Any Roadies on Here? Restoring an '82 DX-2000

I have a Panasonic DX-2000 touring bike I use for school. I sort of traded bikes with my Dad and now he uses my Gary Fisher hybrid.

Anyway, my dad got the bike when he was going to OSU (1982), and I want to fix it up, bring it back to it's original glory, I guess. It's in great condition, just a tinniest bit of rust on some fittings.

I got new bar tape for it the other day. The gray cloth tape that was on it was worn down was ripped up from when it was in a small crash a number of years ago. I just got black Bontrager Double Gel grippy tape.

I still want to get new grey leather steel toe clips, [STRIKE]brown[/STRIKE] natural rubber brake hood covers, and possibly suicide brake levers as well to replace the parts that were removed somewhere along the line (now missing).

 

Kind of dark, but heres's the bike after I put the new tape on.

 

The only bike I ride has a motor on it

 

Yeah I know im lazy, but I have been all over the country on that bike.

 

It'd be cool if you could convert the shimano 600 to something with hoods like the 2300 or sora.

 

The 600s did originally have natural rubber hoods. The rubber broke down over time though and my dad eventually removed them. I'd like to put back on what belongs there.

Here's a photo for reference. I don't have these hoods yet.

 

On a side note, Dad was going through stuff in the garage and found the toe clips and leather straps for the pedals.

 

I did notice both of these have built in shifters and aero brakes. Looks pretty sleek and convenient on the ride. I want to keep this bike original, however. Maybe I'll get the 2300 later on a future bike.

 

Louis, where do you get your bike parts from? Most ebay sales seems to be priced pretty high and I can't find a website to order the parts from Japan (Panasonic no longer makes bikes in the US).

Also I'm having a hard time finding suicide brake levers for the inner handle bars. Dad really wants to get them again. (They broke in a crash he had on it many years ago).

 

I looked up shimano 600 shifters and sheesh, I guess that stuff is collectable now

I usually order my stuff through my local shop. I'm not sure where you'll be able to find 600 components anywhere. If anything I'd see if craigslist has some cheap steel roadbikes (I've seen some for 15-20 USD) that you can cannibalize for parts.
You could also look into getting brake levers from another manufacturer which I think will be cross compatible. Look for vintage Campagnolo Athena or Super Record.
If not, look into these perhaps: Tektro RL340 Brake Levers Black Left Right Road Bike Single Speed SS Drop Bar | eBay

As for the inner break handles I know they may not be original but the best I could think of would be adapting the suicide systems used on some cyclocross bikes that I have seen. You could also look into those used on the extensions on tri/TT bikes.

The best I could find was Tektro's RX 2.0 Brake levers or the RL726 which are modern but have that metal look and feel of a classic roadie. You could probably get them for about 20 with cables. Though you should look at ebay or your LBS because the online sellers don't look to reputable

I love where your going with this project. I have an old steel roadie that was given to me by a guy who bought it after seeing it on the Tour de France in the 70s. It was the same model used in races about 40 years ago. I was thinking of upgrading it to modern componentry but I do love the look of all the old stuff, even if downtube shifters are scary.

In the mean time, I'd probably replace the cables, as they've probably lost a lot of tension over the years. Give it a good once over with some dish detergent and a sponge, and clean the wheels with a bristle brush and you'll have a sparkly classic ride. OPQS Tech & Training: How to Clean Your Bike - YouTube

I'd also tane the wheels off and make sure they're trued.
Wheel Truing - YouTube
If you don't wanna DIY a stand, your LBS should be able to do this for you, and at the same time check the hubs and freewheels.

HTH