Panasonic Bicycles Virtual Museum

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How can I tell what year my Panasonic bicycle is?

Dec. 17, 2009 by Admin, IA

Typically, the lower part of the head tube or the bottom of the bottom bracket shell will contain a number. The first number and letter are what you should look for. Example: 7K02143 The first number designates the year (1987 in this case) and the letter designates the month of manufacture (K = 11th month, therefore November). Bikes older than 1985 are a little tougher to date. You will likely have to look for numbers on the bottom bracket as well as on the Panasonic head tube badge. Also, just because the date code on your bike start with a 5 will not always mean it is a 1985 model. A good example might be a 5K model built in November of ‘85 but in reality it was sold as a 1986 model. Panasonic would often gear up a little early for the next years production much like auto makers. Checking the date codes on the components (if original) can also help establish the vintage. (Shimano component date info can be found here.) A = January B = February C = March D = April E = May F = June G = July H = August I = September J = October K = November L = December Panasonic has changed their serial number system a few times over the years which makes it a bit tricky at times to know what you have. Most of the 1985 – mid 90’s bikes had a number on the lower portion of the head tube. Most were also a number followed by a letter such as 7B09345… which would be Feb. of 1987 (yes, you have to guess the decade based on paint and components but that isn’t usually too difficult) Some higher end models such as my ‘86 Team America had the serial number on the bottom bracket rather than head tube. Older bikes say from 1984 back to the mid to late 70’s would sometimes have a couple numbers. Under the bottom bracket or stamped on one of the rear dropouts (rear drops on lower models generally). The head badge sometimes has four small lightly stamped digits… I believe the first three digits are the day of the year (001-365) and the fourth digit is the last digit of the year. There are some oddballs out there as well. For instance, I saw a photo recently of what I knew to be a 1988 model MC series mountain bike. At least here in the USA it was sold as a 1988 model. The odd part was that the serial number on the bike was clearly from 1990-1991. The difference? The bike was sold new in Europe and for some reason Panasonic offered the same color and decal scheme in that market that we saw back in 1988. It can be confusing… and going strictly by visual cues or serial numbers isn’t always an exact science (especially on the older bikes).

How can I tell where my bike was made?

Dec. 17, 2009

In most cases, the head badge will have small text showing whether it was made in Japan or in Taiwan R.O.C. The Taiwan built bikes were typically the low end models with steel wheels and basic component groups.

How do you pronounce Tange, as in the tubing used for most Panasonics?

Dec. 17, 2009 by Admin, IA

While I am not Japanese language expert, I have always been told it was Tahn-geh (close to Tahn-gay but less emphasis on the end) Don’t quote me on that however!

How much is this Panasonic bicycle worth?

Dec. 17, 2009

What is my bike worth? This is a common question among Panasonic owners who ponder selling the old bike that has been hanging in the attic or garage. It is also a question asked by those looking to purchase a Panasonic or value one for insurance purposes. General price ranges (updated August 4, 2008) To be honest, without some detailed information and photos it is often pointless to even guess. As a general rule, a really nice condition DX-1000 should be worth up to $170 or so. The run of the mill Sport 500, Sport DX, Sport LX models should bring no more than $120 and perhaps half that if in need of much work. The same can be said for the Villager models and Tourist models (not to be confused with Pro Touring or other Touring models) The mid-level bikes such as DX-2000, DX-3000, and Team should bring between $150 and $340 depending upon year and condition. Recent sales of DX-2000 models I have seen have been around $175, DX-3000 around $185 and Teams between $200 and $355. The best bikes to look for in my opinion are the DX-4000, DX-5000, and DX-6000 models. They typically had lightweight Tange 1 or Prestige tubing with Shimano 105 or 600 components and they make excellent and reliable riders. I’ve seen them sell anywhere between $160 and $450. Some of the best bang for the buck out there right now. The average DX-4000 selling price is around $225 lately. I have seen only a few DX-5000 or DX-6000 models sell and they were downright steals in my book… only one was over $320. At the upper end of the spectrum you have what I tend to refer to as the unicorn bikes. These are models such as the Team Europe, Team Europe II, Team America, Team Japan, AR-6000, Titainium, and PICS bikes. In a nutshell, these bikes represented Panasonic’s high end road bikes and it isn’t very common to come across them for sale. Typically built with Tange Prestige, Tange 1, or Columbus SL/SP tubing and Campagnolo Record/Victory or Dura Ace components. They were very high quality and when new offered fantastic value for the money when compared to the well established European brand bicycles. They were often shunned by cycling elitists in the day because they weren’t Italian or English but the build quality was often as good or better than the European competition. Expect to pay $175 to $400 or more for one of these top end bikes if in very good condition. If you find a bargain on one, count yourself fortunate. I have seen a few real bargains lately including a very low use 1985 Team Europe II for only $195. If you happen to own of of these and you are looking to sell it, please let us know via the contact page on this site. If it isn’t something of direct interest to myself, I will be happy to pass it along to other Panasonic enthusiasts who would likely give it a fair home for a fair price.

