--though that is very possible with older bikes as well. A lot of us, myself included, take a vintage frame and put updated components on them, getting the great look and ride of the old frame, but the modern convenience and performance of the new parts. I think that's where you can have an 'in' if you get the desire to have an older frame. I haven't ridden your Jamis, but from what I can tell it's butted chromoly steel, a lot of the basic ingredients in many of the frames we like and ride.

I will keep that in mind. At the moment, I am unable to hear or feel the rumble when in the saddle, and I like the proportion and mount position of the wheels (vanity!) when looking at the bike from the side. For now I will keep it, but I wholly agree that doing both those things (chain length is accurate at present) picks the RD jockey wheel off the largest cog. Thank you!

Thank you! And I should mention that the last basking-in-the-sun shot has West Seattle in the background!

Thank you! 105 Golden Arrow is a lovely looking groupset. Gloss black with gold lug lining is a beautiful color combination, and really, no one loses with gloss black and I am a sucker for it pretty much every time. Do what you would like to. Since I didn't want to compete with the professionals on the gloss black front, I decided to do the satin as it was my one chance to experiment further with a 'non-traditional' build, going for a hotrod/Americana look.

RiddleOfSteel

I was thinking a couple of things recently, regarding how this bike came about.

1) High on old Cannondales, I took a chance on a rough-looking Black Lightning and found it to be a lot rougher when I got home. I pretty much took a bath on it, selling the frame and other pieces for dirt cheap. The guy who bought the frame etc. works at The Bikery and told me about the place and the Build Nights they had. Little did I know, many months later at a Build Night, I would cross paths with what is now my Paramount. Pretty crazy to look back and see the origins of something.

2) I can't be the only guy with a Suntour Superbe Paramount build from say the mid-'80s and earlier, can I??? I've seen a Waterford Paramount from a bit later with Superbe Pro and it was drop dead gorgeous, but it would be a shame for me to be the first or only Campagnolo NR-era Paramount without full NR or period-correct Schwinn parts mix. Does anyone have pictures or know someone (or themselves!) who has done such a build? Even STIs/Ergos on a pre-'84 Paramount. I'd love to see it, otherwise I'm fine carrying the Suntour-on-a-Paramount flag for a while.

StoneFence

I did think my bike was very retro when I picked it out. I went into the LBS thinking I wanted aluminum. The shop owner pointed me to steel (It's much lighter than I remember). He is also a vintage Schwinn guy (He has a near mint Manta Ray). I love just hanging out there and petting the bikes. I'm kind of a pest.

bwilli88 

I just purchased a chrome Centurion Pro tour and @RiddleOfSteel, I was wondering how the satin black is holding up because I would like to copy the look of your Paramount. I also can not see any of your pictures.

RiddleOfSteel

The satin black is holding up well, though to be honest it hasn't had to face any adversity as I never let it slot into the bike room racks at work, nor bunched up with my other bikes (it has its own slot next to my desk). Certainly no fading or cracking yet. It's drying up tonight and tomorrow and I haven't taken it out in a while. Been meaning to and now really want to. It's looking too good to be stationary!

As for the images, yeah, I'm not seeing them either. Baffling! The host site has not changed, nor have they been eliminated. Is this something one of the admins could sort out?

Shall we have a new image, just as a reminder?

Yes, yes we shall.

RiddleOfSteel

Well, it's been nearly a year with this lovely lady and everything was good save for one thing: As nice as the old Suntour Superbe was/is, its performance in hectic city riding--especially with regard to braking with all that rolling mass--meant that, for me, it was a tier below in the Tackle Anything category compared to my other riders. And that "special occasion" status was fine for a while, but I wanted to ride it more and didn't want to make concessions during a ride due to its performance limitations. If I was out in the country with long ribbons of uninterrupted tarmac, then this wouldn't be a problem. Alas, I am in an urban environment.

Secretly, I have been gathering Campagnolo 8-speed Ergo parts to convert the drivetrain to indexed while still retaining the 27" wheels and super classy white wall tires. I'd get some nice-feeling centerpull brakes, some better braking, some better front gearing, and a 7-speed FW on the back to run 7 out of 8 gears. Maybe even a Campy triple!

Along comes my Miyata 610 and its restoration. And then it becomes this out-of-the-saddle gem of an accelerator, to say nothing of it's wonderful manners and speed capabilities while seated. That begets the "Springiness" thread. That thread begets a quick (before the rain starts again!) fitting of lighter Mavic/Dura-Ace 700C wheels and nice Continental 32mm tires to the Paramount, to see if lighter wheels would reveal an even better frame than what I had been getting a taste of with the larger and much heavier wheels. The bike responded well. Very interesting!

By this time, I had outfitted my '85 Cannondale ST400 with 3x9 Dura-Ace/Ultegra, parts that were truthfully meant for my 1982 Miyata 1000 build that I was waiting to get done with repairs. So I vetted those parts on the Cannondale, to much success! It was all going so well until I fitted the ST400's Mavic/Dura-Ace/Conti wheels (mentioned above) to the Paramount for that fateful test ride.

**************

The Seattle Bike Swap rolled (har!) around and I got a bargain of a brand new wheelset off a new model Raleigh Gran Vitesse. Weinmann XP24 rims (24mm wide external, or very close, parabolic rim cross-section) laced to generic silver hubs, shod with Clement Strada LGG 28mm tan wall tires. Shimano freehub body. I have a similar set, but from a cheaper late model Raleigh, with a Campy-spec freehub body.

