1989 Panasonic MC-5500. Very nice!

[incorrigible]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-1989-Pa ... 2c6e4d48a4

Same bike here:
http://panasonicbikemuseum.info/1989-panasonic-mc-5500/

If it were one size smaller, I'd be buying it myself (and I wouldn't be telling you guys about it, either! :twisted: )

 

[Radoslaw]

I'm shocked. No e-stay? Bloody lovely indeed. $1,124.81 international delivery?

 

[incorrigible]

I'm shocked. No e-stay?

Is this a case where my reputation precedes me?

Of course I love the e-stays, but I also appreciate a rare bike from time to time. Case in point: I acquired a Wicked Fat Chance frame recently only because BITD, while perusing MTB magazines and contemplating buying my first MTB, the Fat Chance bikes appeared to be the best you could get at the time. Fat Chance bikes had custom made frames and cost $2k to $3k for a complete bike. Although I lusted after them, they were way out of my reach at the time, so I "settled" for a 1989 Nishiki Alien.

It's only been in the past few years while "researching" e-stays (read: "searching for elevated chainstay bike p*rn on the internet") that I discovered that a substantial number of bike companies had produced e-stays back then, including Panasonic. So, yesterday, while once again diligently performing my "research" (which now includes daily internet searches for specific e-stay models), I came across (er, I mean, I found ) this Panasonic MC5500. If it WAS the e-stay version, I definitely would have kept it a secret and tried to get it for myself, whether or not it was too big for me.

 

[zeringer]

Yes, that is my MC-5500 that is on eBay. I must apologize for eBay's insane shipping calculations. For some reason it would not let me specify FedEx shipping. Will try to correct that if I decide to relist there.

Sadly, there were no e-stay 'Sonics sold in North America. You'll have to look to Japan or Europe for those of us in America. We always get the shaft it seems.