ispeakman

hey y'all. heres my mid 80's panasonic sport 1000.



picked it up at at a thrift store about 2 years ago for $8 and just recently had it tuned, put on new brakes, tires, tape, chain etc. now i wanna convert it.

a few questions (it would be really great if i could find someone who has converted one of these). ok:

1. right now it has 27" wheels, and i'm pretty sure they're stock. i need to get new wheels for it with a fixed hub. what is the difference between 27" and 700cc? what about 650cc? what would be the best fit? is it a matter of preference? sorry i don't know a great deal about wheels.

2. the cranks, chainring, bottom bracket etc.. anyone have any experience with this on a panasonic? do i need to replace all of these as well? the 2 chainrings currently on the bike are 53 tooth and 40 tooth. is there a pretty good standard ratio? any ride i take will include a few mild hills both up and down.

3. anything else? i am definitely taking suggestions and all the help i can get. i'm very new to this.

thanks everyone.

huerro

700 wheels have a diameter that is 8mm smaller than 27". You will be fine with them.

It looks like those cranks will be fine (can't tell for sure from this picture though) and the inside chain ring will probably give you a good chain line with a standard formula hub. If your chain rings are held on with 5 allen bolts, I would just pick up some short crank bolts and get rid of the outer ring. If it isn't held together this way, getting rid of one of the chain rings will weaken the crank set. If that's the case you'll need to keep both on there or get a new crank set. I would match your 40t ring with a 15t cog for about 70 gear inches which is a nice all around ratio. (if you plan to skid a lot this isn't the most ideal ratio)

Have fun, ride it like you stole it.

ispeakman

hey thanks for your reply.

i think i would like to get some new cranks, chain ring and pedals. i'll also need a new bottom bracket right? any idea what size or how i find out? suggestions for clips and straps on the pedals would be great too.

i do want to do some skidding so what would be a good ratio? from reading threads here i've seen that /17 will give you a good amount of skid spots. any recs on a chain ring and hub combo?

thanks again.

amckimmey

My personal thought is don't convert it, That bike looks super nice how it is. It looks new, & that you just got it tuned up, It looks like it rides really nice how it is, It would kind of be sad if that got converted, Its fine how it is. It has original parts, Its a classic, even If its not a high end bike at all.

I would say fined a different bike that's more busted up, or just frame & convert that, I mean you are just going to be striping perfectly fine parts off of this bike, keep it how it is, don't destroy the bike, If your going to be paying money for new parts why not just put them on a new frame, an actually fixed gear or track frame.

Everyone needs a good road bike.

ispeakman

i knew i would get a reply like that.

thanks but i really want to convert this bike. and the bike isn't really as nice as it looks in that picture. almost every component on the bike has some rust on it. the frame is scratched and rusted as well.

it definitely isn't a bad ride but i will be using the bike as my only transportation to and from school (about 10-12 miles 4-5 days a week) and i want something pretty low maintenance. plus fixed gears are cooler...

i'd like to go ahead and convert this one then maybe move parts over to a nicer frame somewhere down the line. if i really decide i need one, geared bikes in about the same condition as this one can be found on craigslist in my area almost everyday for $75-$100.