LWC

Hello
I got this frame few weeks ago. There is no decals on it. It have Shimano front and rear dropouts and Shimano mark on front derailleur hanger, Tange 60 l fork and EO mark on BB. Groupset is Shimano 105 (1050). Some searches suggest that is Japanese frame-number-matrix (Panasonic maybe) but strange thing is Italian BB (70 mm and 36x24 tread). Any idea? Thanks.

non-fixie 

If not from Asia, then Belgium is next in line as a candidate, I think. The Belgians were quick to adopt Japanese tubing and parts in de seventies. And 70mm shells with ITA threading are not unheard of either.

Is the "56" on the BB shell the frame size? If so, is it measured center-to-center or center-to-top?

non-fixie 

BTW, the fork code 601 indicates it was made in January 1986. Could be a replacement, though.

juvela

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an earlier discussion thread on this item resides here:

https://thecabe.com/forum/threads/frame-info.189694/


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T-Mar

An interesting, if conflicted, bicycle. The S/N is consistent with Matsu****a/National manufacture and would appear to indicate 1989 based on the frame features. However, I haven't seen a Panasonic with those lug windows. I'd also have expected a pump peg by this date. So, it could be foreign (non-USA) market and/or a contract build. One Japanese brand that did favour teardrop lug windows was Matsuri, though they were typically contracted to Nissan for manufacture. The fork bears a HI-TEN decal, which would be low end for the frame, yet appears to be legitimate as Tange's 60 series were hi-tensile forks.

Regarding the Italian threading, it was a common solution to tap Italian threads when there was irreversible damage to English threads. Some Japanese bicycles did come with 70-71mm shells. Japanese lug and shell manufacturer Otsuya Iron Works used an EO, typically within a diamond, as their trademark symbol.

While the derailleurs are Shimano 105, the crankarms and headest appear to be a Shimano Exage Sport variant. Normally, the headset and crankset would be more likely to be OEM. They are also era correct but so too is the 105. I am a bit surprised to see a front derailleur hanger on a bicycle with Exage Sport or even 105 from this era. It seems incongruent with the rest of the frame manufacture which appears decidedly Japanese, mass volume standard. Given the hi-tensile fork, one questions whether it has been subject to post crash modifications and a repaint.

There's a lot to digest on this bicycle. It would be interesting, though possibly not revealing, to know the seat post diameter. Similarly, it would be interesting to know if the inside of the BB shell shows overspray of another colour and whether there is any paint in the threads themselves. Finally, I'd be curious to know if the fork's steering column has a date code and whether there are stiffening ribs on the inside, at the bottom.

LWC

Thank you for help. There is some new photos. Fork is Tange 6L

T-Mar

Things are getting more interesting. That's exactly what I expecting from the post diameter but the December 1979 date code suggests the S/N may indicate 1979. I wouldn't haven't expected two sets of bottle bosses in 1979. So, maybe the frame has been modified and the components matching 1989 are just a co-incidence? Either way, the date code on the fork suggests it is a replacement.

seypat

No eyelets on the rear DO's.

LWC

No.

seypat

It means the fork is not original.

LWC

Mark or scratch? "BP"?

noobinsf 

"EF"
Here is a link to a pic from the interwebs, not mine: https://www.flickr.com/photos/leaping_gnome/5249782596

Hummer

This format of the serial number was used by Panasonic.
The serial number stamping is not that of Panasonic. The BB shell does not say Panasonic. Panasonic typically did not stamp the frame size below the serial number.

LWC

After a long and unsuccessful search for the origin, we decided for this option 😉

unworthy1

glad to see the kindergarten kids had a nice day of fingerpainting something!
Hope you got their hands really clean before "juice and snack break"!