A while ago I bought an old Paramount PDG 70 on Craigslist. 1991 model, Tange Prestige frame, full M730 XT, almost all original parts. It seemed good at the time, but now that I’ve stripped it down it seems like it was not treated well. Among other things, someone had plugged the drain hole in the BB and clearly ridden it in the rain. There’s plenty of rust in there.
How bad is this? I was planning to just use a steel brush to remove as much rust as possible, grease it well, and install a new BB (original one was a wreck). Does that seem reasonable?
Planning to use this as a “period correct” MTB on mild trails.
by sprashoo
7 Comments
I’d give it a 7.5/10.
Kind of expected amount of rust. Your plan to brush, grease and install sounds reasonable.
Tap the thread yourself or at a workshop and it will work like a charm 😉
Clean that up, chase the threads, grease it, and it should look like new. I’ve cleaned up worse in a salt state from winter riding.
Totally reasonable. Sweet frame, with a little TLC that bike could last a lifetime.
Clean it up and bring it to a shop to chase the threads
It’s still fine, but there are some small signs of concern. In the center that spongy, crumbly bit, this is the next step after harmless surface rust and there is probably the first signs of pitting under there. While you are in there, it would be nice to clean that up with a wire brush, maybe chase the threads of the BB, give it a coat of fluid film and it’ll be good for the next 10-15 years.