1990 Panasonic DX-4000 Specifications

• List Price:N/A
• Frame Sizes:
• Frame:Tange 1
• Fork:Tange
• Handlebar:N/A
• Stem:N/A
• Saddle:Panasonic
• Crankset: Shimano 105
• Freewheel:Shimano 105
• Chain:
• Hubs:Shimano 105
• Rear Derailleur: Shimano 105
  
• Front Derailleur:Shimano 105
• Shifting Lever: Shimano 105
• Brakes:Shimano 105
• Rims: Araya
  
• Tires: N/A
  
• Spokes:Stainless
• Pedals:
• Accessories:
• Color:Pink/Silver

PR-6000

Back when I initially created this web site I did so as a bit of an experiment more than anything else.  I was experimenting with various web content management platforms and needed a topic to build a test site around.  Since my Panasonic DX-5000 was lurking above my kitchen cupboards (yes, I was one of those guys who had lots of bicycles in the house) it seemed logical to do something bike related.  I really hadn’t started doing much collecting of Panasonic bicycles at that point but I did have a couple old catalogs that I dug out and figured I could do something with.

I did a quick Google search and found that virtually the only references to Panasonic Bicycles on the web were quick blurbs at Yellow Jersey Bikes in Madison, Wisconsin and another on Sheldon Brown’s web site.  Not much in terms of catalogs or other in depth information.  Why not scan the catalog I have and put it out there for others who might be looking for information?

Wow!  The ball got rolling much quicker than I had anticipated and before you knew it I had tracked down most of the catalogs from the 1980′s and had even tracked down and interviewed the former sales director for Panasonic Bicycles in North America.  So much for an experiment, right?

Here we are several years later and I’ve realized there are a couple of unexpected downfalls to creating a Panasonic Bicycles web information portal.  For starters?  Now that information is out there, people can do a little research and discover that the dusty bike in their garage is actually a sought after Team Europe model and not some Goodwill donation gas-pipe bike from the 70′s.  In many cases I’ve found that I’ve managed to price myself out of the market thanks to this site giving the bikes “collector status”.  For my fellow Panasonic collectors who were once able to buy really nice models inexpensively I apologize.  *smirk*

I follow eBay and Craigslist on a global scale watching for interesting Panasonic models to come up for sale.  In the last year and a half I haven’t really seen anything really interesting for sale aside from an AR-6000 or two.  No minty Team Americas, Team Europes, or other “unicorn” type bikes for me to chase.  If they DO come up for sale they are often accompanied by an absurd asking price… such is the case with a particularly used looking AR-6000 that has been listed on eBay for months now with a $4,999 price.  I still chuckle a little each time I see that as $1,000 will buy you a damn near perfect example.

Luckily I don’t really have the room to expand my collection since I made the move to the Twin Cities (MN) around 18 months ago.  As it is now, my collection is spread across three states and sooner or later I’m going to have to build a gallery wing onto the house to accommodate all the bikes.  Somehow I think my lovely wife may frown upon that.

For now I have enough project bicycles to keep me going for a while with the AR-6000, PR-6000 and Team Japan bikes all needing some restoration and attention.  Once those are done though I just hope there will be something more interesting to buy out there than yet another Sport 500 model from Craigslist.

Happy Trails! 

The eBay seller “speedybicyclescom” did a wonderful job of photographing the bicycle for sale.  If you happen to be the high bidder and current owner of this bicycle we’d love to hear from you!

View this amazing machine here.

