Classic lugged steel construction but radically short and quick geometry
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Alan McCormack's 1988 Schwinn Paramount looks practically new, 27 years after it was first built(Image credit: James Huang/BikeRadar)
Back in the day, all high-quality front derailleurs were made using forged aluminum links and chromed steel cages(Image credit: James Huang/BikeRadar)
Seasoned mechanics likely still have a few of these stepdown ferrules in their toolboxes(Image credit: James Huang/BikeRadar)
Somewhat miraculously, McCormack still has the original bottle and cage from his racing days(Image credit: James Huang/BikeRadar)
Classic Shimano Dura-Ace hubs are laced to Wolber Profil 20 aluminum tubular rims(Image credit: James Huang/BikeRadar)
Here's a history lesson for the kids. This is called a chain hanger, and riders and mechanics would 'hang' the chain on it to facilitate wheel changes(Image credit: James Huang/BikeRadar)
Before Shimano debuted its Hyperglide cassette tooth profiling, there was Uniglide with its twisted tooth shapes(Image credit: James Huang/BikeRadar)
McCormack says he spent many a rainy race day on Wolber Neo Pro Slick tubulars(Image credit: James Huang/BikeRadar)
Compact double cranksets simply weren't thought of back in the day(Image credit: James Huang/BikeRadar)
Shimano hubs once featured dustcaps that could be opened and closed, allowing mechanics to inject grease for quick overhauls(Image credit: James Huang/BikeRadar)
The steel fork features classic box crown construction(Image credit: James Huang/BikeRadar)
Shimano's original Look-compatible clipless pedals were heavy but well known for their incredible durability(Image credit: James Huang/BikeRadar)
The Shimano Dura-Ace rear derailleur moves the chain across just seven sprockets(Image credit: James Huang/BikeRadar)
The Selle San Marco Rolls saddle is fitted to a fluted Shimano Dura-Ace seatpost(Image credit: James Huang/BikeRadar)
There was a time when there simply was no other logical choice than Cinelli cork tape(Image credit: James Huang/BikeRadar)
Paramount was what Schwinn called its premium division back in the day(Image credit: James Huang/BikeRadar)
Sadly, the Schwinn name isn't nearly what it was in its heyday(Image credit: James Huang/BikeRadar)
Just like today, it was important that sponsor logos were highly visible in still photographs and on television(Image credit: James Huang/BikeRadar)
The head tube is so short that the two lugs have to be filed down slightly to fit(Image credit: James Huang/BikeRadar)
Despite McCormack's diminutive height, he used deep-drop bars(Image credit: James Huang/BikeRadar)
This bike is currently fitted with a 140mm-long stem but McCormack says he usually used a 120mm back in his racing days(Image credit: James Huang/BikeRadar)
McCormack's nickname on the team was 'The Leprechaun' - a moniker he wasn't particularly fond of but one that invariably stuck given his Irish heritage(Image credit: James Huang/BikeRadar)
As was typical for the day, the rear end of the frame is fitted with semi-horizontal dropouts and thumbscrews to fine tune the wheelbase(Image credit: James Huang/BikeRadar)
Forget about toe overlap; McCormack's bike is so short that the pedals themselves hit the front tire. Keep in mind that this is with 165mm-long crankarms, too(Image credit: James Huang/BikeRadar)
McCormack says that even modern drivetrains can't match the reliable performance of old indexed down tube levers(Image credit: James Huang/BikeRadar)
This bike was originally fitted with Shimano Dura-Ace cranks but they were swapped out for 600 ones when McCormack moved to 165mm-long arms(Image credit: James Huang/BikeRadar)
Before threadless designs became the norm, Shimano made a full range of outstanding headsets(Image credit: James Huang/BikeRadar)
Modern professional road racers often have a fleet of bikes to choose from: a lightweight one for climbing, an aero one for flatter and faster stages, dedicated time trial rigs, classics machines, and so on. But back in the 1980s, racers typically used the same bike for every discipline, such as this cherry 1988 Schwinn Paramount that Irish pro Alan McCormack had custom made with some rather unusual geometry.
McCormack preferred exceptionally quick handling. That meant an ultra-short wheelbase measuring just 915mm – 55mm shorter than Specialized's smallest Tarmac – plus a 50cm top tube that's awfully compact even given his 1.63m (5ft 4in) height. In fact, the front end is so short that there isn't just toe overlap; the pedals themselves actually make contact with the front tire.
The Paramount name really meant something back in the day
"I asked Schwinn to custom make me a bike that like the bike I had in England," McCormack told BikeRadar during a casual sit-down meeting near his home in Boulder, Colorado. "But when I gave the guys in Chicago my dimensions they thought I was nuts. But I just insisted and insisted and they built it for me."
"It's so tight and it has a high bottom brackets for criteriums," he continued. "It's super fast out of the corners which is why I had it made. The top tube is also short for my size."
The front end is so short that the pedal can hit the front tire
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Although McCormack had the bike made with criterium racing in mind, he used it for everything, including stage racing and time trials, varying only the gearing and a few bits of equipment to suit the day. And while top pros today have countless bikes at their disposal, McCormack says even as a member of the Wheaties-Schwinn team – one of the best at the time – he had just two. That's one for training and home, and one that went with the mechanic to the races.
McCormack sadly lost track of both of those after a divorce but, as it turns out, there was a third bike Schwinn built at the time that was kept as a spare and ended up with a collector. Two years ago, that collector decided that the bike should be returned to its rightful owner and presented it to McCormack at a stage start of the US Pro Cycling Challenge, asking only that he never sell it.
Deep-drop Cinelli 66 bars
McCormack says that he never raced that bike and didn't even know it existed, and nearly three decades after it was first built, it still looks nearly new.
Today, McCormack rides his trusty old Schwinn regularly, mixing it up at the front of local group rides on Tuesday and Thursday evenings. And although he does have a modern carbon rig, he says he still often prefers his much heavier steel bike.
'The Leprechaun' may not be on the Wheaties team any longer but he's still blazingly fast, regularly mixing it up at the front of local group rides in Boulder
"Steel is great. It's got a nice feel to it, especially on smooth American roads. I can definitely go faster on this bike than my carbon bike. This bike is six pounds heavier and it rides just as good. It's solid. I won a bunch of races on the thing!"
