Touring bicycle / city bicycle.
Note November 5, 2014: Always changing... The blog has the latest info.
Configuration (November 2014):
| Frame | Panasonic Touring, 1978, custom braze-ons and paint by previous owner |
|---|---|
| Front / Rear Derailleur | Shimano 600 Arabesque / Suntour VGT |
| Shifters | Suntour Power Ratchet downtube, clamp on |
| Brake Levers | Suntour XC LTD |
| Brakes | Tektro R559 |
| Crankset and Bottom Bracket | Sakae Ringyo Apex 5 with 45-28 rings (very wide), bb Shimano UNXX. |
| Chain | SRAM PC870 |
| Wheels | Ebay 700c brand unknown. Single wall double box ugly gold rims. Sold as Nashbar. Nice hubs. |
| Tires | Panaracer Pasela 35mm |
| Freewheel | Suntour 6-speed, 13-15-18-21-26-32 |
| Headset | Stronglight A9 |
| Handlebar and Grips | Nitto B352 cromo, ODI |
| Stem | Nitto |
| Saddle | Brooks B-17 |
| Seatpost | SR melt forged extra set back goodness. |
| Pedals | Wellgo MG-1 |
| Fenders | maybe |
| Miscellaneous | Rear saddlebag support by me, Carradice Nelson Long Flap saddlebag |
Note November 11, 2011: Complete with footnotes, this page is over-detailed. And things always change. With the Rawland rSogn up and running, in 2012 the Panasonic will soon shift to a geared city bike with front loading. I plan to try the new Velo Orange Postino handlebar.
Configuration (May 2010):
| Frame | Panasonic Touring, 1978, custom braze-ons and paint by previous owner |
|---|---|
| Front Derailleur | Suntour XC-LTD1, rigged with a 70s Suntour downtube cable stop2 |
| Rear Derailleur | Suntour XC-LTD1 |
| Shifters | Suntour Power bar-end4, reversed for better cabling |
| Brake Levers | Tektro R200A |
| Brakes | Shimano Tourney center pull rear and 70s Shimano Dura-Ace black anodized sidepull front4 |
| Bottom bracket | Shimano UN54, 118mm spindle |
| Crankset | Shimano 105 triple, 1990s, half-step plus granny: 48/42/283 |
| Chain | SRAM PC870 |
| Wheels | Ebay 700c brand unknown. Single wall double box ugly gold rims. Sold as Nashbar. Nice hubs. |
| Tires | Panaracer Pasela 35mm (not shown) |
| Freewheel | Suntour 6-speed, 13-15-18-21-26-324 |
| Headset | Stronglight A94 |
| Handlebar | Nitto moustache, velox tape, twine cord whipping |
| Stem | Nitto Technomic 90mm |
| Saddle | Brooks B-17 |
| Seatpost | SR Laprade |
| Pedals | Sakae Low Fat1, Cinelli clips4, Paramount-labeled straps1 |
| Fenders | Velo Orange aluminum, long |
| Miscellaneous | Rear saddlebag support by me, Carradice Nelson Long Flap saddlebag, Minnehaha panniers (awaiting a new rack), Cateye Mity 8 cyclocomputer, Planet Bike Blaze and Superflash lights |
| Wish list | Remove champagne-silver paint on the 105 crank, new front rack, places in L.A. to camp... |
1 Leftover part from my 1992 Paramount Series 20. This was my first real mountain bike. The seatpost got stuck for the last time, so I let the frame go.
2 Part originally from the Nishiki Pro.
3 A smoother half-step ratio jump could be achieved with 48/44/28 or 46/42/28, however I have grown to like the 48/42/28 combination. Shifting up and down from the 42 and 48 (14%) works well for commuting when staying on the 21-tooth cog (54 and 62 gear inches). The only redundant gear is the second highest at 48:15 and 42:13.
4 Part from previous owner, not original to this model.
5 Original part for the Panasonic Touring model. Not many original parts were included when I purchased this bike. The Crank, not mounted was the original Takagi Tourney. The SR Laprade seatpost may have been original.
The frame is not equipped with a front derailleur cable stop. To use the Suntour XC LTD derailleur, I added a Suntour downtube cable stop.
New crankset before changing the 2 larger chainrings to 44t and 48t. Smaller ring is steel, 28t.
This poor bike changes more often than the other 3 combined. Here is an archive of what it used to look like. More pictures here.
Configuration shown above:
| Frame | Panasonic Touring, 1978, custom braze-ons and paint by previous owner |
|---|---|
| Front Derailleur | Schwinn unknown |
| Rear Derailleur | Suntour XC-LTD |
| Shifters | Suntour Power bar-end |
| Brake Levers | Tektro R200A |
| Brakes | Dura-Ace black anodized calipers, 1976 |
| Bottom bracket | Sugino 124mm assymetrical spindle, 126mm equivalent |
| Crankset | Takagi Tourney 40/52, 1976 |
| Chain | SRAM 8-speed |
| Wheels | 27"... |
| Tires | Panaracer Pasela 32 |
| Freewheel | Suntour 6-speed... |
| Headset | Stronglight |
| Handlebar | Nitto moustache |
| Stem | Nitto Technomic 90mm |
| Saddle | Brooks B-17 |
| Seatpost | SR Laprade |
| Pedals | MKS Touring with MKS clips with custom leathers by Kirsten |
| Fenders | Velo Orange aluminum |
| Miscellaneous | Front rack and rear saddlebag support by me, Carradice Nelson Long Flap saddlebag, Cateye Mity 8 cyclocomputer |
Handmade saddlebag support. More about the design and construction here.
Sporting a Nitto North Road handlebar.