molleraj

Hey all, I noticed this listing on FB Marketplace and was wondering everyone's opinions. It was tuned up last year and includes new tires. Is it that much of an improvement over my 1974 Panasonic Sport Deluxe and 1982 Peugeot P8? The Sport Deluxe has a lugged 1020 frame and at least one aluminum rim while the P8 has a lugless Carbolite 103 frame with also at least one aluminum rim (I'd guess it's 24 lbs). Both fit great and feel great. I'm guessing the PDG is about 23 lbs with 700c wheels and aluminum alloy rims. It also looks to be a 56cm frame, which is probably the most critical parameter (I'm 5'10"). I really love the bikes I ride now but I do want to upgrade to a chromoly frame once I reach 5000 miles biked (2600 now), if a good one would represent an improvement over what I have.

thinktubes 

If the shoe fits…

albrt 

The PDG is worth $200 unless there is something terribly wrong with it. Whether you will like it better than your other bikes is a question only you can answer, and the difference may turn out to be the gearing ratio or the length of the stem rather than the inherent quality of the frame.

molleraj

Thanks! Yeah I figured this. I wonder if I should better understand the gearing ratios on those two bikes and consider if I want higher gears or more gears on the freewheel. I also wonder if I could swap out the Panasonic rear wheel for an aluminum one if it is in fact steel to save a bit more weight. It's definitely a wonderful ride as it is, just sometimes it feels like I spin out a bit too much going down hills.

jamesdak 

Those PDG Paramounts are excellent bike and that one is well worth the asking price by what I can see. The frame is more than worthy of any parts upgrades you want to do to it.

wrk101

Your weight guesses are just that, guesses. I would expect the Panasonic and Peugeot to weigh more than those guesses.

As a practical matter, you cannot upgrade either to match what you are getting with the Paramount, due to frame tubing. You also have the advantage of 700c wheels versus 27 inches, dual pivot brakes, better derailleurs, indexed shifting.

On gearing, there are plenty of gear calculators on the web that can guide you.

Something wrong with the FD shift lever. There is a stop built in to the lever that prevents that position. So its either broken or mis-installed, not end of the world.

zukahn1 

Nice bike worth the price as for gearing it is fairly easy to go down one or two sizes on the front small ring for about $10 so not really an issue.

DMC707

"Worth it for $200" ? - yes


"Is it that much of an improvement over my 1974 Panasonic Sport Deluxe and 1982 Peugeot P8?" - yes


" I really love the bikes I ride now but I do want to upgrade to a chromoly frame once I reach 5000 miles biked (2600 now), if a good one would represent an improvement over what I have" - why torture yourself with sub-par machinery for another 2400 miles ? Ride the Paramount to 5000 then get a modern bike as a reward if you must, however, that PAramount will accept any type of modernization you can think of just fine - your other bikes- not so much

molleraj

Oh that's excellent! Maybe this is the n+1 to end all n+1s haha :-)

molleraj

Fair enough, though the Panasonic Sport Deluxe (basically the same thing as the original Schwinn LeTour) is 30-32 lbs with steel rims and this has at least one aluminum rim, which should save some weight (maybe 2 lbs?). The Peugeot P8 is 27 lbs stock for a 23" frame and mine is 21". It also has aluminum rims I think both front and rear that would further lighten it. That's why I'd guess it's 24-25 lbs.

Yeah, honestly one of my main reasons for being interested was the 700c wheels, after the frame tubing. The brakes and derailleurs would also be big upgrades. I didn't realize the Paramount had indexed shifting - nice.

Nice! I will take a look.

Something wrong with the FD shift lever. There is a stop built in to the lever that prevents that position. So its either broken or mis-installed, not end of the world.[/QUOTE]

molleraj

Nice! Sounds like this is the probably the best early 1990s road bike (on the edge of vintage I guess) that I could get.

DMC707

There's always something out there, "better", lighter, cheaper , newer that'll hit Marketplace or Craigslist 3 days after you bring home your new to you prize, but yes, the PAramount is still a nice bike

But again i may be a tad biased -- i have one too






And like others have stated -- the bike is totally worth modernizing later on if you want , - or right upfront also -- i believe there is a thread on here somewhere about modernized vintage bikes , but most of them follow a similar pattern --- the bike below is the only bike i've truly "modernized" as most of my bikes are from the 90's where integrated shift/brake levers were quite common, -- but in this case i took an old Italian frameset and updated it to modern 11speed (or maybe 10 - i forgot ) , found a crankset with 50/34 compact gearing , used an adapter to use big diameter modern , shallow bend bars and premium tires.
- I did sell it as the top tube was still a stretch for me, even with the short stem , but i was truly proud of how it turned out and the old machine was right at home on any group ride (even the fast ones)

The PAramount frameset would be a great host for this type of update also

t2p

sweet looking bike and well worth $200

the frame - hand built Tange Prestige OS tubes with investment cast lugs - is worth $200 alone

the factory / OEM gearing might be ok for riding on flat terrain - for just about everything else it's a big miss

the easiest way to improve the gearing for hills would be to replace the 13-23 OEM cassette with an XT 7spd 12-28 cassette (or similar) ... there is a good chance the chain length is ok and will permit big/big without destroying the stock RD (or requiring a different chain and/or RD) - but be careful (and avoid big/big anyways)

other drivetrain components can be upgraded if desired - that frame would be an ideal home for 105 or 600 stuff (similar to Series 5 and 7)

few additional upgrades ? ... American Classic seatpost (or whatever) and seat of your choice ... some high end tires ... and it will be a sweet ride ...

jamesdak 

Well...since we're sharing pics now I need to show mine off, LOL!


Still running an 8 speed setup and despite it being one of my heavier bikes with a 42T small ring it is one of my best climbers. Puts power to the road really well.

How I took it out this July 4th.

xiaoman1 

Nothing like a comparison.......
Best, Ben