Schwinn Paramount P13-9 & Sprint with curved seat tube

Taking a time machine back to the year 2011, here’s a very rare frame set that passed through my hands.  It’s a 1975 Schwinn Paramount P13-9 with a curved seat tube.  This was referred to by Schwinn as a “sprint style” or “short-coupled” frame, and was an option when ordering a custom frame in 1975, 1976, 1977, and 1978.  The feature was available on the P14, P10 and the P13 models (and the T22 tandem).  The good folks at Bikeforums’ Classic & Vintage message board helped me identify it, especially member Scooper, who shared the original catalogs and order form.  This particular one was customized in several ways.  Read on to learn more! Continue reading