cnighbor1
09-15-2020, 01:44 PM
Robert is a great collector of classic bicycles and this is how it all started
His collection here https://www.flickr.com/photos/8379107@N03/collections/
''In the summer of 1973, I was a year out of college, the harvest was over, and I found myself out of work, with a little money. Still didn’t know what I wanted to do when I grew up. Rent was cheap, $95 a month and I split it with a housemate (Jacob Russell’s cousin Florence for a couple years) and I could live on about $100 a month total. So I thought if I could sell my ratty old Hodaka motorcycle I’d buy myself a bicycle and go riding. I got $170 for the motorcycle, and spent it all on a bike, spare tire, rear rack, water bottle, and a pump. I went down to the local Peugeot dealer, and was going to buy a UO-8 which a lot of people had then. But they had this one that had lightweight alloy wheels and these tires that are glued on, the PA-10. A poor man’s racing bike. It was light by comparison, only 24 lbs. Heavy steel frame and steel cranks. I didn't know about glued on tires, but the light weight of the wheels was attractive to me. Seemed like a fine bike to me, only a few bucks more than a UO-8 at $160 plus tax, and even with 45-52 and 14-24 gearing, I went touring on it. Did a 3 day ride in the Palouse, up to Spokane and back from near Pullman. I joined a local riding club, the Walla Walla Wheelmen. There was quite a mix of bikes. Mostly no better than mine, but one fellow had an old Paramount, and we all envied him and lusted after one ourselves. Those beautiful chrome Nervex lugs! Paramounts were $575 then, way out of reach for me. Half a year's living expenses. Then a young lad in the group ordered one for himself too. He was about 6’ tall and all legs, so the naïve Schwinn shop ordered him a 27” frame. Not sure they had ever sold a Paramount before. He could barely reach the bars. But it was black with chrome and sure was a beauty. So the Paramounts made a big impression on me. Even the name sounded important, like the fancy big city theatres.
Fast forward to 1987. My store was nearly 4 years old by then, and I was finally making a little money. By then I had 4 Davidsons, had bought and sold 3 Jack Taylors, and still had one other, and I had bought and sold a Colnago, a Guerciotti track bike, a Klein-like bike my brother made at MIT, a too-large Cinelli, and I had a new Masi Prestige from Alberto, plus a mountain bike I’d made myself. Then a friend of mine named Mike found a 1972 Paramount P-13 in the Schwinn shop in Astoria, not far from where he lived. He used to be in Kent and was painting Bill’s bikes in the late 70s, and it was he that introduced me to Bill in 1977. The Paramount was too small for him, but it was nearly unridden, my size, 22”, and he asked me if I was interested in it. Duh! Does the pope **** in the woods? He was building a new racing frame for himself and wanted to get a DA group for it. We had an OEM deal with Shimano so I could get the stuff cheap. I swapped him a complete group for the Paramount. We both got a good deal. And it was a beauty, with all original parts, and beautiful chrome and maroon paint. And it had Clement Campionato Del Mondo tires, that were swapped out from the original Clement 50s when it was new. I decided it would be a keeper.
