My 1981 Panasonic Sport 1000 is the perfect beater bike

[@PRH123]

I had one of those, bought it new from the Schwinn dealer in silver Spring in ‘86. It was heavy but it did it’s job for many miles, and it launched me into almost 40 years of cycling.

[@walnuthills11]

Nice!! Indeed this reminds me of a similar lugged hi-ten bike my dad fished out of the garbage decades ago and I rode about 600 miles around southwestern Ohio and southeastern Indiana.

[@walnuthills11]

Glad to hear it was your gateway bike!

[@PRH123]

@@walnuthills11 if it was dark blue, maybe it was mine, I gave it to my brother when I got a Bianchi, don’t know what he did with it :)

[@walnuthills11]

Oh I see! He better remember haha :-)

[@stanzelko5243]

Very similar to an old bike I put together in the 80s.

[@walnuthills11]

Nice! Similar straight gauge lugged frame?

[@stanzelko5243]

@walnuthills11 not sure. It's a heavy frame though.

[@walnuthills11]

@@stanzelko5243 Gotcha

[@drahow]

Nice bike. I like old steel lugged frames.

[@walnuthills11]

Thank you! Indeed it's so solidly built.

[@ionclaw7340]

I'm curious what psi you choose for your wheels... I'm new to road bikes and just got myself one for free... Rebuilt it and changed the tires... But I'm used to mountain bike pressures.

[@walnuthills11]

Good question! I tend to ride road bikes with 27 x 1 1/4 wheels like this one. I really like those at 90 psi. I used to pump them up to 70 or 80 psi but notice I'm distinctly faster at 90 psi without too bumpy a ride quality. Likewise, for 700x25 wheels, I find 120 psi ideal. There's a SILCA Tire Pressure Calculator online to calculate ideal tire pressure given tire diameter, width, and combined bike/rider weight.

[@ionclaw7340]

@walnuthills11 yeah I was playing around with the tire pressure calculators, and sadly nothing for 27 inch was available that I could easily find, mainly for only 700. I'll try around 80psi. As that's what's suggested for me at 700 size

[@walnuthills11]

Oh gotcha! I do find those calculators suggest a lower tire pressure than what I find ideal. I would try both 80 and 90 and see what you think. Another thing that helps with ride quality is positioning your body so you distribute weight equally between arms (bars), butt (seat), and feet (pedals). That way you can more easily keep bumps from rattling up your spine as you would riding in an upright position.