Sadly, as soon as a driver’s permit had my name on it, I dropped cycling from my life faster than you could say “parachute pants” (Oh the 80’s!). The only pedals I was interested in were the gas pedal and occasionally the brake pedal. Now that I could drive, a bigger world opened up to me. Often, vintage bikes aren’t in great condition when you find them.
Perhaps less obvious but also handy are a repair kit (just in case) and a cell phone holder, especially if you use it for navigation. With the right gear, you can really take your trail ride to the next level. Schwinn followed the Scrambler schwinn hybrid bike line with the Predator in 1982,38 their next step into the competitive modern BMX market.
The Predator took just eight percent of the BMX market. Schwinn had a very successful BMX factory supported racing team (beginning in 1976) made up of some of the best riders of the day. They were even used for an episode of the TV show CHiPs. If you’re interested in purchasing an antique or vintage bicycle made by this iconic company, you’ll have plenty of options.
During the next twenty years, most of the Paramount bikes would be built in limited numbers at a small frame shop headed by Wastyn, in spite of Schwinn’s continued efforts to bring all frame production into the factory. Another problem was Schwinn’s failure to design and market its bicycles to specific, identifiable buyers, especially the growing number of cyclists interested in road racing or touring. Instead, most Schwinn derailleur bikes were marketed to the general leisure market, equipped with heavy “old timer” accessories such as kickstands that cycling aficionados had schwinn hybrid bike long since abandoned. While the Paramount still sold in limited numbers to this market, the model’s customer base began to age, changing from primarily bike racers to older, wealthier riders looking for the ultimate bicycle.
In 1938, Frank W. Schwinn officially introduced the Paramount series. Developed from experiences gained in racing, Schwinn established Paramount as their answer to high-end, professional competition bicycles. The Paramount used high-strength chrome-molybdenum steel alloy tubing and expensive brass lug-brazed construction.