Worth Upgrading? Peugeot Road Bike

[Shane Wolfe]

Greetings,

A coworker had a older Puegeot road bike that he wanted to get rid of.
I took him up on the offer.

The bike is in almost original condition. Someone took off the orginal
saddle and installed a crusier saddle (complete with springs) and MTB
tires.

The bike has the original bars, brakes, etc. I don't think it is a PX10
because it doesn't have the Reynolds decal on the center down tube.
It is probably a model right below a PX. The bike is light, so I'm
thinking the tubing is still some sort of alloy. The brakes are Mafac.
The gearing/bars/lugs/seatpost are all made by Simplex. The only
thing I don't like about the bike is the gear shifters... I can get
used to those though.

Is this bike worth upgrading with newer brakes/gears/wheels? I've never
owned a road bike, so I figured this Peugeot would be a good starting
point. The first change out will be the saddle and the tires.

Thanks!

-Shane in Maryland

 

[Tom Sherman]

Shane Wolfe wrote:

> Greetings,
>
> A coworker had a older Puegeot road bike that he wanted to get rid of. I
> took him up on the offer.
>
> The bike is in almost original condition. Someone took off the orginal
> saddle and installed a crusier saddle (complete with springs) and MTB
> tires.
>
> The bike has the original bars, brakes, etc. I don't think it is a PX10
> because it doesn't have the Reynolds decal on the center down tube. It
> is probably a model right below a PX. The bike is light, so I'm
> thinking the tubing is still some sort of alloy. The brakes are Mafac.
> The gearing/bars/lugs/seatpost are all made by Simplex. The only thing
> I don't like about the bike is the gear shifters... I can get used to
> those though.
>
> Is this bike worth upgrading with newer brakes/gears/wheels? I've never
> owned a road bike, so I figured this Peugeot would be a good starting
> point. The first change out will be the saddle and the tires.

When in doubt, look at Mr. Brown's website:
<http://www.sheldonbrown.com/velos.html>.

--
Tom Sherman - Earth (Downstate Illinois, North of Forgottonia)

 

[richard]

Is there chrome on the rear triangle? Is the derailleur attached
directly to the drop-out through a forged hole, or is there a steel
plate, held on by a small bolt and the QR, holding the derailleur?

If there is chrome, and the drop-outs are forged Simplex (with a hole to
hold the derailleur), it's probably a PX-10 minus the decal - worth keeping!

The derailleurs have to go! (Provided, of course, they're plastic
Simplex. Alloy Simplex, especially the front "LJ Super", were pretty
nice at the time. The plastic Simplex were disposable items.) You will
need to have a decent bike shop tap the drop-out as the Simplex were not
threaded.

Shane Wolfe wrote:
> Greetings,
>
> A coworker had a older Puegeot road bike that he wanted to get rid of. I
> took him up on the offer.
>
> The bike is in almost original condition. Someone took off the orginal
> saddle and installed a crusier saddle (complete with springs) and MTB
> tires.
>
> The bike has the original bars, brakes, etc. I don't think it is a PX10
> because it doesn't have the Reynolds decal on the center down tube. It
> is probably a model right below a PX. The bike is light, so I'm
> thinking the tubing is still some sort of alloy. The brakes are Mafac.
> The gearing/bars/lugs/seatpost are all made by Simplex. The only thing
> I don't like about the bike is the gear shifters... I can get used to
> those though.
>
> Is this bike worth upgrading with newer brakes/gears/wheels? I've never
> owned a road bike, so I figured this Peugeot would be a good starting
> point. The first change out will be the saddle and the tires.
>
> Thanks!
>
> -Shane in Maryland

 

[Dave Mayer]

"Shane Wolfe" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Greetings,
>
> A coworker had a older Puegeot road bike that he wanted to get rid of. I
> took him up on the offer.
>
>
> Is this bike worth upgrading with newer brakes/gears/wheels?

I still have a Gitane Tour de France road bike from 1972. I am the original
owner - it is the first good bike I had enough money to buy. It has been a
great bike over the years.

I upgraded it to more modern components 5 years ago, including better
brakes, integrated brake/shift levers, modern derailleurs and a new fork to
replace the damaged original. If our Peugeot is older than 1985 or so, then
you will run into the following:

- French threaded headset and funny stem diameter
- 26.6mm seatpost diameter
- Simplex dropouts that require mods to take a modern derailleur
- Simplex derailleurs (bad bad bad)
- French threaded bottom bracket (pray that the original is in usable
condition)

I have everything worked out on this bike now. It works great, but I had a
lot of emotional capital invested in this bike.

