[CR]Newbie '65 Paramount Fork Crown Replacement?

(Example: Events:Cirque du Cyclisme:2004)

From: Donald Gillies <gillies@cs.ubc.ca>
Date: Wed, 19 Apr 2006 20:57:58 -0700 (PDT)
To: classicrendezvous@bikelist.org
cc: scott.rs@adelphia.net
Subject: [CR]Newbie '65 Paramount Fork Crown Replacement?

Some choices :

Have e-ritchie make you a fork (see framebuilders list of http://www.bikelist.org). Borrow an existing paramount fork, and e-ritchie (richard sachs - richardsachs@juno.com) i am pretty sure has nervex original fork crowns and campy front dropouts and 531 imperial oval fork blades. i would be expensive ($300+, no paint), but maybe your entire frame needs paint anyway.

Or, go whole hog and make a hot-rodded modern fork. Richard Sachs has reissued "NEWVEX" fork crowns in stainless - have him make a fork with that crown (http://www.richardsachs.com/rsachstoys.html). Or, buy the crown and send it to franklin frames of Ohio, or a builder of your choice. Another thought is to use the new columbus nivacrom blades and get an ultralight ~600gm fork with newvex blades (i'm assuming that niobium can be chromed.)

http://search.bikelist.org/query.asp?SearchString=%22WAS%3A+worth+reading+prt2%2C+NOW%3A++PCD+fork+blades%22&SearchPrefix=%40msgsubject&SortBy=MsgDate%5Ba%5D

Rechroming a fork costs $100 here locally, probably cheaper (maybe $60 for 6" of chrome) if the fork is new since polishing is easier - you might try polishing the crown yourself. Paint matching is troublesome, but if it's silver or white you have a chance of doing it - schwinn does not have paint codes for 1960's and 1970's bikes - I can forward you an email from Richard Schwinn attesting to this fact. You are in luck that there was probably nothing but paint on the fork ( did your bike have true pinstriping? otherwise, paramount forks had nothing on them ... )

Nervex replacement forks are not common - except on paramounts. On ebay after six months you might find someone has driven his bike into a garage on his carton carrier. The fork might actually survive this event, but the frame would not.

If you can find a short nervex fork you can get the head tube replaced for about $75 - $100, but then you get to pay for new chrome, new paint, etc., you are out $100-$200 unless you get ultra-lucky and find a fork that's an exact match or longer.

imho part of the fun of restoring bikes is doing it yourself, so maybe you will fire up a torch and make yourself a fork, and get it chromed, and paint it yourself, all for $125-$150 ?? That's always possible, you know.

I am in the process of helping michael swantak (mswantak@comcast.net) (http://home.comcast.net/~velographic/VGcontact.htm), to perfect his 1960-1975 original paramount decals - another source for decals beyond waterford.

- Don Gillies
San Diego, CA