Go Back  Bike Forums > Bike Forums > Classic & Vintage
Reload this Page >

Panasonic Pro ATB nearly done

Notices
Classic & Vintage This forum is to discuss the many aspects of classic and vintage bicycles, including musclebikes, lightweights, middleweights, hi-wheelers, bone-shakers, safety bikes and much more.

Panasonic Pro ATB nearly done

Old 05-17-15, 09:13 PM
  #1  
Senior Member
Thread Starter
 
badger_biker's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: Rural Western Wisconsin
Posts: 1,510

Bikes: 10 vintage touring machines

Mentioned: 3 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 112 Post(s)
Liked 126 Times in 66 Posts
Panasonic Pro ATB nearly done

This project may well be the last complete build I ever do so I tried to get it right. Other than a fat bike this off road tourer fills the last functional void in my stable. I purchased the Panasonic Pro ATB frame from fellow member cog_nate about a year and a half ago and finally got around to tackling the project.

I previously purchased a mountain bike that had the 9 speed shifters and wheels so I spread the rear triangle on the Panasonic to fit and had a pump peg and third set of bottle bosses added and then had it powder coated. I have replica decals on order as a finishing touch. I had the Blackburn silver rack from an old road bike and it was a great fit on this and I like the way it looks. However at some point I want to add fenders and the two rear stays don't have enough space for a 60cm fender so I'll probably have to replace it with a black Blackburn Expedition that I have. Most of the other components were gathered at swap meets or CL.

I took it out for a couple rides and love the ride and comfort of the Midge bars. They worked out to be a very comfortable height but I don't feel too upright. It exceeds my expectations and I can't wait to try it out with the front rack and fully loaded.







__________________
Nothing compares to the simple pleasure of a bike ride - JFK
badger_biker is offline  
Old 05-17-15, 10:04 PM
  #2  
Pedal to the medal
 
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: The Arsenal of Democracy
Posts: 1,349

Bikes: 1991 Team Miyata Track, 1992 Lemond Alpe d'Huez, 19?? Schwinn High Serra, 1982 Trek 614, 198X Raleigh Alyeska

Mentioned: 18 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 286 Post(s)
Liked 198 Times in 127 Posts
Great looking ride. Enjoy it.
romperrr is offline  
Old 05-18-15, 09:31 AM
  #3  
Senior Member
Thread Starter
 
badger_biker's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: Rural Western Wisconsin
Posts: 1,510

Bikes: 10 vintage touring machines

Mentioned: 3 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 112 Post(s)
Liked 126 Times in 66 Posts
I'm also looking for some aesthetic input on fenders for this bike. I'm leaning toward Trek NCS which only come in black or Planet Bike Cascadias which come in black or silver. What do you think would look better given the racks will be black?
__________________
Nothing compares to the simple pleasure of a bike ride - JFK

Last edited by badger_biker; 05-18-15 at 09:34 AM. Reason: ?
badger_biker is offline  
Old 05-18-15, 09:43 AM
  #4  
Senior Member
 
bikemig's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Middle Earth (aka IA)
Posts: 20,505

Bikes: A bunch of old bikes and a few new ones

Mentioned: 178 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 5877 Post(s)
Liked 3,445 Times in 2,066 Posts
I like the planet bike cascadias a lot but I'd also take a look at the SKS fenders. You won't go wrong with either fenders. This is a very good looking bike.

Did you have someone locally do the braze ons and the paint job? Good choice of color for a touring bike.

What kind of wheels are you using and tires?

I like the sugino crank (that is a sugino crank, right?) a lot. I might be tempted to go with a trekking crank (44-32-22) on a build like this as well.

What kind of pedals are you using?

I find steel water bottle cages a bit more durable than aluminum; being able to bend them a bit is a plus as well.

I really like that style of drop bar on a build like this.

