I sent two messages to the group yesterday. Both came through missing almost all of their content. I am resending the second one, both as a test, and because I wanted to add my response to Tom Sanders' question about how to build up his freshly painted Paramount.
Begging your indulgence, Marcus Helman Huntington Woods, MI
Tom: What a delightful problem to have.
Questions: Whichever gruppo you use for the Paramount, what will you use the other gruppo for? Will you save the minty one for a minty NOS frame? Might take a while to find such a thing. Or would you put it on a repainted frame? If you would put it on a repainted frame, why not the Paramount?
What are your intentions for the Paramount? Ride? Save and admire? Will putting the NOS parts on it make the Paramount just too pretty to ride? Will putting the original parts back preserve some kind of mechanical karma?
What about the other stuff? What kind of shape are your bars, stem and seat in?
How old-looking is the old stuff? One of the pleasures of Campagnolo equipment is how well it keeps its good looks. From a few feet away will anyone be able to tell the difference?
Tell us what you decide.
Marcus helman, Huntington Woods, MI
Tom Sanders wrote:
I just had a bike come out of paint and it is lovely. A '72 black
Paramount
with shiny chrome in all the right places. Now here is what I am puzzling
about. I have three, perhaps four Nuovo Record gruppos on hand. One of
them is very close to NOS. The one that came off the Paramount is a bit
shopworn...Ah...You're begging to see the problem? The NOS bits would
look
great and be harmonious with the now very nice bike. The original would
keep the bike original. If it were a '59 Singer with original components
it
would be an easy decision...originality would win out in a heartbeat. But
it's a '72 Paramount...I still am not at all sure I should put the minty
group on it, even though I also want it to be really sharp looking, too.
I am leaning toward putting the original back on it and replacing
anything
that seems not up to par on a piecemeal basis. Friends of mine seem to be
voting for the nicer group of components.
I'll bet there are some great ideas out there that I have not
considered...anyone want to weigh in on this one?
Tom Sanders
Lansing, Mi USA