Classic & Vintage - Rebuilding Peugeot UO8 - fully fendered

Well here it is, my 3 day weekend nightmare all-weather beater project.

As previously noted, the fork was questionable, so after yanking it off, found "Made in Japan" "Tange Industries". Okay so not original and probably cheap, but it is super light weight and very strong, quite better than todays standards, I guess Sheldon was correct about "today's frames and forks not being better than yester-years bikes". Why do I say this? This bike with this fork was left outside for 18 years in the rain and goo, surface rust all over cleaned up rather nicely, guess Japan and France makes some kick-ass stuff.

The fork works just fine and amazes me that someone found an exact size replacement to fit the frame.

Replaced the Suntour GT rear Derailer with a Shimano 600 off my old Bianchi racer, which is just too tall for me anyway...

I replaced the beaten BB with the one out of the Bianchi, see... Italian bikes are good for something. In all fairness, I wished the Bianchi was my size, because it is such a lightweight and stiff steel frame.

The aluminum fenders and lights came from another later year wrecked Peugeot, which I bought for $5.00, hope the rider was okay, since the bottom tube was bent upwards. I have not installed the dynamo as I dont have the clamp for it. The rest of the parts were trash.

Am contemplating rebuilding the original large-hub Normandys (which has steel rims) with fresh alloys.
OR rebuilding large-hub Sunshine with Araya rims and using those as well.
Presently it is using the Chair wheels from the Bianchi which some of the spokes are stripped.
Dont know what to do here yet.

Looks good so far. Keep on keepin' on!

Thanks Takara14

what do you recommend with the wheels situation, the ones on there now will need relacing and I rather do that to the large-hubbed wheels I have laying around.

Also, as this is hardly a collectable, being that most everything on it has been replaced, except the MAFACS and Simplex shifters(which are quirky), would repainting it be over the top?

Also, I have an old set of Randonneur handlebars, should they be put on this bike?

As far as the wheels and the handlebars go, I think the answers are - it depends.

I'm relatively certain that the Normandy hubs are ok, but nothing really special. Sunshine made quite a range of hubs, so it's hard to say if there would be a big difference in how they work. Maybe if you repack both sets, adjust them and see if one seems to spin much better than the other... Other than that the remaining consideration would be cosmetics.

As for the handlebars - how much will you be riding? What distances? What are you most comfortable with?

As for painting - a repaint wouldn't be "over the top" necessarily - depends on what you do I suppose. Fluorescent pink and neon green would probably be a regrettable choice. I think it looks quite attractive the way it is, but it is your bike.

That's a very handsome looking old bike. Unless the paint has a lot of defects, I'd leave it as it.

Do dump the steel rims. I've had good luck with Normandy hubs -- not the slickest, but certainly bulletproof.

BBQ,

I'll echo Cruentus on the paint. It looks handsome as is. I spiffed up a UO-8 a year ago. The paint was a bit worn but some elbow grease and turtle wax had it looking great from six feeet away. There's a picture of it floating around the server here, somewhere.

I was never crazy about the nylon Simplex shift levers. Years ago I put a set of Suntour levers on my cousin's Raleigh Grand Prix and they really made the Prestige rear shift nicely. New levers on a Peugeot can be problematical because of the unusual mounting arrangement but getting rid of those flexy plastic units will be a big improvement.

Bill

Yes, I like the paint scheme on this too. Wasn't thinking of changing the color, only it looks good from 6 feet away as it has lots of surface rust here and there, but the French paint held up to years of weather.

I dont like the Simplex shifters as the rear derailer is confused all the time and the shifter seems to slowly slip. I have the Campys from the old Bianchi I can try to put on there or the set of NOS Suntours I was saving for some unknown future project. I dont know how to get around the wierd mount point, maybe I will grind it off, this bike isn't ever going to be orginal again, at least as long as I own it.

This evening, I picked up an old rusty Schwinn Super Sport from the early 80's and had never seen one before, picking it up was surprising light.
So I had to weigh it and it roughly weighs 24 lbs.
It has all Shimano 600 components and hubs and one Mavic rear rim, plus 3TTT stem and drop bars. My only complaint is, it's too tall for me by 1.5", but I bought it anyway.

I never weighed any of my bikes, so I got to work.

The Peugeot with the fenders, rack and lights weighs approx. 30lbs. Not too bad for an entry level so old.

The SR Alpine Sport weighs 29lbs, so I dont understand how it could weigh so much, but it could be attributed to the funky large leather/plastic seat, the huge SR Custom cranks and the goo-inside tire tubes. This bike is perfect for my size.

