Saturday, May 22, 2010

Panasonic ATB

I wasn't planning to buy another bike but I saw this frame on Craigslist and thought it might make a great touring bike. According to a catalog that somebody scanned and posted online, it's a 1986 Panasonic ATB. I picked it up for only $20 due to the fact that the seatpost was stuck. The guy I bought it from couldn't remove it, neither could the mechanic at his local bike shop. I doused the seatpost with Windex. After some forcefull twisting on the enormous saddle, the seatpost broke free. Now begins the slow but enjoyable process of gathering parts for the build.

These are the photos from the Craigslist ad.



I removed the reflector and seatpost and cleaned the frame. The paint is in decent shape, but there is some minor rust that needs to be dealt with.

Some of these old mountain bikes, or ATBs (all terrain bicycles) as they were called, had mid-fork braze-ons.


10 comments:

  1. Windex? I wonder why I've never heard of that...

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  2. Oh yeah, you are the master of the bargain find, and the visionary of vintage value. Nice job!

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  3. Can't wait to see what you come up with. I'm sure it will be cool!

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  4. Myles,
    You rock bro! Nice find!!
    Peace :)

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  5. I have a gift for you on my blog, vegetariancyclist.blogspot.com.

    Please come check it out!

    Peace :)
    -Chandra...

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  6. What a coincidence. I picked up a Panasonic ATB, a couple of years newer than yours, this weekend. I was thinking of building a tourer/commuter from it for someone. I'll post it on Two Wheels, if you want to check it out.

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  7. Sweeet! Nice find. I hope you have better luck actually working on your project than I have lately!

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  8. Thinking it's more like a 84 or 85 model year frame. May want to check the Panasonic Bicycle Museum website to verify it. there a thread on there regarding the serial numbers and your is probably located at th base of the head tube.

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  9. Very nice "save" on your 1986 ATB. I'm sure you'll enjoy it!

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