Steve:
I too just scored an old Paramount. It's a '72 P15 that has been upgraded slightly back in the early '80's. It's not the first Paramount for me, I have the remains of two of the very early '30's/'40's Paramounts that were damaged in a storage container fire, and I hope to someday restore at least one of them. But I always wanted a road Paramount from the '70's, and that dream has finally come true.
On the subject of growing numbers of bicycles, you can use me for an example if you like. My collection just hit a total of 78 plus 2 50+ year old childs tricycles. And that doesn't count the boxes and boxes of components, and the extra wheels hanging in the garage. I have a friend who has more bikes & bike stuff than I, and keeps three storage units (10' x 25'), two of which are filled with mostly bike stuff, and that doesn't count what he has at home.
I will admit that there are at least 15 to 20 bikes that I purchased with the intentions of overhauling and selling, and I don't consider to be part of my collection. I will also confess that I do not have a spouse, so I don't have anyone to object to my collection of bicycles except relatives who don't live with me, like my Mom.
My problem ( if you want to call it that) is that I believe in preserving any and all good quality bicycles that I come across that are in nearly complete original condition regardless of how badly scratched they are, or what size they are, as long as I can afford to purchase them, and their original paint and decals are visible. I believe that there are a lot of people who don't keep their bikes in original condition, just as I did when I was a teenager, and either change components around or repaint them to fit their own tastes.
Now, after many years of being involved in cycling, people sometimes give me bikes. I figure I'm in a better position to find a good home for most of the bikes that I really don't need or want for my collection, than the persons whom I get them from. Last year I even found a very nice Bianchi in a thrift store, and since I already have 5 Bianchi I bought it for my younger brother. After all, it was only $107.00 for a bike that originally sold for hundreds of dollars.
Bicycles have been a major part of my life since the late '60's. They have a bigger hold on me than my love of classic cars and hot rods, which dates back to my childhood. I guess that if I am ever to have a wife again, she will either have to be very understanding, or into bicycles almost as much as I am, because without the bicycle I don't know what I would do with myself.
Happy cycling & collecting,
"Bicycle Mark" Perkins Fresno Cycling Club - Historian Fresno, California, U.S.A.
On Sun, 2 Mar 2003 22:15:06 -0500 "Stephen Barner" <steve@sburl.com>
writes:
> Alas, I have sinned. I have lusted for 30 years for a Paramount in my
size.
> I did not want to wait in '73, and bought that 23" black beauty P13,
knowing
> I needed a 21". I sold it when reality kicked in, and bought a P15 in
'77,
> only to discover that the top tube of the 21" touring model was the
same
> length as the 23"! There I was, all stretched out with numb hands
again.
> By the time I saved up enough for the matching P13 (I wanted a pair),
the
> ladies on Kostner Ave had hung up their torches and retired to the Old
> Brazers' Home.
>
> A year ago, I started watching for 21" P13s on eBay. In despair, I
bought
> an early '80s Colnago Master that I didn't need, just because it was
> virtually brand new. Sin #1. It wasn't a Paramount, so I kept
watching. A
> month ago, I spotted a '75 Raleigh Pro on the Bay. I had sold Pros in
'75,
> so I bid--turns out, I was the only bidder (high starting bid), and so
> landed a little-ridden bike boom import with pretty chrome, lousy
paint, and
> the kind of detail work that only a drunken Englishman could get away
with.
> Sin #2.
>
> Finally, today I scored the long-lost 21" P13. It's one of my least
> favorite Paramount colors--white, and has the cheap Weinman
centerpulls, but
> it looks to be pretty close to stock, and the years haven't appeared to
take
> too bad a toll on it. I had to bite my tongue to see that deRosa get
> offered on the list for only $750--easily twice the bike of this
Paramount I
> was watching, and a real steal for whoever bought it, but I held out
for the
> final sin and scored.
>
> Now I have to keep my fingers crossed and wait for the bike to get here
to
> find out what I really bought. I will have 4 racing bikes with close
to the
> same geometry, that are all Campy NR/SR machines, all built within 12
years
> of each other. How do you justify that? No way I can hide this from
my
> wife in this tiny cabin, though she hasn't spotted the Pro yet--just
wonders
> why I spend so much time in the basement when it's only 40 degrees down
> there.
>
> I think I am cured of buying bike stuff for awhile, except maybe a pair
of
> Campy sidepulls for the new Paramount, of course, but I really need
some
> help here, folks. Any of you people with more than 20 complete bikes
in
> your collections have them posted on the web, or have photos you can
share,
> so I can show my wife that there are worse sinners out there than I?
>
> Steve Barner, that kind of logic doesn't work with God, and I'm afraid
it
> won't work with a goddess, either, Bolton, Vermont
>
>
> _______________________________________________
>
>
________________________________________________________________ Sign Up for Juno Platinum Internet Access Today Only $9.95 per month! Visit http://www.juno.com