I bought an '88 DX-4000 recently but it needs a seat post. Can you tell me the correct size?

Feb. 10, 2010

The 1988 DX-4000 should have a 26.8 seat post.

I have an old National (Matshushita) (1970+/-) that I can not find any information about. Is this site for that subject too?

Mar. 26, 2010 by Bill Moss, MN

Yes, you are indeed in the right place. Matshushita, National and Panasonic were all brands used on the bicycles over the years. Here in the USA, Panasonic was the name used while overseas in the home market they were often called National or Matshushita. You're likely not finding much info on them here in America because to my knowledge, we only received bicycles under the Panasonic label. Your bicycle, therefore, may have been brought over from Japan or elsewhere by someone.

I reviewed the photos in your forum post within the Google Group and it is a very interesting bike. Very classic look with vintage Suntour components. I'm wondering if perhaps the rims have been changed at some point however as I don't typically see older bikes with black rims... most were steel or natural aluminum color in those days.

Do you see any serial numbers anywhere on the bike?

I own a panasonic dx-4000 handmade bike in excellent condition.i am looking to restore it with replacement original parts. where can i find them.!!!!

Apr. 27, 2010 by christopher Bianco, massachusetts

You don't state what year your DX-4000 is, so I can't be sure which parts it is that you are after. For my own builds, I look to eBay and the Classic and Vintage forums at bikeforums.net for period correct parts. New old stock (NOS) parts do turn up on eBay from time to time although be prepared to pay up for something if you just "gotta have" brand new.

I recently bought a Mountain Cat 3500 and was wondering how to find out the year it was made. The frame says Original Special Made CR-MO. I was also curious of its value to see if I got a good deal.

Apr. 24, 2010 by Jesse Cooper, in

Look at the bottom of your head tube for a serial number. It may start out like7B, 8C or something similar. First number is the year and the letter designates the month of manufacture. A - Jan, B - Feb, C - Mar, etc.

You don't say how much you paid, nor have I seen photos of your particular bike so I can't say for sure. Generally speaking, I have seen them listed for $100-$185 on Craigslist's from around the country.

I recently purchased a Panasonic City Bike, but have been unable to find any information about it online. Do you know anything about this model? Thanks!

Mar. 10, 2010

The City Bike can be found within our 1986 catalog on this web site. The bike was essentially Panasonic's urban commuter bike. Interesting bikes as I haven't seen too many of them around since creating this web site.

I've got an 89 or 90 AL-7000, I would call the condition good, has a few chips in the paint, components are shimano 600, everything appears stock, can you give me a selling price range. Thanks

Mar. 26, 2010 by Wendell Hoff, New Jersey

Well, I can tell you right now that your bike isn't stock. The top level AL-9000 (red) only got Shimano 105 parts. The AL-7000 (black) was originally fitted with Shimano Sport LX components.

They aren't terribly sought after yet, but yours having been upgraded to Shimano 600 (Ultegra?) is actually a nice bonus. Not having seen the bike to judge actual condition, I would estimate a sale price around $250-275.

My Panasonic DX series bike says “Custom Painted by Panasonic” on the top tube so I have one of the special PICS frames right?

Dec. 17, 2009

Sorry to say, but that isn’t a PICS frame. In fact, it is just a standard production frame. Panasonic had some nice paint schemes and one way to promote them to the consumer was to add a little hype to the package by applying the custom painted stickers. Many of the bikes were indeed hand made and painted but the presence of that sticker doesn’t mean your bike is some sort of special edition. Most of the PICS (road) frames were Team America models and would often have the owner’s name on the top tube near the seat post.

