The Utah Randonneur

This is a bike that I literally just stumbled upon but one it seems that fate arranged for me to have. It belonged to an old friend of mine who no longer rides due to physical issues. He was the original owner and even though he had changed out some parts over the years he still had all of the original equipment. It had not been ridden in several years and was in need of a serious cleaning. It didn’t really look that great but I could see beyond the grease and dirt so I offered to purchase it from him. He agreed to sell it to me only because he knew that it would be resurrected to its former glory. He had a sentimental attachment to the bike and wanted it to go to a good home.

Through the late 70’s the Schwinn Paramount was the most successful racing bike built in the USA.

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Updated, March 4 2014

To be properly equipped for a vintage bike rally you need vintage cycling gear of the same period as the bike you are riding. The gear should be functional and must look good too! This is hard to achieve with the sources available today but it is still possible. There is also the “style” factor to consider and if your are riding at an event like L’Eroica then the bar is set very high indeed! No problem, I’ll just go down to the vintage bike store and buy the proper gear right? Wrong!

My 2012 L’Eroica bike was a 1974 Legnano Gran Premio, so to put together a kit appropriate to that bike was a bit of a challenge. For me it took a lot of time scouring eBay and Googling specific items. Eventually I was able to put together a kit suitable for L’Eroica that was comfortable to ride in and the correct style if not actually vintage.

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