Before then, all my bikes had just been bikes. I wasn’t a collector; I was a rider, an enthusiast. Still am, really. But when I got that Paramount, I immediately realized I now had a classic, even though it was only 15 years old then. So I guess that is the beginning of my collection. Many bikes followed, including 7 more Paramounts, and I also got my Colnago back and restored it 25 years later, but that first Paramount will always be the shining star on top of my Christmas tree. I have ridden it now and then ever since, and it’s always been a rider, but only on sunny days, so it has aged very well. No water bottle cage has ever sullied the decals. I’ve just gone dry or carried a bottle in my back pocket. I kept the Del Mondos on it until they died a natural death. The rear went about 4 years ago and the front finally gave up the ghost this year, at age 48! But several years ago I came up with a pair of NOS Del Mondos, and decided to save them for the Paramount. Last night I finally put them on. I cleaned and shined up the Mavic Monthlery Pro rims, which are still built with the original Berg-Union chrome plated double butted spokes, trued them up a little, and taped on the NOS Del Mondos. Now the bike is returned to its original glory and I can’t wait to ride it again. Some pics today, taken in the nice smoke-filtered sunshine
https://www.flickr.com/photos/8379107@N03/albums/72157715987226607
Robert D Freeman
North Bend WA ''
His collection here https://www.flickr.com/photos/8379107@N03/collections/
''In the summer of 1973, I was a year out of college, the harvest was over, and I found myself out of work, with a little money. Still didn’t know what I wanted to do when I grew up. Rent was cheap, $95 a month and I split it with a housemate (Jacob Russell’s cousin Florence for a couple years) and I could live on about $100 a month total. So I thought if I could sell my ratty old Hodaka motorcycle I’d buy myself a bicycle and go riding. I got $170 for the motorcycle, and spent it all on a bike, spare tire, rear rack, water bottle, and a pump. I went down to the local Peugeot dealer, and was going to buy a UO-8 which a lot of people had then. But they had this one that had lightweight alloy wheels and these tires that are glued on, the PA-10. A poor man’s racing bike. It was light by comparison, only 24 lbs. Heavy steel frame and steel cranks. I didn't know about glued on tires, but the light weight of the wheels was attractive to me. Seemed like a fine bike to me, only a few bucks more than a UO-8 at $160 plus tax, and even with 45-52 and 14-24 gearing, I went touring on it. Did a 3 day ride in the Palouse, up to Spokane and back from near Pullman. I joined a local riding club, the Walla Walla Wheelmen. There was quite a mix of bikes. Mostly no better than mine, but one fellow had an old Paramount, and we all envied him and lusted after one ourselves. Those beautiful chrome Nervex lugs! Paramounts were $575 then, way out of reach for me. Half a year's living expenses. Then a young lad in the group ordered one for himself too. He was about 6’ tall and all legs, so the naïve Schwinn shop ordered him a 27” frame. Not sure they had ever sold a Paramount before. He could barely reach the bars. But it was black with chrome and sure was a beauty. So the Paramounts made a big impression on me. Even the name sounded important, like the fancy big city theatres.
Fast forward to 1987. My store was nearly 4 years old by then, and I was finally making a little money. By then I had 4 Davidsons, had bought and sold 3 Jack Taylors, and still had one other, and I had bought and sold a Colnago, a Guerciotti track bike, a Klein-like bike my brother made at MIT, a too-large Cinelli, and I had a new Masi Prestige from Alberto, plus a mountain bike I’d made myself. Then a friend of mine named Mike found a 1972 Paramount P-13 in the Schwinn shop in Astoria, not far from where he lived. He used to be in Kent and was painting Bill’s bikes in the late 70s, and it was he that introduced me to Bill in 1977. The Paramount was too small for him, but it was nearly unridden, my size, 22”, and he asked me if I was interested in it. Duh! Does the pope **** in the woods? He was building a new racing frame for himself and wanted to get a DA group for it. We had an OEM deal with Shimano so I could get the stuff cheap. I swapped him a complete group for the Paramount. We both got a good deal. And it was a beauty, with all original parts, and beautiful chrome and maroon paint. And it had Clement Campionato Del Mondo tires, that were swapped out from the original Clement 50s when it was new. I decided it would be a keeper.
Before then, all my bikes had just been bikes. I wasn’t a collector; I was a rider, an enthusiast. Still am, really. But when I got that Paramount, I immediately realized I now had a classic, even though it was only 15 years old then. So I guess that is the beginning of my collection. Many bikes followed, including 7 more Paramounts, and I also got my Colnago back and restored it 25 years later, but that first Paramount will always be the shining star on top of my Christmas tree. I have ridden it now and then ever since, and it’s always been a rider, but only on sunny days, so it has aged very well. No water bottle cage has ever sullied the decals. I’ve just gone dry or carried a bottle in my back pocket. I kept the Del Mondos on it until they died a natural death. The rear went about 4 years ago and the front finally gave up the ghost this year, at age 48! But several years ago I came up with a pair of NOS Del Mondos, and decided to save them for the Paramount. Last night I finally put them on. I cleaned and shined up the Mavic Monthlery Pro rims, which are still built with the original Berg-Union chrome plated double butted spokes, trued them up a little, and taped on the NOS Del Mondos. Now the bike is returned to its original glory and I can’t wait to ride it again. Some pics today, taken in the nice smoke-filtered sunshine
https://www.flickr.com/photos/8379107@N03/albums/72157715987226607
Robert D Freeman
North Bend WA ''