However: I notice that Canada's biggest retailer: "Canadian Tire" is
selling a usable road bike: the Schwinn RD700, for 500 Canadian Pesos. This
bike has an alloy frame and Shimano Sora brake/shift levers. Every part of
this bike is better than the original setup of the Gitane.

 

[Jeff Starr]

On Sat, 19 Mar 2005 09:07:32 -0500, Shane Wolfe <[email protected]>
wrote:

>Greetings,
>
>A coworker had a older Puegeot road bike that he wanted to get rid of.
>I took him up on the offer.
>
>The bike is in almost original condition. Someone took off the orginal
>saddle and installed a crusier saddle (complete with springs) and MTB
>tires.
>
>The bike has the original bars, brakes, etc. I don't think it is a PX10
> because it doesn't have the Reynolds decal on the center down tube.
>It is probably a model right below a PX. The bike is light, so I'm
>thinking the tubing is still some sort of alloy. The brakes are Mafac.
> The gearing/bars/lugs/seatpost are all made by Simplex. The only
>thing I don't like about the bike is the gear shifters... I can get
>used to those though.
>
>Is this bike worth upgrading with newer brakes/gears/wheels? I've never
>owned a road bike, so I figured this Peugeot would be a good starting
>point. The first change out will be the saddle and the tires.
>
>Thanks!
>
>-Shane in Maryland

Hi, do the minimum, as mentioned the tires and saddle, then ride it.
Well, also change the brake pads, get some Kool Stop salmon. Then
only replace/acquire items that could be transfered to a different
bike[easily] like pedals, seat bag, computer, pump, and simple tools.

I have a French 10-speed that I bought new in 1976, I rode it for
about a year and put it away until 2001. I replaced the tubes, tires,
and saddle, then rode it all that year, putting over 700 miles on it.
I liked the way the bike fit, so I spent a bunch of money upgrading to
indexed shifting with 12 speeds, new drailleurs, etc. I then had the
crankset and headset replaced. After all that I had problems with the
headset and just wanting to ride, I bought a new 2002 LeMond Tourmalet
in '03 on closeout. There is no comparison, the LeMond has 27 speeds,
is lighter, and just superior in every way.

My point is, do the minimum and find out if you like road biking. If
you do, buy a new or almost new bike with all the modern day
equipment. Not to mention, buying new will allow you to get a properly
fit bike.


Life is Good!
Jeff

 

[Peter Cole]

Shane Wolfe wrote:
> Greetings,
>
> A coworker had a older Puegeot road bike that he wanted to get rid
of.
> I took him up on the offer.
>

> Is this bike worth upgrading with newer brakes/gears/wheels?

Most likely not. Price out the parts, then price out a new bike, you'll
probably be surprised at how expensive upgrading is. Most old frames,
even ones that were pretty good in their day, aren't great by today's
standards. That goes double for components.

By the time I've upgraded old bikes, including screwing around with
non-standard frame dimensions, it would have been much faster and more
economical just to buy a new frame & fork of middling quality.

 

[catzz66]

Jeff Starr wrote:
>
> My point is, do the minimum and find out if you like road biking. If
> you do, buy a new or almost new bike with all the modern day
> equipment. Not to mention, buying new will allow you to get a properly
> fit bike.
>
>
>

I agree. Unless you are just attached to your old bike, most likely you
can upgrade to a new or used modern bike pretty reasonably.

 

[Graham Steer]

I have a similar vintage Peugeot, a PKN routier 10 speed. To my surprise I
found my spare wheel set with an Ultegra rear hub with 9 speed cassette
dropped straight in. The down tube shifters and the Simplex front and rear
ders. get all 18 gears smoothly and effortlessly. This was the only upgrade
I did and the bike has given several thousand miles of trouble free service
as a training bike. The bike with its Reynolds 531 tubed frame gives a more
comfortable ride than my alloy/carbon race bike. I have never seen the need
or potential benefits of spending any more on the upgrade.

Graham.

