ejw

City Bike and paved Bike Trail cruiser. Mid-60’s Schwinn Paramount, P12 Touring bike. Bought at the Auburn Bike Show last September. Recent high quality repaint. Standard Campy components, though there is some date mis-matching, later rear Record derailleur, a GS front, record front hub, a Record No-Record rear. Removed the tubulars, and swapped in a set of wheels with Campy Record hubs and Super Champion clincher Rims off my Paramount P13(this pending a new set of wheels). Found an unused-used Brooks Pro Saddle at a LBS. For any distance riding I don’t want drop bars, I’m 68… the fillet brazed stem and vintage early Cinelli bars were removed, packed away, and replaced with a Velo Orange stem and Dimension upright bar, that needed a little shimming.

Normally those REG shift lever covers aren’t my style, but they look good with the B/W color scheme (and I’m afraid the levers are corroded underneath).

It has mis-matched Weinmann C-P brakes, might swap in a set of Campy Record brakes. Picked up a set of Super Record pedals, that will continue the B/W scheme.

SwimmerMike 

Great looking bike! I really like the black.

abdon 

I also have a black and white '60s paramount with chrome lugs, one of my favorite bikes.

I'm really hating those handlebars you got there. Not that it means anything; if you like them that's all there is to it.

ejw

The drop bars were removed for reasons of comfort. I’m all ears for stem/handle bar suggestions, would love European items.

sd5782 

Personally for some casual riding, I like those bars a lot. I would guess they are a 15 degree bend? I find them a nice compromise between comfort and control. I dislike the more swept back tiller style bars. Various modern quill dirt drop bars are sold that I like. For a classy bike like this one, I believe Nitto made a dirt drop stem but they aren’t too cheap. Sacrilege to say, but the Schwinn stem shifters would work great on this, and I’ve even seen picks of them on Paramounts. Nice bike.

Bad Lag

FWIW, I like the bars well enough for upright riding but keep looking until you find a better stem.

Is that frame comfortable when riding upright?

abdon 

It is all a matter of personal preference so what counts is what you like and works for you. Me, I like putting the turkey wings brake levers on my bikes; that way I can ride through the city in an upright position while resting on the top of my drop bars. Funny enough a lot of folks find those hideous.

Drop bars don't force you to be on the lower portion of the bar, it just gives you that option. A wider drop bar may be what you need, it would give you more real estate on top to put your hands on.

52telecaster

I love the bik

This isn't complete but you can see my handlebar solution.
e. I typically use porteur bars in that situation. You can get them in 23.8 diameter so they fit bar cons. Velo orange sells them.

ejw

Very, comparable to my Raleigh International, also modded to an upright, but using British alloy Tourist Bars. The upright position is easier on the back, and gives one a better field of vision, and the flat bars give you good pull on hills.

52telecaster

I went to the upright position because of physical ailments but what you say is true. I love the vision and the ability to slow pedal up hills with pulling on the bars.

ejw

Yup, similar to my International. With the P12 I didn’t want to duplicate the International, and the flat bars have better pull…

Bad Lag

This is my flat bar, upright position bike.

Note the saddle. :-) and the plush tires. Also, this former mountain bike has fairly relaxed geometry compared to my road bike.

I really do like the perspective you get sitting up. It makes the ride more enjoyable and offsets other differences.

ejw

👍, Ihave the same saddle on my International, pictured in this thread.

John E

I don't know how you flat bar and swept bar fans deal with having only a single hand position. I considered putting drops on my mountain bike until I discovered perpendicular extensions for my Ritchey bars, which gave me at least two different hand/forearm orientations.

52telecaster

On the porteurs I have three or four positions depending on how u define it. For touring I wear padded gloves so any part of the bar is fair game.

Sierra

I agree with sd5782 that this would be a good application for the Schwinn "Twin Stick" headset mounted shifters.
As a 13-14 year old I had a Schwinn Varsity tourist model with upright riding position. I didn't think anything about the reach to the downtube shifters back then. I re-created the bike a number of years ago(nostalgia), but now, at age 71, it's an uncomfortably long reach down to the shifters.
I used to disdain the headset shifters(I still don't like them with a drop bar) but I think they make great sense for tourist style bike with an upright riding position.
Thumb shifters would be another good option.

ejw

I’m an Old School Snob, both the International and this maintain Campy down tube shifters. (Of course my P13 does, as well as my Fiorelli). Shifting isn’t an inconvenience, limited elevation changes in my area, they’re period and they’re cool 😎

Velo Mule

Nice bike @ejw . You made most of us a little jealous. I like the way you have it set up, including the stem, downtube shifter and toe clips. I've been riding my upright bikes more these day than my drop bar bikes. But, I did see a guy on a "gravel" bike that I noticed that his handlebars were up pretty high, like they put the rider in a similar position to an upright bar, the drop was not not as much as an older drop bar and the bar was wider than traditional drop bars. This is tempting. But that is another story. Enjoy your Paramount.

Whoever re-painted the frame did an outstanding job. The paint look great. Black paint show any imperfection and yours looks perfect. The lug lining is well done. Decal placement appears to be "spot-on". And the pinstripe on the fork looks exquisite.

squirtdad

very nice, stem does not bug me too much, but a nitto dirt drop would be more elegant

every one is different, but I find bars like that are to close to flat and hurt my wrists

I like bars like the nitto promenade or velo orange left bank, I tried a velo orange postino and it did not work for me but looked very cool

here is a bad pic of my SR1 semi pro with the left bank bars, will get a better one soon then next one show the postino

ejw

According to the seller, the paint was by Waterford.

ejw

Yes it is!

Bad Lag

I have two thoughts in reply.

First, when riding upright, there isn't as much weight on your hands as there is when riding with drop bars, not even close. The way mine is set up, basically, there is no weight on your hands, you have to actually grip the bars. The weight is on your butt, which is why I have the sprung saddle and "cushy" tires on my bike.

The other thought was, there are more positions than just one if you do want to move your hands around. There are fewer positions than drop bars but there are at least three on my bike (North Roads bars) but you need them less because your hands don't bear much load.

ejw, that surely is a classy-looking, classic bike. It is just black but it is also so much more.

merziac

I would get the lever covers off and clean up the levers if they need it, they will eventually ruin the covers.

Are either one of the brake calipers the engraved version "WEINMANN VAINQUEUR 999" with red infill?

repechage

Black Paramount
authentic appearing pin striping.
could use chrome lugs, crown and half stays, blades but perfection is a pursuit.

ejw

The rear is a 999, but not engraved.