Schwinn

the other day when i was looking for the pics of the Schwinn Paramount MTB from 1993, i found a scan of the 1972 Schwinn catalog.

in this catalog are several gems like;

and this - the greatest salesman ever!

and this!

super groovy pants!

the Paramount track bike by the way was  $224.95 with Campagnolo hubs and tubulars!!

and i had thought Willy Rey was the only reason i wish i could go back in time to 1972.

this comes from another catalog - not sure what year though;

if an old Paramount and high-waisted pants makes me interesting to bikini clad Catherine Bell look-a-likes, then i'm on eBay right now looking for a Paramount.  and i'm hiking up my belt big time.


references;

http://www.schwinncruisers.com/schwinn-documentation/1972-schwinn-bicycle-catalog/

Marinoni dream

ok, what about this - Marinoni Fango;

http://www.marinoni.qc.ca/Html/Fango.html 

but instead of silver, i go with a metallic green called 'sabra'  (that's green right?)

and instead of white, i choose the metallic 'pine'

and then do the red accent in yellow.  in fact, i think the 'Marinoni' badges would be all yellow, instead of a yellow M and then white everything else.

maybe this is a little too feminine?  back in the day, i recall a magazine did a feature on the 1993 Schwinn Paramount R80.  i didn't actually like it that much then because of the odd colours, but now i see that it was elegant, pretty, and highly unique.

http://bikecatalogs.org/SCHWINN/1993/Paramount/Series_R80.html

so that would be the feel i'm going for. i think it would look good with mostly black parts.

Irrational Dislikes

for whatever reason, good or bad, there are certain bike brands that i just don't like.  i'm sure the bikes are fine, but there's just something about them that i can't stand. design elements, graphics, component choices, or the kind of people that ride them - any of these things can set me off.

i don't know if i'm alone in this - i don't think i am.  i'm sure there are people that just hate certain bands, or clothing lines, or whatever - but can't really say why.  or at least can't give a particularly logical reason anyway.

if you've gone through the archives here at all, you probably have a pretty good idea of which bikes i don't like already.  but here's the weird thing; things change!  i never liked GTs much at all - i thought the 'triple-triangle' was gimmicky, and the paint jobs were garish.  but now, if you can find one a clean one from the 90's - i'm tempted to buy one myself.

like this 1991 Avalanche;

save the tires (and maybe that fork), this bike is completely original.  it's amazing!

http://cgi.ebay.ca/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=290526479330&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT

i wish i could say why i've softened my stance on GT, but i really don't know why.  maybe it's actually those old Shimano XT parts i like?  maybe it's that Rock Shox Mag21 that was so revolutionary that i like?

or maybe it's this;

this is zzzomm's 1990 GT Tequesta.  in the fall of 1990 he and i bought bikes.  i got a Bridgestone MB-5 and he got this GT.  just last summer he reacquired it from a friend, and I got to redo it.  i scored a full XT Raleigh, and moved every part i could onto this GT.  i was really happy with the way it turned out and i really like this bike now.

i still don't like Trek though.

eBay finds

every time i think i've found the worst good bike ever, i find something even more jarring then the last worst one.  this bike further prooves my 'certain bikes attract terrible taste' theory - check it out;

it's just wrong in so many ways; the dreaded flame job (never liked it on a bike save for the RMB special edition Hot Rod Slayer), Spinergys with the extra stickers on the spokes, a Girvin fork, and, the cherry on top of this terrible sundae; custom hand painted Maxxis Hookworms.

Hookworms are seriously cool, but taking a tiny paint brush to fill in the grooves - this is madness.

or genius?

it's madness.  he did the same to the plastic spider saddle, got red jockey wheels in the rear derailleur, and has red flame grips.  in fact, i bet the grips were the inspiration for the entire project.  it's so over the top, i just can't imagine who would like this.

also, there's something mechanically wrong with this bike.  i think the seller has swapped out the shock for an aftermarket one that has a longer eye-to-eye length.  think of this bike as a big hinge, and putting that shock that's too long on it has caused it to suck in the front wheel, and steepen the head angle.  

i would think riding this bike would be terrifying. 

http://cgi.ebay.ca/CUSTOM-STREET-KLEIN-MANTRA-COMP-SPINERGYS-GIRVIN-FORKS-/330517473233?pt=Mountain_Bikes&hash=item4cf46067d1 

next up - old timey Manitous;

in 1997, Manitou released the Shaun Palmer edition fork.  this was an FS Ti in neon green.  with a Shaun Palmer logo on it.  otherwise, not that special.  but it was green.


anyway, i bought one of these online and enjoyed it on my sky blue M2 Stumpjumper for a few years.

it wasn't bad, but was it better than the Marzocchi Z.2 i had before?  probably not.  but it was green.  and i never saw another rider with one, so it did it's job.

i don't remember what i paid for it sadly.  i think it was less that $300, but i don't know.  

i'm not sure why you'd buy this to be honest.  i know there's a big retro movement out there, but is 1997 really retro?

http://cgi.ebay.ca/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=160531415194&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT

and finally, i will figure out photography some day;