Pedal_Inn

Hi all,

I was fortunate to pick up a sweet late 50's paramount (after cracking my nervex lugged px-10, boo) that is completely bare and needs building. Frame is straight, I have the head badge, and recently picked up the decal set from Waterford (see below). Serial # is C60. Really neat that you can actually see the reynolds stamp on the fork blades as well! I want to do a build that is faithful, in spirit at least, to the original (the faithful restoration might have to wait for my later, richer years). Suggestions? I am also thinking about getting the frame dipped in copper as a twist on the ubiquitous classic chrome paramounts. Here are some pictures of the canvas:

Trick fall

Nothing to say except that is a lovely frame.

obrentharris 

Beautiful frame! It deserves a first class paint or plating job. If you decide on paint I can highly recommend Ed Litton who's not far from you in Richmond, CA. I'll leave the component selection suggestions to the Paramount experts of which I am not one.
Brent

pastorbobnlnh 

Wow! What a great find. Can't wait to see the copper plating.

As far as build, Campagnolo Gran Sport or original Record would be the most faithful. Of course they could be very pricey. If you go with a Campy crankset, you'd need the earlier Record with the 151BCD chainrings.

Another thought would be to use Nuovo Record. Here's my reasoning: If the bike was ridden hard for 10 years and the original RD & FD were worn and needing replacement, an upgrade to Nuovo Record would make perfect sense (and it would be more affordable).

well biked

+1! Beautiful frameset!

Scooper

That is a really fantastic find. Congratulations!

The first thing I'd do is check with Waterford to see if they have records on s/n C60 (they can provide provenance reports on Paramounts starting with 1959). If they do, I'd order the provenance report. The cost is $50 payable through PayPal. Depending on how detailed their records are, you may be able to find out what components were originally shipped on the frame from the factory. You have one of the early Nervex Professional lugged frames, and probably one of the first with Campy forged 1010 dropouts (with derailleur hanger).

If you haven't taken the frame to American Cyclery (Stanyan and Frederick) and shown it to Bradley Woehl, you should. He will appreciate it.

Kactus

I would have Waterford paint it in the original color (if it can be determined).

Michael Angelo 

I think it would look stunning in White, with a bit of lug lining. And Nuovo Record Group set.

sailorbenjamin

They had derailler hangers in the dropout in '59? I'd have a tough time deciding on color. It would look great in any color, or even copper. I guess I'd go white with red bar tape and wood rims laced to an SA 3 speed. That just leaves the question of what to with the derailler hanger. Put a 3 speed freewheel on the SA.

Michael Angelo 

I have an early 50's Italian Stucchi with Open C derailleur hangers.

Trick fall

I wouldn't even paint that it looks so cool as it is.

The Golden Boy 

Just out of curiosity- were these CrMo or were these 531?

Scooper

The 1953 Campagnolo catalog No. 12 shows the 1010 dropouts with derailleur hanger (right driveside dropout is p/n 301) as part of the Gruppo Gran Sport. Schwinn was pretty late in adopting rear derailleurs.

Scooper

The customer's choice in the late fifties, Dave. The frames could be ordered using either Accles & Pollock Kromo (A & P trade name for CrMo) or Reynolds 531 MnMo.

Scooper

OP, I second this. Waterford painted my 1940 Paramount Racer and did a superb job.

wrk101

+10 Rare bike, I would do it "right", which to me means a Waterford paint restoration.

According to the Waterford site, there were only 270 Paramounts made in 1959. Figure maybe 25% survived. Reynolds tubing was optional (see Stan's comment), making it even more rare.

I am debating what to do with my 1973/1974 track frame set, which is common in comparison.

PedalTraveler

+100

The Golden Boy 

Thanks Stan! As always, your knowledge and resource is paramount!

I had no idea of the rarity to begin with.

Wow- that is a VERY SPECIAL frame.

Man, when you get something THAT special, you have a great responsibility to do it right. The components can be swapped out at your leisure, but make sure you have the permanent stuff done correctly. Although some may argue- something like this is not about you- it's about the bike.

Grand Bois

I think the OP made it clear that he can't afford a high-dollar restoration right now. Waterford is very expensive and Ed Litton doesn't exactly work cheap. For now, he just needs to protect that bare from from rust.

If it was mine, a temporary solution would be to paint it myself, but I have the equipment, a place to work and some skill.

iab

I'd spend money on good paint, get less expensive non-period correct parts to ride the bike. Upgrade when the funds become available.

shoota 

Gotta agree with this.

Scooper

That's what I did with my 1940 Paramount. The crank is later Campy Pista and the stem is new manufacture LDG. As I find the original crank and stem at a price that won't bankrupt me, I'll replace them. My goal was to get it rideable within a budget, then look for the OEM parts.

Grand Bois

Scooper,

Do you mind if I ask how much Waterford charged you for the frame restoration? Did your frame have dings in the tubes as the OP's appears to have in the top tube?

Scooper

Not at all; I've posted that previously. It did have a top tube ding apparently caused by clamping too hard in a repair stand. Someone had attempted to fill it in with brass brazing filler and totally botched it.

From the work order:

1. Special Services - roll out dents and detail $125
2. Base Repaint - $600
3. Painted Head Tube - $120
4. Box Pinstriping - top tube, down tube, stays and fork blades - $250
5. Shipping & handling, UPS Ground - $50

Total $1,145

Here is a photo of the top tube damage after I exposed it and before I shipped the frameset to Waterford.

Scooper

Here are a few photos of the frameset as received from Waterford.