The white wall 27" looked fantastic on the big Paramount. I put the new tan wall tire/wheelset on the front. It looked good! Different, but plenty good.

From that moment, there was no turning back. Parts would be swapped. Superbe off, Dura-ace on. And apart from a few days with a different drop bar (shallower ramp angle, but too narrow), what you see here is how I built it and how it will stay.

I think this bike is proportionally perfect. The angles, the tire-to-tube distances, all of it. Just...

The wheels and tires are both quite light, and this bike is very close to the 610 in out-of-the-saddle playfulness. It finally brakes well, really well. I love the index shifting, as always. The high polished bits (everything, essentially) work perfectly with the chrome (I made sure of it), as do the host of modern components, aesthetically. And during these cold days for commuting, that B17 is just so nice to sit on. I basically, semi-inadvertently, built myself my Grail Bike. It would suck to sell the other bikes, but if I had to have just one, it would be this.

***************

The spec list, should you care (and then PICTURES!):

- Shimano Dura-Ace 7700 indexed down tube shifters
- Shimano Dura-Ace 7803 FD
- Shimano Dura-Ace 7800 RD
- Shimano Ultegra 6500 12-27T 9-speed cassette
- Shimano Ultegra 6503 crankset - 175mm - 53/39/28T - high polish (stock 6500 rings are 52/42/30T, grey painted)
- Shimano R600 brake levers and high polish calipers with Kool Stop pads

****************

pastorbobnlnh 

It's difficult to say this about a '67 Paramount--- but I approve!

'Tis better to be ridden and enjoyed, than to sit and gather dust!

RiddleOfSteel

I really wish I could change the title of the thread, as the bike is a '74, but since I was a complete novice at reading Paramount serial numbers--even after looking on the Waterford site and still read it incorrectly--I titled the thread as a '67 and here it has been. Perhaps an accidental benefit that got more eyeballs on the thread than a 'boom years' 1974 model, but that was not my intention! All the original pictures are gone somehow, too....

As a fully rescued and repaired bike, the slate was clean to restore it in any number of ways. As I got the frame without parts on it, I didn't want to sink $600-900 into paint and decals only to have it crack on the first ride. So I went with painting it myself, going for a hot rod/rat rod theme. Between that and the Suntour components, it's been a bit of a rebel build, albeit carefully crafted.

That rebel theme continues with this update. I again carefully chose components for their relevance and complementary nature (ie high polish, radiused corners) to the frame. The triple Ultegra crankset was a major piece. Sure, there are other cranksets, but they either needed to be classic Campy/Sugino Mighty or something newer that was properly polished. No soft pearl-y luster or painted silver parts allowed.

Thank you for your approval! I am well aware of the dividing line between '84/'85 and newer Paramounts, and ones older. Older ones get restored or kept original (Campagnolo largely) and newer ones either stay period-correct or get the resto-mod treatment. I would like to think the spirit of its 'touring' designation is kept, while it is now functionally far superior without losing any stateliness--it is still a big bike, but a big and fast one now.

ascherer 

Bravo, Riddle. That's a hell of a rebuild. It must be a hoot to ride!

RiddleOfSteel

@ascherer oh it is! Can't wait to ride it to work again tomorrow! It's going to be below freezing the next two days, which will not be a lot of fun, but on this, it will be just fine. With this rebuild, I'm pumped that I get the modern functionality I like (fast, accurate indexed shifting; great brakes; better acceleration and feel with much lighter wheels) with the classic double butted Reynolds 531 tubing experience/feel all in one good looking (to me) package.

repechage

I like both versions.
The added mass of the second set of rims is the biggest first view visual difference to me.

Reminds me that I recently got a few on SPD pedals. For many now, the best answer for shoes that one can walk and ride on. For those folk I advised the dual sided pedals, spd one side and ride anything other.

ascherer 

I have a 2x10 Ultegra Group on my ‘87 Mercian, I get it completely. I love the original setup on my International, but the new components work so well for me that the riding is enhanced. Enjoy!

RiddleOfSteel

Thanks! I do like both versions, but I am just in love with the greatly increased functionality of the latter.

The visual mass is different, and increased, mostly I think because of the rim profile. The difference in tone between rim and tan wall is more obvious in person. Naturally (isn't that always our excuse??).

RiddleOfSteel

Thanks! Rode it today in the freezing weather. Long day at work (still here...I mean....) means another chilly ride home. Happy ride though!

Sir_Name 

Nice tux! I’ve always wanted a black bike, now I want a satin black bike. Great job on the paint - it looks great.

Any comments on the tires? How wide do they measure on the ~24mm rims?

gugie 

The Black Stallion.

RiddleOfSteel

Thanks! I am a sucker for black bikes. That and a nice red. But black, oh man. Just so right.

Tires measure 29.5mm wide or so, and are marked as 28mm. Height I have not measured yet, but it's probably around 28mm. They ride and corner very well, and thanks to Schwinn's generous brake bridge height, 28s or 32s are easily doable with fenders.

Aye, that she be. Still making 32° riding enjoyable. Now about those "timed" lights on 4th...get it together, Seattle! I'm still freezing!

Also in all honesty, your moving the rear brake bridge down to standard reach height was huge (I mean, still, apart from the epic steerer replacement, making the bike even possible to ride). I reversed the front and rear dual pivot calipers so that the rear could remain nutted, while using a longer receiver bolt/nut/whatever in the front (since the fork crown was still drilled for a recessed nut's diameter).