I don't think grinding off the mounting point is going to solve anything. It sounds like what you need is another model of rear derailleur that shifts better than what you have on there now, and that is designed to hook over the axle bolt. SunTour and Shimano both have made numerous models that fit this description and which would no doubt be an improvement. If you have an LBS nearby that's been in business for over 20 years, try stopping in and tell them you're looking for a used, but salvageable rear derailleur. If that doesn't work, put out an appeal on the forum. Someone's bound to have one that would work. I might even have an old SunTour, but I'd have to go outside and check. (It's kind of dark right now) :D

I'm surprised your SR weighs that much. Must be a lt of weight in the wheels, cranks, pedals, and possibly in the stem and/or seat post. If youwant to make it lighter, I bet you could knock 3-4 pounds off it without too much trouble.

I'm making it my policy to not comment on Schwinns. :) Plenty of others here who will.

Hey there USAZorro

Not so sure it's the derailleur, I switched out the old Suntour GT for the newer all aluminum Shimano 600, practically unused from a Bianchi. Believe the Italian cassette on the rear Chair hub could be the problem. Nothing matches on this bike, the front derailler is the Suntour Sprint. I should try to relace the Sunshine hub with a Shimano cassette installed.
Trial and error. I'm also racing against time as the weather is getting colder and we are expecting rain, since I cant afford to make the oil execs wealthier, $150/week for gasoline is taking much needed money from my baby son, shame on those people.

As for the Schwinn, I have nothing but bad memories of smirky elitist kids driving up on their overated heavy bicycles and trying to beat me down, somewhat reminiscent of teenagers stealing your parking spot in their overated heavy Camaros. Wow, glad the late 70's and early 80's are over. I primarily bought this bike for the Shimano parts thinking it would work to lighten the SR, but being that this newest Schwinn type is so light-weighted, I have no idea if I am butchering a good bike, even though its very badly rusted.

I commute on a UO-8 with an aftermarket (probably Japanese) fork, Sugino aluminum cranks, SunTour rear derailleur and barcons, Shimano Titlist front derailleur, Rigida aluminum rim, and aluminum road quill pedals. Mine is pretty beat up by now, but the Peugeot decals and pinstriping of our era do constitute a classy, classic look.

I originally bought the bare frame for my wife in late 1973, and I had originally assumed it was a 1972 or 1973 model because I had not seen any older UO-8s or AO-8s in red. However, I think my rivet-plate serial number, 0010458, may indicate an earlier vintage, so it may have been sitting around in the distributor's warehouse for a few years before I bought it. (Although there was ALOT of demand for complete new UO-8s, there was not much call for the few bare frames which had been imported, presumably for warranty or crash repair work.)

The UO-8 frame is surprisingly light and nimble for a plain carbon steel entry level "10-speed," and I have avoided the typical UO-8 bicycle's primary problems by custom building mine with aluminum cranks, pedals, and rims and Japanese derailleurs. Because I have a Japanese fork with a shorter rake than the stock slow-steering French fork, I have tighter, improved handling coupled with the small liability of a bit of toe-to-wheel overlap, which is noticeable only at very low speeds. I am sure the CPSC would be alarmed and would want to protect me from myself by replacing my fork!

I ride an old UO8 regularly as well. Like John E., I've done away with the cottered crank, replacing it and the BB cups as well with Sakae cranks and french threaded cups. I've kept the original fork. The geometry is a bit more upright (shorter top tube) than my PXs from the same period, and I find it makes a comfortable urban beater. I did away with the original wheels; I'm running a combo of Sunshine hubs and Rigida alloy rims. The sunshine hubs are fine; Sunshine did make one hubset, the pro-am, which is a very very nice Campy record knock off.

My UO is a fixed gear at present, and will likely stay that way. I find it a very comfortable frame with a surprisingly lively ride for a low end bike boom frame.

I think your bike may be the touring version of the UO8, which was either the UE8 or the UO18, I have trouble keeping the designations straight.

Good to know people still ride the Peugeots, I think they are underrated bikes.

Like John E., The cranks are vintage stylish Sugino MAXY 171mm, an unusual lenght, though some teeth are showing wear, but they still function.

I got this bike around 19 years ago and neglected it as I worked abroad. Was recent that I took interest in it and realized how light the frame was. The only real problem is I can't mount a kickstand as the left side bottom rail was somewhat crushed from having a loose-fitting kickstand, I guess the previous owners must have sat on it while it was on its stand.

This French carbon bike is more resistant to salt air than the Schwinn SS I picked up last night, that Sxhwinn is flaking rust, not a good sign, I may strip the SS and use the parts for the SR I have. I can make the SR my touring/road fair-weather bike.

