On 12/17/2013 02:04 PM, Matthew J wrote:
That's the rub, I'ld say. Until 1970, when as Steve points out above Schwinn first started selling lugged Japanese made frames, a person looking to buy a practical bike that could handle commuting, touring, light camping and fun rides was probably going to wind up with a Schwinn Varsity, Continental, or maybe even the Collegiate.
In 1964 I bought a Dunelt in a bike shop in Buffalo NY. Gas pipe tubing, Huret Allvit derailleurs and a very limited range half-step drive train, but 27 x 1 1/4" tires and clearance for fenders. I commuted on mine, but you could easily have done light touring with it, subject to the limitations of the gearing. Dunelt was one of many Raleigh house brands. Although it was made of inexpensive tubing, cottered steel cranks and bolt-on wheels, it was made well, and aside from when I had Tom Kellogg build me a custom (and Tom is legendary for his fitting skills) I've never been as carefully fitted for a bicycle as I was in that shop in Buffalo. They must have spent an hour with me. I think the bike cost all of $65.
Paramounts and the few custom builders out there were mainly for racers. Really a reflection of the market at the time. Cycle commuting and touring were very rare. Sport cyclists existed, but no where near as mainstream as they are today.
In the 1960s, Paramounts were mainly racing bikes, track or road. By 1971 there was the P15, a (light) touring bike equipped with a Campagnolo triple crank. I ordered mine in July, 1971.
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