"Shane Wolfe" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Greetings,
>
> A coworker had a older Puegeot road bike that he wanted to get rid of.
> I took him up on the offer.
>
> The bike is in almost original condition. Someone took off the orginal
> saddle and installed a crusier saddle (complete with springs) and MTB
> tires.
>
> The bike has the original bars, brakes, etc. I don't think it is a PX10
> because it doesn't have the Reynolds decal on the center down tube.
> It is probably a model right below a PX. The bike is light, so I'm
> thinking the tubing is still some sort of alloy. The brakes are Mafac.
> The gearing/bars/lugs/seatpost are all made by Simplex. The only
> thing I don't like about the bike is the gear shifters... I can get
> used to those though.
>
> Is this bike worth upgrading with newer brakes/gears/wheels? I've never
> owned a road bike, so I figured this Peugeot would be a good starting
> point. The first change out will be the saddle and the tires.
>
> Thanks!
>
> -Shane in Maryland

 

[Marcus Coles]

richard wrote:
> Is there chrome on the rear triangle? Is the derailleur attached
> directly to the drop-out through a forged hole, or is there a steel
> plate, held on by a small bolt and the QR, holding the derailleur?
>
> If there is chrome, and the drop-outs are forged Simplex (with a hole to
> hold the derailleur), it's probably a PX-10 minus the decal - worth
> keeping!
>
> The derailleurs have to go! (Provided, of course, they're plastic
> Simplex. Alloy Simplex, especially the front "LJ Super", were pretty
> nice at the time. The plastic Simplex were disposable items.) You will
> need to have a decent bike shop tap the drop-out as the Simplex were not
> threaded.
>

The plastic (Delrin) derailleur on a PX10 could well be a "Criterium"
model, which is collectable and may even pull a few yen on eBay.

These look similar to the basic "Prestige" model but have an aluminum
jockey wheel cage rather than steel.

Personally I think the plastic bodied rear derailleurs get a bad rap.
A lot of people who comment on them have never even tried them and just
comment from heresay or just the plastic = cheap thing.
IMO from their point in history they shift as well or better than many
metal derailleurs and judging from the number still on bike boom bikes
seem to actually last quite a while.


Marcus Coles

 

[Werehatrack]

On Sat, 19 Mar 2005 09:07:32 -0500, Shane Wolfe <[email protected]>
may have said:

>Is this bike worth upgrading with newer brakes/gears/wheels? I've never
>owned a road bike, so I figured this Peugeot would be a good starting
>point. The first change out will be the saddle and the tires.

The real bottom line, from my point of view, is this: Does the stuff
that's there do an acceptable job? If not, then will a decent used
bike with the desired characteristics cost less than the stuff that
you feel needs upgrading? Bear in mind that any good wheel will, for
the vast majority of riders, work very much the same as any other good
wheel; they're all round and provide a place to mount a tire. If
you're at the level of competitive performance that demands a certain
grade of goodies, then you already know what you need; if you're just
riding for fun and exercise, *ride* it; don't worry about what's there
as long as it works. If, as you ride the bike, you discover that some
things are annoying or troublesome, fix those first. I'm betting that
once you've got three or four hundred miles on the bike, the urge to
"upgrade" most of the stuff will evaporate. (Or maybe not, in which
case, hey, do whatever makes you happy.)

--
My email address is antispammed; pull WEEDS if replying via e-mail.
Typoes are not a bug, they're a feature.
Words processed in a facility that contains nuts.

 

[Peter Cole]

Werehatrack wrote:

> Bear in mind that any good wheel will, for
> the vast majority of riders, work very much the same as any other
good
> wheel; they're all round and provide a place to mount a tire.

There's the rub... they're not. Old wheels are usually the biggest
problem with old bikes. First you've got the rim issue: size? hook?
Then the freewheel/cassette: old/proprietary? 5/6 speed fw? Then
spokes: not stainless? corroded? nipples rounded?

It's hard to find old wheels that are reliable enough to take long
rides on, and if they need any work, that can be a mess. Once you've
invested in a new pair of wheels, you're halfway to a new bike.

 

[Werehatrack]

On 19 Mar 2005 13:08:02 -0800, "Peter Cole" <[email protected]>
may have said:

>
>Werehatrack wrote:
>
>> Bear in mind that any good wheel will, for
>> the vast majority of riders, work very much the same as any other
>good
>> wheel; they're all round and provide a place to mount a tire.
>
>There's the rub... they're not. Old wheels are usually the biggest
>problem with old bikes. First you've got the rim issue: size? hook?
>Then the freewheel/cassette: old/proprietary? 5/6 speed fw? Then
>spokes: not stainless? corroded? nipples rounded?
>
>It's hard to find old wheels that are reliable enough to take long
>rides on, and if they need any work, that can be a mess. Once you've
>invested in a new pair of wheels, you're halfway to a new bike.

