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1981 0r 1982 Schwinn Superior Gran Sport Orange

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Serial 20412 2-=1982, 04= fourth week , 12=12 th frame that week Headbadge 1302 assembled 130 day 1982, 10 of may 1982. It was built as a Superior no a leftover Paramount dont think any were leftover Paramounts. They did not use older parts Its the only Schwinn bike that uses Campagnolo Gransport parts It's stock if its all Gransport. Its a 21" all he bikes built in a specific week seem to be the sams size they came in 19.21.23, and 25"
 
That frame is 19" or 48.26 centimeters judging by the size of the head tube. Schwinn built this frame in four sizes as noted in the catalog scan.

1302 : headbadge
20412 : serial
I measured 60mm.

60 MM is 2.36 inches. Approximately 2 inches between the top and down tubes at the head joints would indicate a 19" frame. Measure the frame as Freqman1 described above.
 
Amazing stuff! Thank you and im fairly convinced this bike is actually what it was supposed to be. I did find this....not Brooks

20191227_215512.jpg
 
That frame is 19" or 48.26 centimeters judging by the size of the head tube. Schwinn built this frame in four sizes as noted in the catalog scan.

1302 : headbadge
20412 : serial
I measured 60mm.

60 MM is 2.36 inches. Approximately 2 inches between the top and down tubes at the head joints would indicate a 19" frame. Measure the frame as Freqman1 described above.

Measured 21'
 
It may seem like a baby Paramount or "spawn of Paramount", what with the fancy lugs and 531 tubes. But with GranSport group and built to a price, it does not have a lot of collector value, I fear. Just use it and enjoy. It's a pretty bike in that color.
 
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do fork ends match dropouts?

fork crown below calibre of NERVEX Professional lugset and forged dropouts

it is fashioned of stamped and welded sheet - not a forged crown

fork may be an off-the-shelf item from Tange or similar

Schwinn employed Tange off-the-shelf forks on numerous models...


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It may seem like a baby Paramount or "spawn of Paramount", what with the fancy lugs and 531 tubes. But with GranSport group and built to a price, it does not have a lot of collector value, I fear. Just use it and enjoy. It's a pretty bike in that color.
They are actually known as 'baby paramounts' because they were made with leftover tubing and lugs for the paramounts after Schwinn shut down production in Chicago. They were on the verge of or going through bankruptcy and Don Mainland was tasked with finishing up using the remaining supply. The license to use the 'Paramount' name was in the process of being or had already been turned over to a company purchasing the 'Schwinn' name. Schwinn the company, or what was left of it still making bikes, was not allowed to use the 'Paramount' name and decided to sell the bikes under the name 'Superior'. These bikes are worth quite a lot to collectors, considering the limited manufacture time and number, as well as, the fact they were the last of the lightweight Schwinn being made with the 531 Reynolds tubing and the pro cut decorative Nervex lugs. Finding them with original paint and rideable is difficult at best. The serial numbers and head tube badge numbers do not seem to correspond to any date of manufacture time frame. Kurt Kaminer of 'The Headbadge' website for vintage bikes has a little info on these bikes and also has a registration page for Paramounts and the so called 'Baby Paramount' Superiors. He is trying to nail down how many were made or even exist at this time. It has been found that they seem pretty rare to found original and are starting to draw attention from collectors, especially ones with all original paint and components. Richard Schwinn owns Waterford Cycles, a custom cycle building company and has much of the info on Paramounts and can even give provenance reports on many of the old Schwinn lightweights, however, these Superiors were never kept track of to a great degree because of the climate of the company at the time.
 
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