The front cable hanger needs replacement or rechroming as it is super rusty, but was thinking if I leave some rust on the bike, perhaps it wont get stolen at the supermarket.

I am super lucky with the BB as the Italian BB fit perfectly and I reused the original French BB bearing cups, but with the new Italian bearings.

I am thinking I will relace the Sunshine hubs, since it has either the Suntour or Shimano cassette. I think the Italian cassette is giving me problems.

The stem is an SR Forged, which was on there when the bike was given to me, the handlebars are sakae aluminum, very light. However I have a Nitto tall stem with a shorter reach to bring in the bars so to have a more comfortable ride... I am not getting any younger...

I will be keeping a look out for baskets for the bike and perhaps a child trailer, though I cant trust the streets around here, kids drive their SUV's and lifted trucks at blazingly fast speeds terrorizing the neighbors nightly, in fact we have posted speed signs and "Watch for Children" signs to no avail. Not even having cops as neighbors on the same street helps any.

I tried to post last night to ask what shape your chain is in. Your shifting problem might be that simple. Also the lever slipping problem sounds like the screw at the lever pivot is in need of a little bit of tightening. That, or you're missing a friction plate inside the mechanism.

Good luck,

You may be right, It could be the chain, its borrowed from the Bianchi donor and I vaguely remember it was having some problem as well. Thanks for pointing that out.

So...anyone have experience with those cheap Bell chains they sell at *Marts?

I recommend the SRAM PC-58 chain. If your chain has elongated by more than 1/2 percent (24 half-links exceed 12-1/16"), you need a new chain.

The Simplex friction shifters are VERY simple devices, so lever slippage or "automatic shifting" is almost definitely attributable to a loose wingnut.

On the subject of rebuilding a UO8... I'll take this opportunity to post a couple of pics of my wife's UO8 commuter bike. I bought just the frame for $15 and man it is clean. No scratches or dings. Not much original for a UO8... Mafac Racers and Simplex levers. The only reason I kept the levers was because of the single-side shifter boss that gets in the way of an upgrade.

On the subject of rebuilding a UO8... I'll take this opportunity to post a couple of pics of my wife's UO8 commuter bike. I bought just the frame for $15 and man it is clean. No scratches or dings. Not much original for a UO8... Mafac Racers and Simplex levers. The only reason I kept the levers was because of the single-side shifter boss that gets in the way of an upgrade.


That is a really nice find, like the purplish-blue color, where did you get the fenders and the panniers? Not that I would be getting them, I will eventually be looking for some baskets.


I'm still tinkering with my bike. I saw one exactly like mine but in better condition(frame-wise) on ebay.
I am about to install a NITTO stem that will shrink in the reach and allow for a taller adjustment to have a little more comfort as I realized that I will probably be carrying a load and don't want my back suffering from being bent forward.

I'm also looking for a Mavic MA40 rim 32hole for an SR I am rebuilding as well, my touring bike with drop bars (this will be my torture machine).

Will post more pictures when I am done with the PUG.

Thanks for sharing.

Noah, Very nice, but you're supposed to show the lovely Mrs. Noah (or is it Mrs. Scape) riding the bike, wearing a colorful blouse, skirt and head scarf, with cheese, carrots and baguettes in the basket. :)

thanks Noah for sharing, where did you get those panniers, they look fantastic?

Noah, Very nice, but you're supposed to show the lovely Mrs. Noah (or is it Mrs. Scape) riding the bike, wearing a colorful blouse, skirt and head scarf, with cheese, carrots and baguettes in the basket. :)

Zorro, my wife's name is Ineeta and she is much too fast on this bike to be caught on camera.

Interesting. My wife's name is Nenita (it rhymes), and she's got too many excuses to be roped into learning how to ride the little canary-yellow Vista we bought for her learn on. Consequently, no pix of her on bike either.

thanks Noah for sharing, where did you get those panniers, they look fantastic?


The panniers came off a moped. They are a little heavy but have fantastic stiffeners in them and are very easy to get in and out of.

Also, I have an old set of Randonneur handlebars, should they be put on this bike?

I vote for the handlebars shown in the photos. Sorry if I missed a description elsewhere in the thread, but I'd like to know more about them.

I vote for the handlebars shown in the photos. Sorry if I missed a description elsewhere in the thread, but I'd like to know more about them.

Dont know much about the handlebars on the bike, they were given to me 18 years ago. They are aluminum risers mated to a vintage SR stem with the SR logo in an oval, very rare. I had decided to keep them on the bike.

Found some info, but am not sure, but on a seven digit number meaning it was built in the seventies, the first digit is supposedly the year.

Stamped on the dropout is "11 9 03 20", could this be 1971 January?