veselatakurabii

First off let me express my deepest gratitude to ZeRinger and his work with the Panasonic Bike Museum. It was his videos that opened the doors for me...Thank you for your love towards those bikes! I owe you many beautiful moments I have had with my two stallions!

After getting infected with the Panasonic virus I set off to look for a PR6000 - the beauty of it an elusive dream that kept me going through classifieds months on end...eventually realizing I should just go ahead and get something instead of just sitting on my ass and browsing endlessly the internet. I found an ebay listing for a 1991 PR5000 with what seemed a complete original groupset and after a short negotiation the bike was at home. Oh boy, what a joy that was! It was a true barn find with all original components! (except the wheels that were upgraded by the dealer on request) from the original owner) It used to belong to an older gentleman who bought it in St Gallen, Switzerland while in his late 40s/early 50s and planned to have many rides, however after just a few kilometres parked it and never came back to it. The bike trader I bought it from told me it was a special bike for the now old man in his 70s who parted with it as he was just not going to use it again. After a very short ride I set off to lovingly take apart, clean and service it down to the last bolt while wearing white cloth gloves and listening to Smash Mouth - All Star. I enjoyed every moment of it and when it was ready I had a couple of longer rides in the mountains - it felt like flying a white winged unicorn! Unfortunately these are the only pictures I have, hopefully once the global paranoia is over I can make better ones.










I was not planning on using the bike everyday and soon afterwards I resumed looking for a second Panasonic, one which would not be in museum condition and I could ride in the city as a beater. Well I was lucky to find one while on a business trip in Bavaria - I bought it from a lady that had received it as gift and knew nothing about this Red/Yellow/Blue 1991 PR5000. It was a really funny looking bike with Dura Ace ST-7400 brifters and mixed up Ultegra 6400 groupset - the shifting was awful as the rear derailleur and shifters did not like each other by design. I was happy with my purchase...initially...until I realized this was also a very, very low mileage bike with its original groupset swapped out for used and worn out parts. The frame was in perfect condition and I decided to bring it back to its former glory - I wondered if ZeRinger slipped the same way, unwillingly, into the trap of hanging bicycles on the walls. Anyway I kept looking and eventually found a NOS period correct Shimano 6400 groupset and here are the results:








I have a feeling this may not be the last Panasonic for me, not until I build a Neo Retro Panasonic with a road classic steel frame and contemporary 105-Ultegra groupset.