m.c. 

I was outbid at the last second for a Paramountain frame. It was a lugged mountain bike frame from I think the mid-eighties. I can't find much information about them. I don't know if they had anything to do with Waterford or the paramount designers or builders. I thought I read that they were only sold as a frame/fork for mountain bikers to build up themselves.
I don't know if its worth trying to find another one. I'm looking for a frame to make into an upright bike with 26" wide tires and fenders. Basically what I want is a Velo-orange polyvalent with a threaded steerer so I can have a quill stem.

curbtender

Try here...
https://www.bikeforums.net/classic-v...us-tubing.html

m.c. 

Thanks

m.c. 

This is the one I was outbid on

Korina

Very nice bike, but there are any number of mtb frames that will do the job. Specialized RockHoppers (StumpJumpers are too $$$), Trek Singletracks (930 or above), Univega Alpina, Diamond Back Apex or Ascent, and a bunch of others. There's a whole thread for this;Vintage MTB To Upright Bar/Urban Bike Conversions. Check it out, you'll get a lot of inspiration.

If you feel like going on a Noble Quest, look for a Specialized RockCombo; it's basically a 26" wheel road bike with fat tires. They were only made for a year or two, so they're very hard to find.

Here's my attempt at a poor woman's Rivendell/Polyvalent:



Getting ready to start the Critical Mass ride.

m.c. 

I've been in that thread. It is what led me to look and find this frame.

What size is your frame? I see frame photos and its hard for me to picture what it would look like with wheels and tires.
I think I want to go smaller than I have been riding on road and hybrid bikes.
Yours looks like what I want.

The Golden Boy 

When I started getting into bikes- the Paramountain was my white whale.

I’m sure you’ve read all the things I’ve read- it was a top level mountain bike positioned above the Cimarron, available only as a frame, it was built in Greenville, the geometry is between the old long bike and the short MB-1 frame, the word “Schwinn” doesn’t appear on it.

When I was interested in the Paramountain, I was interested in the ATB qualities that old mountain bikes had- that were coincidentally shared with touring bikes- but a lot of those are not on the Paramountain. Which makes that bike unique and special, irrespective of its position at Schwinn or its legacy.

dmark 

FYI: 88 built in Greenville Project KOM 10 (as found) picked up last week. It is original except for front wheel. The bike is built of Tange Prestige with full xt and rides like a dream. The frames appear largely the same as the OP's down to the reinforced unicrown fork.
I think it's a keeper.

Reynolds 531 

Wrong fork. Paramountain, but the wrong year. (or repainted and new decals added)

himespau 

Nice, I have a 1992 Specialized Sequoia frameset that I keep wanting to build up into something similar, but, at 58 cm, it's just too small for me. the 92/93 was when the Sequoia was just a Rockhopper where they'd moved the cantilever studs up so they'd fit 700c wheels and added mounts for front racks and controlling a generator light.

Korina

The Princess is an 18" frame, technically a bit too tall for me, but we work well together.

Korina

You could post it in the Frame Doesn't Fit swap thread and find something more suitable.

m.c. 

Ok thanks. Looking at the old catalogs that would be around the same size as my current bikes. I'll probably want to go the next size down.

TimmyT 

There was at least one generation of these that cracked at the chainstays. The tubing was too light for off road use. That, and there was a stupid curve in the stays.

t2p

this frame might have been too large based on your comments in this thread ?

t2p

not familiar with a Velo-orange polyvalent

took a quick look

appears to be tig welded butted CrMo frame with provisions for fenders and attachments (?)

there are a number of quality vintage CrMo MTB frames - TIG'd and lugged - but don't know how many will have the provisions for fenders / attachments

the vintage Schwinn Paramount frames were high quality - upper level TIG'd frames and (especially) the silver brazed lugged frames

I / we have a few - and I know a number of others that have them

I've also seen some other quality steel frames - including Diamondback, Specialized, Trek and Gary Fisher steel frames (I have one low/medium quality Fisher and one medium quality Fisher)

m.c. 

It probably was.

I asked the seller for the measurements. He told me the seatpost and top tube were both 88.9mm which would make it a 8.89cm frame. I asked him to measure it again and told him where to measure it from but he didn't write back.

t2p

I didn't include the sweet Waterford Paramount frames in the discussion - because they are especially rare and $ (and off road frames even more so)

attached a pic I recently found of a transformed TIG'd Series 90 - appears to be a 15"

m.c. 

I just bought a trek 930 mountain bike frame that should be the size I'm looking for. I don't know if it compares quality wise to others but it should be good enough for me.

m.c. 

I wouldn't mine one of these, I have the matching road bike frame.

t2p

a friend found a red-white-blue TIG'd Series 90 complete bike in great shape at a small yard sale for a couple hundred bucks

tempted to end the friendship after that lol

t2p

930 should be a good one ... ? ... ('9' series) ... could be made in USA / Waterloo WI ... (?)

m.c. 

There is a Made in USA sticker. I assumed it means something like the frame and fork arrive in the US, they combine them and call it made in the USA. I don't really know anything about Trek but I now own three of their bikes. I have a 420, 520, and now I've bought the 930. The 520 has a bent dropout. I'd like to have it repaired and converted to 650b and keep it. May get rid of the 420.

My plans to order a new Rivendell fell through when they made a change I don't like. So I've been impulse buying random things to see what I like and could make something out of. Its not going well and I'm probably about to start selling off things. I really think I could make the mountain bike frame into something Id enjoy more than the others and will probably end up getting the riv frame, fix it, and have it repainted but that will take a lot of time for the painter. Because I was going to get the Riv I gave away the bikes I used the most but didn't really like. Then I found myself with just a beach cruiser and no normal bike.

Korina

You'll love that 930; I know I love mine, although I don't ride it enough. You can date it on Vintage Trek, on this page. If it says Made in America, you can be sure it was actually made in America. Vintage Treks are generally very good bikes, and that '90s Imron paint is tough as nails.

We'd love to see pics of your new bike!

m.c. 

I want to build it up and ride it soon but ultimately I don't think I'll be keeping the paint. It has a dent that I want to fill and I want to do a paint scheme with cream between the head lugs and on a section of the seatpost. I haven't decided on the main color yet but am leaning toward spray.bike Peacock. I think Im going to try to paint it myself. Im trying to get my tandem out to a painter asap and I know it will have at least a year wait so I'd like to get this one done quicker.