This is a really fine build, .
bikemig is offline  
Old 05-18-15, 11:18 AM
  #5  
Senior Member
Thread Starter
 
badger_biker's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: Rural Western Wisconsin
Posts: 1,510

Bikes: 10 vintage touring machines

Mentioned: 3 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 112 Post(s)
Liked 126 Times in 66 Posts
Originally Posted by bikemig
I like the planet bike cascadias a lot but I'd also take a look at the SKS fenders. You won't go wrong with either fenders. This is a very good looking bike.

Did you have someone locally do the braze ons and the paint job? Good choice of color for a touring bike.

What kind of wheels are you using and tires?

I like the sugino crank (that is a sugino crank, right?) a lot. I might be tempted to go with a trekking crank (44-32-22) on a build like this as well.

What kind of pedals are you using?

I find steel water bottle cages a bit more durable than aluminum; being able to bend them a bit is a plus as well.

I really like that style of drop bar on a build like this.

This is a really fine build, .
Thanks!
The local guy I used for the powder coating offers braze ons. I think he probably farms the work out but I don't know for sure. Since a lot of the intended use is on gravel I thought I would pick a color that wouldn't show the dust! I thought it was kind of a nice earthy tone for touring.
The wheels are Deore LX hubs laced to On One ******* rims with 2" Continental Travel Contact tires. The crank is also Shimano Deore LX with 46-36-24 rings. I have the same thing on my road tourer and have been very happy with it. Very nice shifting. The pedals are just an old pair of Shimano mountain bike pedals I had. Not sure of the model.
__________________
Nothing compares to the simple pleasure of a bike ride - JFK
badger_biker is offline  
Old 05-23-15, 09:04 PM
  #6  
Senior Member
Thread Starter
 
badger_biker's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: Rural Western Wisconsin
Posts: 1,510

Bikes: 10 vintage touring machines

Mentioned: 3 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 112 Post(s)
Liked 126 Times in 66 Posts
I added a thumbnail picture Nate sent me before I purchased the bike from him and a couple of the finished product with decals.





Attached Images
File Type: jpg
WP_20140220_002.jpg (108.3 KB, 106 views)
__________________
Nothing compares to the simple pleasure of a bike ride - JFK
badger_biker is offline  
Old 05-23-15, 09:35 PM
  #7  
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: Massachusetts
Posts: 343
Mentioned: 1 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 18 Post(s)
Liked 2 Times in 2 Posts
I really like the decals! Have you looked at the black sks fenders? Handsome also has some hammers black fenders called the mud butler or something like that that might appeal to you.
yuoil is offline  
Old 05-23-15, 10:43 PM
  #8  
52psi
 
Fahrenheit531's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2013
Location: Tucson, AZ
Posts: 4,134

Bikes: Schwinn Volare ('78); Raleigh Competition GS ('79)

Mentioned: 29 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 790 Post(s)
Liked 800 Times in 390 Posts
Very nice build.
__________________
A race bike in any era is a highly personal choice that at its "best" balances the requirements of fit, weight, handling, durability and cost tempered by the willingness to toss it and oneself down the pavement at considerable speed. ~Bandera
Fahrenheit531 is offline  
Old 05-24-15, 12:47 AM
  #9  
Senior Member
 
DiegoFrogs's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Scranton, PA, USA
Posts: 2,570

Bikes: '77 Centurion "Pro Tour"; '67 Carlton "The Flyer"; 1984 Ross MTB (stored at parents' house)

Mentioned: 8 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 169 Post(s)
Liked 93 Times in 61 Posts
That's a really great build. The only thing I don't care for is On One's hurtful use of that term on the rims, which the forum has apparently screened.

Is this one of the higher-end MTB frames of its time? I'm tempted to build something like this, but I'd want the right starting point.
DiegoFrogs is offline  
Old 05-24-15, 05:25 PM
  #10  
Senior Member
 
Chrome Molly's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Forksbent, MN
Posts: 3,271

Bikes: Yes

Mentioned: 29 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 301 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 15 Times in 15 Posts
Looks perfect for the gravel roads and ATV trails up in northern Wisconsin. I like the silver stickers on the frame.