1986 Panasonic Team Europe I specifications:

* List Price: $____ (approx.)
* Frame Size: TEF-851…51 cm / TEF-853…53 cm / TEF-856…56 cm / TEF-858…58 cm / TEF-861…61 cm.
* Frame: Columbus SP & SL Cr-Mo double butted main tubes, Lostwax head & seat lug, Campagnolo 1010B forged ends and Campagnolo Nuovo Record B.B. set.
* Fork: Columbus SP blades, Tange C-2 lostwax crown, Campagnolo 1010B forged ends and Campagnolo Record head set.
* Handlebar: Nitto No.55, Maes alloy
* Stem: Nitto Pearl, Forged alloy
* Saddle: Selle Italia Super Turbo with Campagnolo Nuovo Super Record post.
* Crankset: Campagnolo Super Record 10, 53/42T
* Freewheel: SunTour New Winner 7-speed
* Chain: SunTour Superbe Silver, 1/2″ x 3/32″ x 106 links
* Hubs: Campagnolo Record 1034, 32H
* Rear Derailleur: Campagnolo Super Record
* Front Derailleur: Campagnolo Super Record
* Shifting Lever: Campagnolo Record 10135N-10, brazed on down tube mounted
* Brakes: Campagnolo Super Record 47mm reach, alloy side pull with Super Record levers.
* Rims: Campagnolo Victory Strada Super hard anodized, 32H
* Tires: Panaracer tubular 200gr. Competition
* Spokes: Stainless 14G
* Pedals: Campagnolo Record 1037/A with alloy toe clips
* Color: Special Tri Color paint

Lucky me, I got it for a Christmas gift. It was supposedly NOS (new old stock) and came in the Shimano box taped shut with the Shimano tape. Can you guess where I’m going with this one?
Since I wasn’t ready to actually build the bike I set the box with my other parts… that was until a few days ago when I opened it up to discover the following…

Yes, that was literally all that was in the box. It was definitely bring your alcohol to work day in Japan on the day the Shimano crew boxed this headset! I wound up with two upper races, no lower race, no lock nut or washer etc. To add salt on the wound, this was $96 worth of parts I couldn’t even use. I discovered that the headset came from a retailer just up the road in Minnesota called Crosslake Sales. At the time of writing this, I’ve sent them an e-mail explaining my saga but since it took so long to discover I don’t really have a leg to stand on unless they have customer service above and beyond anything I’ve seen before. Fingers crossed?

Stay tuned… to be continued?

*** UPDATE: Feb. 10th, 2010 ***

I think I just found an eBay seller with “ROCK STAR” customer service! Not only did I get a response from them in the evening (after biz hours) but they have offered to give me a refund if I return the headset. Keep in mind, I received this as a gift on Dec. 25th but it was purchased on eBay back on Nov. 21st of 2009. The problem wasn’t discovered until early Feb. 2010. The fact that Crosslake Sales is willing to work with me on this one is nothing short of amazing to me. Two big thumbs up to them!

The nice looking specimen below was shared with us by Jeff.  Jeff found this bike in need of some care and restoration and the end result is what you see below.  Fantastic job!

1986 Panasonic DX-3000 Factory Specifications

• List Price: N/A
• Frame: Tange 900 Cr-Mo double butted tubes, forged ends and sealed bottom bracket set.
• Fork: Tange Mangaloy, AC-2 crown, forged ends and sealed head set.
• Handlebar: SR CTB, Maes Alloy
• Stem: SR CT Alloy
• Saddle: Selle Italia 0419-V Aero with SR CT-P5E micro adjusting seat post.
• Crankset: SR SXC-200, Alloy 52/42T
• Freewheel: Shimano Z012 6-speed 14-28T
• Chain: Shimano UG silver, 1/2?x3/32?x110 links
• Hubs: Sansin ET-Q Sealed mechanism, Alloy small flange with Q.R.
• Rear Derailleur: Shimano L525SS S.I.S.
• Front Derailleur: Shimano Z206
• Shifting Lever: Shimano S424 S.I.S., brazed on down tube mounted.
• Brakes: Shimano Z570, side pull with Q.R., tire guide and 600AX levers.
• Rims: Ukai 20A, 700c, alloy
• Tires: Panaracer 700×25c Open Side 100PSI
• Spokes: 14G U-C-P finished
• Pedals: KKT Pro-Vic II B with reflectors
• Color: Midnight Black

If you’ve spent much time on this web site you’ve likely noticed our attention is generally geared towards the higher end models. This is not to say that some of Panasonic’s basic low-end bikes such as the Sport 500 aren’t good bicycles. They are fine bikes, they just aren’t exactly rare, terribly collectible, or light weight. They are for the most part the bicycling equivalent of a Toyota Corolla. Decent, reliable and basic. Your point A to point B sort of bike. Nice commuters but certainly not racers.

