Update for Panasonic nuts

Greetings Panasonic nuts,

Just a few updates for everyone. First of all, the Panasonic Bike Museum web site is now on its own server, so if you have old bookmarks pointing to the old subdomain (panabike.s-cars.org) you'll want to update them to panasonicbikemuseum.info

The web site registration issues have been sorted as well as the classified ad system issue. Fun fun.

The most interesting news is that two new databases have been added. The first is a market data to log recent sales or acquisitions. If you have bought or sold a Panasonic bicycle lately, please take a moment to record your transaction (and hey, be honest please?)
http://panasonicbikemuseum.info/?cat=306



The second database is a serial number / owner registry. Add your Panasonic bike(s) to the list at the URL below...
http://panasonicbikemuseum.info/?cat=246



Thanks, and enjoy.

Darin

Great Darin

Bookmarked

Will add my bikes to the registry. My PR-6000 is without serial though...

I think adding them to the selling/buying data registry is a not so valuable contibution. Doubt whether the information reflects actual market reality.

Thanks for including my bike in the virtual museum Darin. Looks very nice.

http://panasonicbikemuseum.info/?cat=317

Darin I emailed you months ago through your site twice without reply.

I got this from Tokyo last November:

Panasonic E Order Mountan Cat

Headstock number on right side is: 292 (Is this Feb. 92?)

Frame number: 2090202

Can you confirm how old it is?

Put some pics up and I tell you what you got

or at least try

Sorry no camera.

I thought the 292 on the head tube was definitive of the year?

I can decipher Miyata frame numbers, not Panasonic. I am sorry.

What helps >>> on your Shimano components you always find two letters. The letters denote year and month. With that you should be able to determine year quite accurately ...if your bike is original.

From the FirstFlight site >>>

"Shimano uses a two digit code to track the date of manufacture. The first letter is the month and the second digit will be the year (EI would be May of 1984). Generally, the code is fairly easy to spot but is usually on the "back side" of the part.

Shimano Year Code

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001
2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008

Shimano Month Code

A B C D E F G H I J K L
January February March April May June July August September October November December"

Thanks, that's helpful.

I see a code on the back of the crank PE (May 1991)
and on the back of the FD: is 0H (Aug 1990)

So, presumably that would be when those parts were made, and kept in stock in the factory for a frame made in Feb 1992 (292 on headtube)?

Sorry if I am a little late to this party... I do remember you emailing me and then losing my emails. doh

Panasonic has changed their serial number system a few times over the years which makes it a bit tricky at times.

Most of the 1985 - mid 90's bikes had a number on the lower portion of the head tube. Most were also a number followed by a letter such as 7B09345... which would be Feb. of 1987 (yes, you have to guess the decade based on paint and components but that isn't usually too terribly difficult) Some higher end models such as my Team America had the serial number on the bottom bracket rather than head tube.

Older bikes say from 1984 back to the mid to late 70's would have a couple numbers. Under the bottom bracket or stamped on one of the rear dropouts (rear drops on lower models generally).
The head badge sometimes has four small lightly stamped digits... I believe the first three digits are the day of the year (001-365) and the fourth digit is the last digit of the year.

Your bike being a Tokyo market bike... well, who knows for sure how they were designated. I am still learning myself. I do think you're on the right track however. Early '92 build with remaining stock of '91 parts.

Thanks Zeringer.

The frame number is: 2090202 and it is stamped under the BB.
The only number on the head-tube is: 292

It also had several stickers in Japanese, one by original bike shop, and one of those reflective yellow bicycle registration and parking licence stickers, that one was dated 1998. But that was probably the last it had, not the first.

I had to remove all the stickers when I resprayed the frame, and I replaced them with some I printed myself.

The original colour scheme was, steady now... shocking day-glo pink, blended with white and black. The original owner's name was printed on the right rear of the top tube, so professionally it must have been a custom paint job by the Panasonic factory. (Hence the name E order Mountain Cat I presume)

It's now a far more respectable British Racing Green!

Wonderful bike, just completed a 1000km tour around SE Asia.