The description, however, implied that the wheels are probably not in
shabby shape for what they were when new, and as such, would probably
work well enough to find out whether the best route is to fix up this
bike or keep prospecting. As others have mentioned, the older and
less desirable Peugeots had a tendency to have lots of French quirks,
making the upgrade process potentially more expensive than it's worth
by comparison to many other bikes. If this one's in near-ridable
shape, as was implied, I'd favor doing the least possible to it and
then putting some miles on it before dropping any cash on upgrades.
as you say, a new set of wheels can be half the price of a different
bike. (Particularly if you're like me, and never buy *new* bikes to
begin with.) (Well, *almost* never.)




--
My email address is antispammed; pull WEEDS if replying via e-mail.
Typoes are not a bug, they're a feature.
Words processed in a facility that contains nuts.

 

[Ryan Cousineau]

In article <[email protected]>,
Shane Wolfe <[email protected]> wrote:

> Greetings,
>
> A coworker had a older Puegeot road bike that he wanted to get rid of.
> I took him up on the offer.
>
> The bike is in almost original condition. Someone took off the orginal
> saddle and installed a crusier saddle (complete with springs) and MTB
> tires.
>
> The bike has the original bars, brakes, etc. I don't think it is a PX10
> because it doesn't have the Reynolds decal on the center down tube.
> It is probably a model right below a PX. The bike is light, so I'm
> thinking the tubing is still some sort of alloy. The brakes are Mafac.
> The gearing/bars/lugs/seatpost are all made by Simplex. The only
> thing I don't like about the bike is the gear shifters... I can get
> used to those though.

Alloy? To a cyclist's ears, that term usually implies an aluminum alloy.
I don't think any of the normal classic Peugots were aluminum, so I
assume you just mean that the lugged steel tubes were of some reasonably
quality construction rather than the "high-tensile steel" tubing that is
derisively referred to as "gaspipe."

> Is this bike worth upgrading with newer brakes/gears/wheels? I've never
> owned a road bike, so I figured this Peugeot would be a good starting
> point. The first change out will be the saddle and the tires.

How much do you love it? Hint: don't love it too much. Brakes are a
great, cheap upgrade. Tektro dual-pivots or one of Nashbar's two
house-brand brakes (Jail brakes or the long-reach version; both seem to
be rebadged Tektro parts) are cheap and cheerful. Wheels need only be
upgraded if they have steel rims, but if they do, it's probably cheaper
to just find an older road bike with aluminum rims. New aero-style brake
levers change the pivot point, too, which can make them surprisingly
better than the older designs. The price for good used aero levers is
rapidly approaching epsilon.

Gears are tricky. The friction shifters just work, and there's nothing
wrong with them. My first recommendation would be that if the freewheel
needs replacing, use one of the "new design" Shimano 7-speed freewheels
and an appropriate 7-speed chain.

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/mega7/

One amazing thing is that I have used hyperglide freewheels (such as
these) on a few friction-shift bikes, and the difference over the stock
5- or 6- speed freewheels is noticeable. The bike shifts faster and
smoother. I liken it to being 80% of the advantages of indexed shifting,
without needing to actually get indexed shifting.

If you have any interest in adding a nice bail-out gear to your bike,
the 11-34 is a great choice. Then you don't have to deface your pretty
bicycle with a nasty third ring up front.

The problem is that you can easily put $100 of parts into the bike,
which will add up to a bike worth about $100. On the upside, it will do
almost everything a modern low-end road bike will do, but with only a
slight weight penalty and at a fraction of the cost. It's a classic
80/20 proposition, where you get 80% of the benefit for 20% of the
investment. My only caution would be that fairly good road bikes are so
cheap that it's important to not invest in modern brakes and cogs into
some really terrible bike, like a steel-rimmed monstrosity or some
heavyweight gaspipe bike. The latter essentially cost the same as
genuinely good old bicycles (most commonly seen sporting mid-range
SunTour stuff like V-GT or BL or ARX), so you might as well get one of
them instead.

It's garage sale season,
--
Ryan Cousineau, [email protected] http://www.wiredcola.com
Verus de parvis; verus de magnis.

 

[David L. Johnson]

On Sat, 19 Mar 2005 09:07:32 -0500, Shane Wolfe wrote:

> The bike is in almost original condition. Someone took off the orginal
> saddle and installed a crusier saddle (complete with springs) and MTB
> tires.

You probably mean cross tires, since MTB tires require new rims, and the
brakes won't work.

> The bike has the original bars, brakes, etc. I don't think it is a PX10
> because it doesn't have the Reynolds decal on the center down tube.
> It is probably a model right below a PX. The bike is light, so I'm
> thinking the tubing is still some sort of alloy. The brakes are Mafac.
> The gearing/bars/lugs/seatpost are all made by Simplex. The only
> thing I don't like about the bike is the gear shifters... I can get
> used to those though.