Smart choice in frames for this project. I wish I'd have started with a bottom pull FD frame when building up a similar project (had to go back to a double crank to get mine to work as I wanted).
Chrome Molly is offline  
Old 05-24-15, 05:42 PM
  #11  
Fresh Garbage
 
hairnet's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: Los Angeles
Posts: 13,198

Bikes: N+1

Mentioned: 21 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 352 Post(s)
Liked 25 Times in 17 Posts
Good looking fork. I wish my Panasonic had that instead of the ugly unicrown fork.
hairnet is offline  
Old 05-24-15, 07:48 PM
  #12  
Senior Member
 
Paramount1973's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: The First State.
Posts: 1,168

Bikes: Schwinn Continental, Schwinn Paramount, Schwinn High Plains, Schwinn World Sport, Trek 420, Trek 930,Trek 660, Novara X-R, Giant Iguana. Fuji Sagres mixte.

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 35 Post(s)
Liked 22 Times in 10 Posts
Originally Posted by badger_biker
This project may well be the last complete build I ever do so I tried to get it right. Other than a fat bike this off road tourer fills the last functional void in my stable. I purchased the Panasonic Pro ATB frame from fellow member cog_nate about a year and a half ago and finally got around to tackling the project.

I previously purchased a mountain bike that had the 9 speed shifters and wheels so I spread the rear triangle on the Panasonic to fit and had a pump peg and third set of bottle bosses added and then had it powder coated. I have replica decals on order as a finishing touch. I had the Blackburn silver rack from an old road bike and it was a great fit on this and I like the way it looks. However at some point I want to add fenders and the two rear stays don't have enough space for a 60cm fender so I'll probably have to replace it with a black Blackburn Expedition that I have. Most of the other components were gathered at swap meets or CL.

I took it out for a couple rides and love the ride and comfort of the Midge bars. They worked out to be a very comfortable height but I don't feel too upright. It exceeds my expectations and I can't wait to try it out with the front rack and fully loaded.

What stem are you using?
Paramount1973 is offline  
Old 05-24-15, 07:52 PM
  #13  
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: STP
Posts: 15,223
Mentioned: 74 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 821 Post(s)
Liked 253 Times in 141 Posts
Missed this one.

Super nice, practical build for sure.

Congrats.
gomango is offline  
Old 05-24-15, 08:14 PM
  #14  
Senior Member
Thread Starter
 
badger_biker's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: Rural Western Wisconsin
Posts: 1,510

Bikes: 10 vintage touring machines

Mentioned: 3 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 112 Post(s)
Liked 126 Times in 66 Posts
Originally Posted by Paramount1973
What stem are you using?
I don't recall that it had any branding on it. I picked it up at a swap meet mainly because it had the two bolt front plate and my bars were already set up on another bike so I didn't want to have to thread them through a stem. It might be Kalloy?
__________________
Nothing compares to the simple pleasure of a bike ride - JFK
badger_biker is offline  
Old 05-24-15, 08:21 PM
  #15  
Senior Member
 
Velocivixen's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2013
Location: The Great Pacific Northwest
Posts: 4,525
Mentioned: 87 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 400 Post(s)
Liked 37 Times in 26 Posts
I have those same tires that I've used for awhile and they're great! Nice job on the build up.
Velocivixen is offline  
Old 05-24-15, 08:33 PM
  #16  
Senior Member
Thread Starter
 
badger_biker's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: Rural Western Wisconsin
Posts: 1,510

Bikes: 10 vintage touring machines

Mentioned: 3 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 112 Post(s)
Liked 126 Times in 66 Posts
Originally Posted by Velocivixen
I have those same tires that I've used for awhile and they're great! Nice job on the build up.
VV - what kind of pressure do you usually run in them - on road and off? They are nice and quiet on the road.

