timsch

I'm not sure, but you are correct in thinking that it has been a while / too long. I'll put that on the short list.

wrk101

+10 Look aggressively and you could find an Ultegra (9 speed) equipped bikes. I've seen them here from $100 and up. Or spend more like $250 and up and find 9 speed Dura Ace. My two Prologues have a mix of Dura Ace 7400 and 7700, bought in this manner. You won't see deals like this every day, but if you look aggressively, they are out there. I paid $75 recently for a tricolor bike. Components were in fresh, like new condition. Sold the frameset for $175. Parts will go on a family build.

timsch

wrk101, that sounds like a plan. I must admit, I don't know what is meant by Tricolor bike....

tricky 

Tricolor is a nickname for that Shimano 600 groupset you have on your bike. The nickname refers to the three different colors in the little bar below the "Shimano 600" wording on the components. It's good stuff.

smd4

A nickname that didn’t exist when I was wrenching. I put it right up there with “Brifters” and “bents.”

timsch

Got it. Thanks everyone.

joesch

Unless your budget or room tight then forget upgrade as replacement but rather upgrade (n+1) to complement your stable options. That is why nlerner suggestion makes sense

merziac

Paramount, "one year only", Kestral made.

Those words and this bike are pretty hard to come by.

It was pretty cutting edge for its time but none of its benchmarks apply today.

I would encourage you to keep this as is/was/etc, ride it some if you can.

Proceed with a search that finds you a bike that can really get you to where you want to be.

I would scrub, clean, polish, shine and show this one off to anybody that would stand still for it.

And I'm not really a fan of carbon, vintage or otherwise, this has nothing to do with that.

merziac

Isn't this fun?

And since we forgot, welcome aboard, glad you found us, tx for bringing us in.

You had me at "Paramount"

timsch

That sounds like as good a plan as any. I can afford to keep it and get another.

As far as original goes, the original shifters were missing when I got it, but otherwise had stock components. It was recommended to find a donor bike to upgrade earlier. I did find a Diamondback with full tri-color components that I can pick up for $275 that is also a size that my son can use. I can swap my older-upgraded 9-speed shifters and cassette out for the tri's on that bike and bring mine back to original, for the most part. It'll be back to to 8-speed, but would be original. Put the others on the DB for him, and then keep an eye open for a 2nd bike for me.

repechage

The pro's closet

you are already down plastic fantastic road, from the appearance you could use a bike ready to go.

or go Canyon

merziac

Very good, none of this is life threatening of course but it can be reversed. The Tri-color stuff is good so it will be very cool.

Again, welcome aboard, you're gonna fit right in.

52telecaster

I think upgrading from my paramount is akin to first world problems. I'd love to have that problem.

t2p

sweet bike

and rare - didn't see too many ... maybe seen one or two (?)

it's a keeper in my book

sbarner 

I wouldn't be surprised if you are disappointed if you think a newer bike is going to ride better. That's already a pretty nice bike. You are going to get a few more sprockets in the back, but some of the new ones may not be all that useful. The biggest difference will be if you can go new enough to get more tire clearance for 28 mm or wider tires, which should plush out the ride a bit. It looks like you have 25's or 23's on there now. In spite of what you might read in reviews, any changes in the bike handling will likely have a lot more to do with arbitrary differences in geometry than in advances in carbon fiber technology. A new-to-you bike is going to feel like it rides better at first, but it's a lot like a new romance--once the novelty wears off, you are really trading one set of quirks for another. Sometimes it's better to do the maintenance and repair on what you've got.

timsch

Agreed. That's why I created this post. Thanks to all the good responses, I have a much better idea now than before.

t2p

does not appear to be a priority -

but if you desire - with some creativity and some $ - you could drop some weight from that bike

can't recall what that frame weighs - but prob fairly light ... under 3 lbs

rccardr 

Rode my Bob Jackson today that’s equipped with 8 speed Tricolor.
Thought to myself during the ride “this stuff works as well as the Dura Ace on my other bikes”.
New stuff might be new and shiny, but it’s unlikely to result on a measurable performance improvement.
Good point made above re clearance for larger tires, however. The BJ clears 25’s, wish it would take 28’s or 30’s.

smd4

Dura Ace isn't painted (i.e., it looks way better), it's lighter and it will last longer.

52telecaster

My bob is a world tourist and only takes 35s. It's a nice bike though.

rccardr 

Once again, clearly not the point. Read the post.

RustyJames 

I knew this would be a passionate discussion so many of the responses have been fun to read.

If there is an itch to scratch, go for it! Life is about both revelations and disappointments and neither of those are bad. I’m perfectly content to look back and say, “that didn’t work out”. As the kids say - YOLO

JSL

The Madone you mention is a nice riding bike, but check the geometry well before you purchase. They are pretty aggressive and with a threadless headset, which can limit how high you can raise the bars. Based on the setup of your paramount, it might be a challenge on the Trek.

bamboobike4

Basically a Kestrel 200Sci. They ride a lot like a steel bike, very sensitive to your wheel choice. The ride can range from sluggish to amazing, depending on the build. Ivet been on some real digs, but a friend built one that rode magnificently. (so much so that I traded him for it).

The tricolor was a result of the yen being very strong at the time. It works very well, and plays with other 8-speed stuff, including the new Claris, which offers an 11-34 cassette.

IIRC, the stem was a Paramount branded, item, too.

Whether the value is worth keeping, no idea. The Kestrels remain popular but not collector’s items. Taking that to a show with Paramounts will certainly start a conversation with that bunch. It’s not only a PDG series, it’s (gasp) carbon. That’s a 2-beer conversation right there.

An $850 Madone with DA is a lot of bike, with the new 105Di2 Madone at $8000.

Budget
Bird in the hand.
$850 Madone with DA is likely 5200-5500 series.
Decisions.
.

timsch

Unfortunately no decision. The Madone (5.5) unsurprisingly has sold.

The stem was definitely aftermarket. IIRC, the original stem was too long for me.

I'd be interested to know more about what build makes it magnificent vs sluggish. I'd assume geometry is part of it, but what else, other than crappy components?