If it isn't a PX-10 (UO-8, maybe?), it is not worth much. However, there
are collectors interested in such bikes, depending on age and condition.
The lack of the original saddle is not too much of a problem.

I personally would not sink money into this thing. Replacing the wheels
(rear spacing would have to be re-set), gearing, etc., would cost as much
as a new bike, which would be a better machine. Peugeot was never all
that great; the frames had a reputation of being flexy, and the
components are far worse than the cheapest Shimano.

If it works as is, consider whether the condition is good enough to
interest a collector. If not, use it as a beater bike. If so, try ebay,
but don't expect a bundle of money for it. Only PX-10s are really sought
after.

--

David L. Johnson

__o | And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all
_`\(,_ | mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so
(_)/ (_) | that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am
nothing. [1 Corinth. 13:2]

 

[Shane Wolfe]

Thank you for all the replies! Usefull information, for sure. The rear
triagle is not chrome, so the bike probably is not a PX-10. It meets
the description of a UO-8 though...

I'll switch out the seat and tires, and put on a set of Kool Stop pads.
I'll use the bike to get back into riding. Once I'm where I find that
this bike does not meet my needs, I'll replace it with something modern.

I didn't want to just jump in and buy a new bike. Riding this one for a
bit will give me a good idea of what I like and don't like.

Thanks again! All of the information here is great...

 

[David L. Johnson]

On Sat, 19 Mar 2005 14:58:02 -0800, Ryan Cousineau wrote:

> Alloy? To a cyclist's ears, that term usually implies an aluminum alloy.
> I don't think any of the normal classic Peugots were aluminum, so I
> assume you just mean that the lugged steel tubes were of some reasonably
> quality construction rather than the "high-tensile steel" tubing that is
> derisively referred to as "gaspipe."

Well, any decent steel used in a bike is also an alloy.

--

David L. Johnson

__o | A mathematician is a machine for turning coffee into theorems.
_`\(,_ | -- Paul Erdos
(_)/ (_) |

 

[41]

Shane Wolfe wrote:
> Thank you for all the replies! Usefull information, for sure. The
rear
> triagle is not chrome, so the bike probably is not a PX-10. It meets

> the description of a UO-8 though...

The PX-10 did not normally have a chrome rear triangle. The description
you gave did not identify it to any particular model.

It would be easy to tell what you have if you would:

-identify whether the rear derailleur was held on by a an extra metal
claw, or bolted directly through the dropout (the end of the frame)-
this alone would tell whether it is a high or low end model.

-identify the brand of the crankset, or at least whether or not the
arms are held on by cotter pins. This alone would be enough too, if it
is orginal.

-describe whether the rim walls are smooth aluminum, or are steel with
an engraved pattern.

-describe the paint job and decals.

 

[richard]

41 wrote:
> Shane Wolfe wrote:
>
>>Thank you for all the replies! Usefull information, for sure. The
>
> rear
>
>>triagle is not chrome, so the bike probably is not a PX-10. It meets
>
>
>>the description of a UO-8 though...

UO-8 (my first new bike) wasn't all that bad, as high-ten steel went.
>
>
> The PX-10 did not normally have a chrome rear triangle. The description
> you gave did not identify it to any particular model.

They did starting in the mid-70's (like my '76)
>
> -identify whether the rear derailleur was held on by a an extra metal
> claw, or bolted directly through the dropout (the end of the frame)-
> this alone would tell whether it is a high or low end model.

BIG clue! One more thing - the seat post was identified as "Simplex".
The U0-8's and lower tended to have no-name seatposts with a separate
set of clamps rather than the micro-adjust of the Simplex.


-identify the brand of the crankset, or at least whether or not the
> arms are held on by cotter pins. This alone would be enough too, if it
> is orginal.

Another big clue

 

[Shane Wolfe]

Pictures...

So I know it is NOT a PX10. The rims are steel and the crank uses cotters.

Could it be a UO8?


Pictures at....

http://homepage.mac.com/shanewolfe/PhotoAlbum17.html

 

[A Muzi]

Shane Wolfe wrote:
> Pictures...
> So I know it is NOT a PX10. The rims are steel and the crank uses cotters.
> Could it be a UO8?
> Pictures at....
> http://homepage.mac.com/shanewolfe/PhotoAlbum17.html

That's a 1970? 72? UO-8. I can't see the downtube decal.

There is a date stamp on the back side of the derailleur
cage midway between the rollers (Month/Year)

--
Andrew Muzi
www.yellowjersey.org
Open every day since 1 April, 1971