Thanks to all for the nice comments. I've been more than pleased with the ride of this bike on roads and am anxious to do more exploring on gravel and forest roads. If you haven't tried a drop bar mountain bike I strongly encourage it. Someday when I have to trim down to 2 or 3 bikes this will be one of them.
__________________
Nothing compares to the simple pleasure of a bike ride - JFK
badger_biker is offline  
Old 05-24-15, 08:43 PM
  #17  
Extraordinary Magnitude
 
The Golden Boy's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Waukesha WI
Posts: 13,640

Bikes: 1978 Trek TX700; 1978/79 Trek 736; 1984 Specialized Stumpjumper Sport; 1984 Schwinn Voyageur SP; 1985 Trek 620; 1985 Trek 720; 1986 Trek 400 Elance; 1987 Schwinn High Sierra; 1990 Miyata 1000LT

Mentioned: 84 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2597 Post(s)
Liked 1,678 Times in 926 Posts
Originally Posted by badger_biker




I love that Bontrager bar tape! I have either the brown or white on all my bikes!


I was looking at this- saw the seat lug setup and thought "I've seen that somewhere recently..."

And remembered the Ritchey thread: https://www.bikeforums.net/classic-vi...tain-bike.html


Although they're clearly different bikes- there's a lot of similarity in them- specifically that long TT/ST junction:


Originally Posted by jeffpepperdine


__________________
*Recipient of the 2006 Time Magazine "Person Of The Year" Award*

Commence to jigglin’ huh?!?!

"But hey, always love to hear from opinionated amateurs." -says some guy to Mr. Marshall.
The Golden Boy is offline  
Old 05-24-15, 11:36 PM
  #18  
Senior Member
 
Velocivixen's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2013
Location: The Great Pacific Northwest
Posts: 4,525
Mentioned: 87 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 400 Post(s)
Liked 37 Times in 26 Posts
@badger_biker - the sidewall on mine says "80 psi", however because I'm light and not carrying anything I would typically run the rear around 75 & I always run the front 5 psi less, so 70 or so. Not an exact science, but I never run maximum psi & always 5 less in front. I had them on my '85 Bigfoot for awhile, then on the '88 Rockhopper. They seemed a little slow on the street, which is mostly where I rode them. They seemed good on packed dirt trails, but my experience on dirt/gravel isn't much, so I know that's not saying a lot. I sold those bikes, but I kept these tires.

They're normally around $50 per tire and I got them on sale for $25 per tire. Can't beat that, plus mine has the reflective stripe around the tire. I like that.

How do you like them so far?
Velocivixen is offline  
Old 05-25-15, 11:44 AM
  #19  
Senior Member
Thread Starter
 
badger_biker's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: Rural Western Wisconsin
Posts: 1,510

Bikes: 10 vintage touring machines

Mentioned: 3 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 112 Post(s)
Liked 126 Times in 66 Posts
Originally Posted by Velocivixen
@badger_biker - the sidewall on mine says "80 psi", however because I'm light and not carrying anything I would typically run the rear around 75 & I always run the front 5 psi less, so 70 or so. Not an exact science, but I never run maximum psi & always 5 less in front. I had them on my '85 Bigfoot for awhile, then on the '88 Rockhopper. They seemed a little slow on the street, which is mostly where I rode them. They seemed good on packed dirt trails, but my experience on dirt/gravel isn't much, so I know that's not saying a lot. I sold those bikes, but I kept these tires.

They're normally around $50 per tire and I got them on sale for $25 per tire. Can't beat that, plus mine has the reflective stripe around the tire. I like that.