Now with that said, there appears to be a whole lot of false information out there in the minds of many many Craigslist sellers. Many of these seller are likely unsure of what it is they just pulled out of the garage, barn or attic and some quick Googling of Panasonic bicycles turns up stories of how great they are etc. etc. OK, so I’ll have to take blame for some of that hype as there really wasn’t much info available on the web about Panasonic bicycles prior to me creating this web site.

I’m here to set the record straight. For those of you looking to buy or sell a lower end Panasonic bicycle, please read carefully.
The Panasonic Sport 500, Sport LX etc. was literally at the bottom of the Panasonic food chain as far as their ten speed bike like was concerned. Collectors like myself are not scrambling to snap them up for $200 plus as they aren’t exactly hard to find. In fact, I’m not a buyer of ANY Sport series bike for my collection. I see them offered all over the country on Craigslist often for $100 or less, and honestly, that is how it should be. I’d have a hard time paying more than $150 for one unless it was in darn near NOS condition.

Now, I just can’t resist a little Craigslist ad humor from a seller who clearly didn’t do his homework OR hopes to pull a fast one on an unsuspecting buyer. I even emailed this particular seller trying to clarify a few points of misinformation but the ad reappeared a day later slightly revised in price but nothing else.

“26 INCH PANASONIC VINTAGE 10 SPEED 500 SPORT. EXTRA SHARP ROAD BIKE RARE AND NICE, 165.00 OBO CHECK CRAIGS LIST YOU SEE THE ARE MOSTLY 200 and ABOVE FOR THE SAME BIKE AND MINE IS LIKE NEW I KNOW I AM CRAZY BUT I HAVE BEEN OFF WORK WITH A INJURY FOR 3 WEEKS SO I REALLY NEEED THE MONEY THIS WQAS A SPECIAL EDITION ROAD BIKE MADE IN JAPAN FOR A ROAD RACE IN THE LATEE 70′s. YOU ARE MORE THAN WELCOME TO MAKE AN OFFER BUT LETS KEEP IT REASONABLE AS THIS IS HARD TO FIND AND IN EXCELLENT CONDITION!!”

NOT a special edition. NOT built for a road race in the late 70′s (unless racing your kid brother to the 7-11 counts?), NOT hard to find, and rarely are they $200 and above unless it has the magical “fixie” word thrown in there somewhere.

Now, in an effort for this post to be more than just a rant against silly CL sellers, I’ll put together a time line showing links to the various models over the years.  (Please be patient as I’m still working on adding to the time line below)

The Panasonic Sport Model Time Line:  1979-1989

1979

• Sport 1000
• Sport Deluxe
• Villager II

1980

• Sport 1000
• Sport Deluxe
• Sport
• Villager II

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GROUP RULES:

1. Please keep the group PG and appropriate for all ages.
2. No “personal attacks” allowed. Keep it civil, we’re talk bicycles after all.
3. No political commentary please.
4. Do not join to group simply to try to market your bicycle to us. We have a fully functional classified ad system for that… please use it.
5. Members are allowed to post a “heads-up” notice of interesting bikes they have noticed on ebay, Craigslist, etc. If you’re selling your own bike, it is ok to make a mention of it to the group but please, please, please take a moment to post it within our classifieds.
6. Please help spread the word about the site, group, and classifieds to other Panasonic enthusiasts.
7. Help me out! When I created the Panasonic Bicycles Virtual Museum web site and owner’s group I did so in order to help fill a void. With that said, I am certainly not a know-it-all when it comes to all things Panasonic bicycle related. Additional web site editor positions are available if you’re the kind of person who wants to assist in the construction of this resource. If you want to help, just say so in the group or email zeringer@hotmail.com
8. Enjoy and ride safely!

NEW!! Owner Registry form now online.

If you are the owner of a Panasonic Bicycle you may now submit it to us to be archived offline. We will NOT be posting your bicycle or personal info online, but rather keeping it safe in an offline database of owners. The purpose is simple. In the event your bicycle is ever stolen contact us right away so we can post the serial number, photo, and other important information. With a little luck, your bicycle may turn up somewhere and you can be reunited or notified.

The registry database will also help us determine where the hot-spots are for certain models around the country/world. Statistics are fun!

Naturally, NO personal information will be revealed about your submission and we won’t contact you, spam you, walk your dog, mow your lawn, or reprogram any of the remote controls on your coffee table. Don’t even ask… we’ll say NO.

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