Classic & Vintage - Peugeot made him smile

Last week the Salt Lake City Arts Festival was going on downtown so my girlfriend and I decided to ride our bikes to the event. She was on her smooth Astro Daimler and I was on my Peugeot PG10. We rolled into the lot and wheeled up to the bike rack through the crowds of people. As I was walking my bike along a guy stopped me with a huge grin on his face. He said, "Wow, that Peugeot is awesome! I used to have that exact same bike years ago. I'm glad to see they are still around and people still ride them." It made my night to see someone as happy as I am for older bicycles. This Peugeot is about as old as me and I plan on keeping it going as long as I can. Do any of you get stopped by people who once rode the bikes you still cherish?

My homebuilt recumbent always turns heads......
Also I was given an old peugeot mixte that my wife rides
She has been complimented on it.

In Oceanside waiting for the start of the 2006 Race Across America, someone yelled, "A Capo ... sweet!" It gets fewer looks and compliments than I would expect, presumably because folks around here are so heavily into expensive new bikes.

Some of the folks at work recall riding Peugeot UO-8s similar to mine (but much more stock).

I ride classics because I like them, irrespective of whether they get noticed, but it is fun to have and ride an unusual bike. I took my first ride with the local YMCA's new Master Fit group, and the Capo and I had no trouble keeping up with all of the new gear.

Whilst riding an old cheap Apollo road bike down the street - someone yelled to me 'get a real bike'

I always get lots of compliments on my vintage bikes, especially when I'm in Berkeley. There seem to be a lot of people that appreciate them in that town. I was riding my yellow '59 Carlton at the Berkeley Marina today. I'd say it's a chick magnet, but my wife might read this.

Occasionally, yes.

I was on a ride and stopped at Cabrillo National Monument and some lady from England wanted to check out my chrome Paramount.

Every once in a while I run into someone on a vintage bike while I am out riding. Not nearly often enough, though.

I started commuting to work part way by bike, part way by train a few years ago. I was using my 90's Specialized "Rock Hopper" at the time. For whatever reason, (probably a temporary mechanical issue with the Specialized) I began riding my 80's Peugeot roadbike instead. I'd hardly touched that bike in 10 years and it hadn't gotten all that much use, - ever.

After a couple of weeks, a lady at the train station complimented me on it and wondered if I'd be willing to sell it. Her husband loved old Peugeots. I was suprised. Why would anyone care about an old and not particularly special bike?

So that night I checked ebay to see if they're were any similar bikes being auctioned and I was suprised to find that people were getting well over $100 for these things. I had figured my outdated Peugeot was pretty much yard sale fare. Little did I know that there were people who gave a crap about old bikes!

I contemplated selling it but my wife talked me out of it.

In the last two years I've probably ridden it much more than the previous 17 years I'ved owned it. The LBS has complimented me on it, and my wife has gotten several compliments when she's ridden it. The fact that I've taken good care of it and hadn't really used it much means that it's in great shape. It's a beautiful perl white and it even still has the original handle bar tape !

For some reason though, during the winter my poor Specialized with its grime covered and salt eaten drive train gets more compliments. I think it might be the studded tires or the black fenders. Maybe it's just a way for people to start a conversation. They'll say "nice bike" instead of "WTF you doing riding in weather like this?"

Anyway, I myself have a new appreciation for old bikes and I see them (at least the frames) everywhere. My wife now has a 70's Peugeot which is also in good shape. I actually like that bike more than my own, - it's truly a vintage machine, where as mine sort of straddles the line between vintage and modern.

My Trek 728 will occasionally get a compliment at the local yard sales - particularly when I start loading up my purchases onto both front and rear pannier racks.

Take care,

-Kurt