How do you like them so far?
Velocivixen - You must be running narrower versions. My 2" tires have nothing on the sidewall which is frustrating but online and on the label that was around the tires they recommend 45 psi and max at 58 psi. I do like them a lot. They are quiet, seem to have minimal rolling resistance yet have good traction. I like the reflective stripe also.
__________________
Nothing compares to the simple pleasure of a bike ride - JFK
badger_biker is offline  
Old 05-25-15, 11:48 AM
  #20  
Senior Member
 
Velocivixen's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2013
Location: The Great Pacific Northwest
Posts: 4,525
Mentioned: 87 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 400 Post(s)
Liked 37 Times in 26 Posts
@badger_biker - I think mine are 26 x 1.75". It's very hard to see the writing, because it's under the reflective ring. But mine says 80 psi. Hope it helps.
Velocivixen is offline  
Old 05-25-15, 08:49 PM
  #21  
Senior Member
Thread Starter
 
badger_biker's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: Rural Western Wisconsin
Posts: 1,510

Bikes: 10 vintage touring machines

Mentioned: 3 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 112 Post(s)
Liked 126 Times in 66 Posts
Originally Posted by Velocivixen
@badger_biker - I think mine are 26 x 1.75". It's very hard to see the writing, because it's under the reflective ring. But mine says 80 psi. Hope it helps.
Thanks for the tip in the lettering. I scoured the tires before and never found it - wow it is hard to find! Mine have a max of 65 psi.
__________________
Nothing compares to the simple pleasure of a bike ride - JFK
badger_biker is offline  
Old 05-26-15, 07:49 PM
  #22  
Senior Member
Thread Starter
 
badger_biker's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: Rural Western Wisconsin
Posts: 1,510

Bikes: 10 vintage touring machines

Mentioned: 3 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 112 Post(s)
Liked 126 Times in 66 Posts
Originally Posted by badger_biker
I don't recall that it had any branding on it. I picked it up at a swap meet mainly because it had the two bolt front plate and my bars were already set up on another bike so I didn't want to have to thread them through a stem. It might be Kalloy?
Paramount1973 - You asked about the stem and got me curious so I slipped it out and here is all it has on it. If anyone can make out the name/brand please share. I'm not familiar with it.

__________________
Nothing compares to the simple pleasure of a bike ride - JFK
badger_biker is offline  
Old 06-26-15, 09:04 PM
  #23  
Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Japan
Posts: 31
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
I have the exact same stem and tried to work out what brand it was last year so I could find another to buy. Somehow I concluded it was most likely Hsin Lung, a Taiwanese parts maker, but wasn't able to track any down online. Looking at it again it looks more like 'NJ'.

BTW badger_biker, great looking bike. I'm curious how that front STI shifts with that Deore crankset. Did you use a mtb or road FD?
hyakuyen is offline  
Old 06-27-15, 06:37 PM
  #24  
Senior Member
Thread Starter
 
badger_biker's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: Rural Western Wisconsin
Posts: 1,510

Bikes: 10 vintage touring machines

Mentioned: 3 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 112 Post(s)
Liked 126 Times in 66 Posts
Originally Posted by hyakuyen

BTW badger_biker, great looking bike. I'm curious how that front STI shifts with that Deore crankset. Did you use a mtb or road FD?
Thanks hyakuyen. The STI worked great the first couple of rides with a S T X FD but then I started having problems hitting all 3 rings. I replaced with a Sora road FD and had no luck and locked up my shifter. Might have been my fault for not anchoring the cable in the correct way. I gave up on STI and went with Durace bar ends. I need to post a pic of the new set up.
__________________
Nothing compares to the simple pleasure of a bike ride - JFK
badger_biker is offline  
Old 07-05-15, 08:57 PM
  #25  
Senior Member
Thread Starter
 
badger_biker's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: Rural Western Wisconsin
Posts: 1,510

Bikes: 10 vintage touring machines

Mentioned: 3 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 112 Post(s)
Liked 126 Times in 66 Posts
A couple pics of the finished product with the bar ends.



__________________
Nothing compares to the simple pleasure of a bike ride - JFK
badger_biker is offline  

Thread Tools
Search this Thread

Contact Us - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Terms of Service -

Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.