Hi all:

I'm still trying to find a decent mixte or step-through bike for my wife, preferably in the 25 lb. range, to replace her heavy-as-hell aluminum hybrid (which weighs 40 lbs if it's an ounce). I'm coming up against the paucity of decent bikes in that frame style, at least around here. I just passed on a very pretty Peugeot U0-8 (I think), early version with all steel components which was too heavy, and an '84 Motobecane Super Mirage which would have been great if the fork hadn't been bent. So I saw this one on the 'Bay:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Panasonic-Sp...item2a1b2cc52d

I can't find much real info on the web; the Panasonic Virtual Museum has scans of all the catalogs, but resolution is too low to actually read any of the specs(?!?). Does anybody know this bike? It's right near where I work, the price is right, and if you ignore the grotesquely oversized handlebars (which I'd replace) it looks pretty clean. I'm not sure the seller's estimate of frame size is accurate, though.

Any thoughts, experiences, knowledge about this model? Or should I just keep looking?

Thanks!

Roy

22" is a lg mixte (54-55cm) How tall is your wife?

Oh- I have a dx 1000 (53cm) frameset-I think it is quite hefty even for CroMo.

She's 5' 7", I think 20 - 21" would be about right. I can't tell much from those pics, and I don't know if Panasonic made a 22" mixte, but it doesn't look like an unusually oversized bike (which is why I think the seller might not be right about the size)

In my experience with mixties; if the seat tube is the same height as the head tube-it is a taller frame.

Heavy, possibly hi ten frame. What happened with the Schwinn? This one will be much heavier and way lower components.

+1 That is not a 25 pound bike.

I love Panasonic bikes, I have several in the keeper fleet right now. But..., Panasonic made a full line of bikes, from bottom of the line entry level bikes to top end bikes, and everything inbetween. A Sport 1000 is pretty close to the bottom.

That Sport 1000 is a mid-'80s model. This one is probably getting a little closer to lower mid-level. I think it might have a chrome molybdenum frame, probably Tange tubing if it does. It probably also has Araya alloy rims. $135 +/- (local pick-up) isn't too crazy, especially if it's in good shape and is something that fits your needs and interest.

Hi Poke em: The woman selling the Schwinn seems to have flaked out; I spent a day or two trying to set up a meeting, and suddenly she stopped replying. The joys of Craigslist...

Higher end mixtes are scarce, and go for serious money. That UO8 did not sound bad. If you address its shortcomings (cottered crank, steel wheels and seat post, steel bars), you can get the weight down close to your target. But that will be on the spendy side.

+1 If you are local to that Panasonic, I would go look at it. Info is really sketchy, shipping is out of sight, but if you can do local pickup, it might be a deal. I see some rust on the handlebars.

Hi Roy,

I'll be happy to email you higher resolution scans of the catalog specs for that bike if you wish. Google sort of shot me in the foot when they changed their photo gallery format around... in the past you could actually zoom in. I now need to move all the catalogs back onto my server in order to fix that issue. Talk about a pain.

I actually sort of dig that purple bike. It is a 1985 model and it is interesting because it shares the same paint as the Team Europe II from that year which makes it rather distinctive. It does look to need some sprucing up and the shipping cost is frightening for me.

Anyhow, drop me a line at editor @ panasonicbikemuseum.info if you want a high res version of the specs page.

Email sent. Thanks, ZeRinger! Bummer about Google...

All the best

Roy