# circa 1940 Paramount Project



## Scooper (Mar 4, 2007)

The frameset I bought on eBay in July and shipped to Waterford for a complete restoration arrived Wednesday. Waterford did a superb job.

Yesterday I documented the geometry and had some surprises. For starters, the fork rake is a whopping 55mm. With the 73.7° HTA, the bike has 41mm of trail. The STA is a pretty laid back 72.2°. The BB drop is 65mm, and the chain stays are 450mm. Wheelbase is 1040mm for a 23" (58.4cm) c-t frame.

Anyway, it struck me that the seventy year old geometry is so different from the new Tiemeyer in the other thread.

Here are some photos.


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## Scooper (Mar 4, 2007)

Here's the carefully measured geometry.


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## Dave Hickey (Jan 27, 2002)

That is interesting geometry... Were Paramounts all custom back then or was it stock?


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## Scooper (Mar 4, 2007)

Dave, I believe Schwinn offered both.

The 1939 catalog contains several testimonial letters from six day racers, at least a couple of which make reference to "Mr. Wastyn has my specifications", which I assume means Emil Wastyn, the framebuilder who made these early Paramount frames, had their body measurements for a custom fit. OTOH, the catalog page shows that frames were available in sizes 21" and 22" and had a wheelbase of 40 1/4" (1022mm), so they would have been available in stock sizes, too I have to think the 1022mm wheelbase would be for the 21" frame and that bigger frames like my 23" would have a longer wheelbase. The serial number of my bike is A853, but the Schwinn records and build sheets were lost in a 1948 fire at the factory, so getting further info on my frame isn't possible.


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## cxwrench (Nov 9, 2004)

that is pretty cool...they do some amazing work at WPC. it looks beautiful! make sure to post photos when it's built up.


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## Scooper (Mar 4, 2007)

cxwrench said:


> that is pretty cool...they do some amazing work at WPC. it looks beautiful! make sure to post photos when it's built up.


Thanks! WPC seems to make a special effort when working on old Paramounts, and it sure shows on this frameset. I had phone conversations and exchanged numerous emails with Richard Schwinn about the restoration, and he couldn't have been nicer or more accommodating.

I'm building the wheels now and am waiting on UPS delivery of the seatpost and some bits to build the BB. Since the original Schwinn parts are virtually unobtainable, I'm building it up with vintage Campy pista hubs and crankset with a NOS vintage Campy 50T pista chainring. The 111mm pista BB spindle is NOS.

I should have it finished in a couple of weeks at most and will post photos of the completed bike. I plan on taking it to the Hellyer Park velodrome in San Jose as soon as it's finished, and am curious as the dickens about how it will handle with the long chain stays and short trail.

Here are some of the components I'll be using.


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## Joe(°-°) (Sep 27, 2011)

WoW! Beautyful.


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## PdxMark (Feb 3, 2004)

Unbelievably beautiful! And with the stem too!


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## totally_fixxated (Feb 6, 2007)

*Paramount*



Scooper said:


> Here's the carefully measured geometry.


Nice! Mr. Cooper.


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## Scooper (Mar 4, 2007)

It looks like it'll come in well under 20 pounds. Once it's built, I'll post the actual weight.


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## Richard (Feb 17, 2006)

All I can say is WOW!

By the way, the head tube angle and fork rake are similar to my 1972 23" Raleigh SuperCourse. That bike is impossible to ride "no hands."


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## Scooper (Mar 4, 2007)

It's built. 19.92 pounds with pedals. I'll post some pictures tomorrow.


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## Scooper (Mar 4, 2007)

Some photos; I'm pretty pleased with the result. Less than 20 pounds for a track bike with a seventy year old frame and mostly vintage components ain't bad.


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## JustTooBig (Aug 11, 2005)

Scooper said:


> Some photos; I'm pretty pleased with the result. Less than 20 pounds for a track bike with a seventy year old frame and mostly vintage components ain't bad.


Oh, my ..... OH, MY ...... well done. Beautifully done.


that gorgeous bike makes me feel funny down there.....


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## raymonda (Jan 31, 2007)

Nice, real nice!!!!!


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## Dave Hickey (Jan 27, 2002)

Absolutely beautiful...........well done sir....


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## DIRT BOY (Aug 22, 2002)

Scooper said:


> Some photos; I'm pretty pleased with the result. Less than 20 pounds for a track bike with a seventy year old frame and mostly vintage components ain't bad.


WOW! One awesome job Scooper! I would love to do something like that one day.


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## onsight512 (Oct 21, 2010)

Wow, that's really cool. Nice work.


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## ericssonboi (May 10, 2010)

I'm amazed! Good job!


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## waldo425 (Sep 22, 2008)

Wow, now that is a nice looking bike right there.


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## shoegazer (Nov 2, 2007)

Gorgeous! and on a "largish" frame - big congrats!
I'll bet Schwinns dream of falling into your hands - it's their paradise.


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## Sheepo (Nov 8, 2011)

Wow. I have a soft spot in my heart for classic Schwinns.


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## krustyone (Apr 13, 2010)

Drool...


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## shibaman (May 2, 2008)

Damn! What a nice bike! That frame is just beautiful.:thumbsup:


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## Biker55 (Nov 28, 2011)

Beautiful!


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## mushroomking (Sep 26, 2008)

That frame is stupid gorgeous. To bad those frames don't surface very often...


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## Scooper (Mar 4, 2007)

Thanks!

I had been looking for one for years. Here are more recent pictures.


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## Dave Hickey (Jan 27, 2002)

I love that bike....


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## INOX NYC (Dec 31, 2011)

That really is a beautiful bike. I know you will enjoy riding that around town!


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## Scooper (Mar 4, 2007)

I finally found a pair of original late thirties Paramount "phone dial" hubs (90mm front, 110mm rear O.L.D. spacing), cleaned them up, bought a pair of Ghisallo Corsa wooden rims, and laced them up yesterday. They make a huge difference in the appearance of the bike, and are only marginally heavier than the Campy hubs and Mavic Al alloy rims I put on the bike originally.



















I'll take pictures on the new wheels on the bike in a couple of hours when there's a break in the rain.


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## Scooper (Mar 4, 2007)

I'd really like to thank everybody for the compliments on the build; it's very encouraging.

The new wheels make a huge difference in appearance atmo.


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## onlineflyer (Aug 8, 2005)

I hate you . . . . . . in a nice way. Beautiful bike and, I agree, the wheels make it perfect.


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## krustyone (Apr 13, 2010)

Wow!!!


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## trunkz22 (Sep 12, 2008)

Ugh, immaculate. I can say i've visited the site 4-5 times today just to look at these photos. =]


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## Mapei (Feb 3, 2004)

A restoration worthy of Wayne Carini of Chasing Classic Cars. Magnifico.


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## JustTooBig (Aug 11, 2005)

oooooooohhhh ....... it just gets better!


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## Trower (Apr 28, 2009)

How do those beauties ride? Man they look good!


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## David Loving (Jun 13, 2008)

Absolutely stunning. Beautiful! Can you post a ride report?


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