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Schwinn
1999 PARAMOUNT Series 70 PDG
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Submitted by
Anti-hero
a Cross Country Rider
from Honolulu
Date Reviewed: October 30, 2009 | | Favorite Trail: | Kialea | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Price Paid: |
$1700.00 | | Purchased At: | Eki Cyclery | | Strengths: | Light weight steel brazed lugged frame. Fully Built Bike 24.8Lbs | | Weaknesses: | Thin clear coat, some riders complained that head angle is too steep and bike unstable at high speed. G force stay are ugly. | | Similar Products Used: | GT Bravado, Manitou HT, Seven Cycles | | Bike Setup: | XT sfiter/brake lever, Ritchey stem, bontrager Flat
H-bars, Ritchey 90mm stem, yeti grips, Chris King H-set, Whit industries Hubs, Rock shox Duke XC fork, XTR cranks, Araya Black anodized rims, Pauls Titainium BB, Ti crank bolts, 9 speed XT cas. Avid ti brakes Ritchey seat post with ti cinch Bolt. XT clipless pedals | | Bottom Line: | Great XC bike if set up right, very quick handling great single track bike and very able climber. Handles like a $7000 titainium Bike. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
butzow
a Cross Country Rider
from indy
Date Reviewed: March 16, 2001 | | Favorite Trail: | bring it on! | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Strengths: | steel bike, old deore components (these parts were really built to last), best climbing and descending bike i've ever ridden (g-force chainstays), aggressive geometry (long top tube, for it's time), tight handling, oversized tubing, durable, terrific paint... too many to list. it's a paramount! | | Weaknesses: | it's a bit heavy, but hey, it's old steel! | | Similar Products Used: | i've owned several bikes over the past 15 years, steel, alloy, metal matrix... but i can't really compare this ride to anything else i've ridden. | | Bike Setup: | Amazingly, pretty much stock: old deore dx/lx transmission (i wish shimano still made components like this - this stuff is a little heavy, but it's bombproof!) i've redone the entire cockpit... cane creek threadless headset (1 1/8-inch headtube, in '90? - way ahead of it's time), kore stem, and mani' sxr fork (bike was purchased with a rigid fork!). plus, of course, clipless pedals. | | Bottom Line: | this review is actually for a 1990 paramount pdg series 30 - tange prestige.
i bought this bike new in '90, for a negotiated price of what turned out to be a song - considering i've now ridden this bike hard, off road for a solid 10 years. as i remember, the bike retailed for around 700 bones. i've upgraded parts as necessary, but the only thing i've ever had to truly "replace" has been a few worn out chains. in fact, i'm still running the original bottom bracket!
though i have raced on this bike (it was originally designed for competition), i now mainly ride the paramount recreationally. but what a great retro! over the years i've kept as many original parts as i could, rebuilding around upgrades... very few, if any, of the stock components on this bike are still made.
in my older age, i now race a stumpy m2 ht - very light and aggressive - but even the stumpy (known for it's offroad prowess - and believe me, the stumpy's an amazing ride) can't climb or descend like the paramount. this thing has wings!
And of course, let's not forget the leaps and bounds made on this, as we mudbugs used to say, "framset" by the (p)aramount (d)esign (g)roup. oversized tubes, radical butting, bent chainstays, (if you haven't seen one of these frames, the pdg paramount stays look pretty much like the stays litespeed now uses on thier frames), 1 1/8-inch headtube... and in spite of all the "weird" changes, still remain a good ol' hardtail!
The thing is incredibly nimble in lieu of its "older" headtube geometry and there's just something that loves you back about the ride of steel. solid. precise.
if you're at all a bike geek/weekend mechanic (for upgrades), love to ride dirt and you are actually lucky enough to find one of these babies (i've been trying to find one, any series, for a buddy of mine and i can't find one anywhere)- buy it. build it back (if you have to) and it will love you.
bottom, bottom line? it's a legend - schwinn/paramount should bring it back, at least the series - this bike was the homegrown of it's generation. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Jason
a Cross Country Rider
from San Fernando Valley, CA
Date Reviewed: February 14, 2001 | | Favorite Trail: | Mount Wilson | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Price Paid: |
$1000.00 | | Purchased At: | Schwinn Dealer in 1992 | | Strengths: | Great Groupo, light weight, clasic styling | | Weaknesses: | Old style frame, no longer made, extra long stem | | Similar Products Used: | Dimond Back Apex | | Bike Setup: | Full XT Group, RST 281TL Forks, Pararacer Dart Front Tire, Specilaized Rear tire, all the rest as it came wiht Richey and Araya Wheels. | | Bottom Line: | It's a great bike! I bought it new in 1992. It has been on many long rides, mostly dirt. I have never 100% comfortable it, nut I have enjoyed the hell out of it! It downhill It is a made for going fast and climbing big. | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Larry
a Weekend Warrior
from Philadelphia, PA
Date Reviewed: November 1, 1999 | | Duration Product Used: |
more than 3 years | | Strengths: |
Tange Prestige Cro Mo Tubing. Old mountain bike geometry. Long wheelbase cruiser like ride. | | Weaknesses: |
Old mountain bike geometry. Long wheelbase, slack head angle results in slower handling bike, not suited for tight East coast singletrack. | | Similar Products Used: |
Cannondale CAAD 3, XT, Manitou Mach 5SX | | Bike Setup: |
'98 Manitou Spyder R Factory Effex edition. Sugino Impel Crank, Campagnolo Chorus BB, XT F,R derailleur, Grip Shift X-ray 8 speed, Tahoma Stem, Kalloy 3 riser bar, FSA Orbit aheadset, Nashbar hub-rear, STX-RC-front, Specialized G23, Z23 rims. Dia Compe 737 brakes, DP-7 Levers. | | Bottom Line: | Parts bike built up with '90 Paramount Tange Prestige Cro Mo Frame. G-Force Chain Stays (bend) effectively mute trail chatter at a small cost to direct power transfer. Japan's premier cro mo tubing rides light, lively, and responsive. Tange's Short Butted Concept keeps weight down while increasing strength and stiffness in critical stress areas. There's just something about a well made, quality steel frame! It's more alive and gives more spring and return on each pedal stroke. I'm a believer again. Steel is Real! | | Overall Rating: |
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