Thank you for the information about my Panasonic City Bike! I found its specifications in the 1986 catalog, but it is somewhat difficult to read. I was wondering if you have a higher resolution image of the specification pages? Thanks again!

Mar. 10, 2010

If you click the catalog link on our web site you should be taken to the Picasa web gallery with the catalog pages. Once your are there look at the top right corner of the viewing window. There should be a small magnifying glass icon that you can click to zoom in on the image.

Also, I noticed I was actually missing the page in the catalog that dealt specifically with the City Bike. I have scanned it and added it to the catalog. A direct link to that page can be found here.

How can I tell what year my Panasonic bicycle is?

A = January
B = February
C = March
D = April
E = May
F = June
G = July
H = August
I = September
J = October
K = November
L = December

Panasonic has changed their serial number system a few times over the years which makes it a bit tricky at times to know what you have.

Most of the 1985 – mid 90′s bikes had a number on the lower portion of the head tube. Most were also a number followed by a letter such as 7B09345… which would be Feb. of 1987 (yes, you have to guess the decade based on paint and components but that isn’t usually too difficult) Some higher end models such as my ’86 Team America had the serial number on the bottom bracket rather than head tube.

Older bikes say from 1984 back to the mid to late 70′s would sometimes have a couple numbers. Under the bottom bracket or stamped on one of the rear dropouts (rear drops on lower models generally). The head badge sometimes has four small lightly stamped digits… I believe the first three digits are the day of the year (001-365) and the fourth digit is the last digit of the year.

There are some oddballs out there as well. For instance, I saw a photo recently of what I knew to be a 1988 model MC series mountain bike. At least here in the USA it was sold as a 1988 model. The odd part was that the serial number on the bike was clearly from 1990-1991. The difference? The bike was sold new in Europe and for some reason Panasonic offered the same color and decal scheme in that market that we saw back in 1988. It can be confusing… and going strictly by visual cues or serial numbers isn’t always an exact science (especially on the older bikes).

How do you pronounce Tange, as in the tubing used for most Panasonics?

While I am not Japanese language expert, I have always been told it was Tahn-geh (close to Tahn-gay but less emphasis on the end) Don’t quote me on that however!

How much is this Panasonic bicycle worth?

General price ranges (updated August 4, 2008)

To be honest, without some detailed information and photos it is often pointless to even guess. As a general rule, a really nice condition DX-1000 should be worth up to $170 or so. The run of the mill Sport 500, Sport DX, Sport LX models should bring no more than $120 and perhaps half that if in need of much work. The same can be said for the Villager models and Tourist models (not to be confused with Pro Touring or other Touring models)

The mid-level bikes such as DX-2000, DX-3000, and Team should bring between $150 and $340 depending upon year and condition. Recent sales of DX-2000 models I have seen have been around $175, DX-3000 around $185 and Teams between $200 and $355.

The best bikes to look for in my opinion are the DX-4000, DX-5000, and DX-6000 models. They typically had lightweight Tange 1 or Prestige tubing with Shimano 105 or 600 components and they make excellent and reliable riders. I’ve seen them sell anywhere between $160 and $450. Some of the best bang for the buck out there right now. The average DX-4000 selling price is around $225 lately. I have seen only a few DX-5000 or DX-6000 models sell and they were downright steals in my book… only one was over $320.

At the upper end of the spectrum you have what I tend to refer to as the unicorn bikes. These are models such as the Team Europe, Team Europe II, Team America, Team Japan, AR-6000, Titainium, and PICS bikes. In a nutshell, these bikes represented Panasonic’s high end road bikes and it isn’t very common to come across them for sale. Typically built with Tange Prestige, Tange 1, or Columbus SL/SP tubing and Campagnolo Record/Victory or Dura Ace components. They were very high quality and when new offered fantastic value for the money when compared to the well established European brand bicycles. They were often shunned by cycling elitists in the day because they weren’t Italian or English but the build quality was often as good or better than the European competition. Expect to pay $175 to $400 or more for one of these top end bikes if in very good condition. If you find a bargain on one, count yourself fortunate. I have seen a few real bargains lately including a very low use 1985 Team Europe II for only $195. If you happen to own of of these and you are looking to sell it, please let us know via the contact page on this site. If it isn’t something of direct interest to myself, I will be happy to pass it along to other Panasonic enthusiasts who would likely give it a fair home for a fair price.

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admin at 3:20 pm