Classic & Vintage - peugeot desirability phenomenon

I read here a while ago that "you could sell a turd on craigslist as long as it had a Peugeot or SCHWINN (major obsession with SCHWINN must use caps,forgive me) label on it.Case in point has been proven since there have been no responses to an add for a Kabuki in better shape than a Pegwit which recieved hits in the first day of posting.I don't think the two inch taller frame on the Kabuki has anything to do with it.Just the stylish decals and notoriety on the Pegwit.

I work at a small bike shop that specializes in 50-late 70's road bikes and on a daily bases we have customers turn down far superior bikes for a relatively mediocre peugoet's. It constantly amazes me and the owner--

I have been contemplating scribbling peugoet over the varsity label on some schwinn and see if it makes the bike sell quicker

Its easy...people buy what they want. What you may consider to be a 'better' bike another may not. For instance, I wouldnt get near that Kabuki, in my opinion, the Peugeots a better bike.

ctavel..if you want to make money sell customers what they want versus what you want them to buy.

French bikes don't scare me.

I say bring them on !! ;)

Peugeots and Schwinns generally run about double their worth on the Chicago CL, IMHO. Make 'em a single speed, and they go for quadruple their worth. For that matter, most bike boom road bikes are going for about double what they would have two years ago. Ultimately, a product sells for exactly its worth and we just have trouble keeping up with the values, I suppose.

The more riders out there, the better, regardless of what they're riding. However, I predict a dire shortage of derailers in about two years, when the ss/fg popularity declines and people start looking to convert them back to geared bikes.

Alright, I've gone far enough off topic.

Peugeot is a venerable marque with a solid racing history. There is also the nostalgia factor, since so many of us baby boomers rode affordable Peugeot UO-8s during our college years. In the early 1970s, if one had only about $115 or so to spend on a new bike, the Peugeot UO-8 was arguably one of the best and most common options out there, with a 5 kilo weight advantage over a Varsinental. For the budget-conscious racer, a $260 PX-10 was a great choice; the frame's light weight and resilient ride, the Brooks Pro saddle, and the Stronglight crankset made up for the short-lived (but nice-looking) Normandy Luxe Competition hubs and the vague Simplex derailleurs.

... However, I predict a dire shortage of derailers in about two years, when the ss/fg popularity declines and people start looking to convert them back to geared bikes. ...

I concur that the whole fixed gear / single speed fad will pass soon enough, but I suspect many of those bikes will receive multispeed epicyclic hubs, rather than derailleurs.

Peugeots and Schwinns generally run about double their worth on the Chicago CL, a product sells for exactly its worth.

me confused

I work at a small bike shop that specializes in 50-late 70's road bikes and on a daily bases we have customers turn down far superior bikes for a relatively mediocre peugoet's. It constantly amazes me and the owner--

I have been contemplating scribbling peugoet over the varsity label on some schwinn and see if it makes the bike sell quicker

Dude! Where's your Decatur shop?

All right, we've heard the Peugeot story. Now tell me why I've been successful in selling Huffys on Cragislist!

-Kurt

Kurt,
That might be the fault of My Generation, a lot of us late 20's early 30's guys came up in the 80's and early 90's riding crap pile Huffy's (Not me though, I had a Peugeot! )

so that means I could probably get a few hundred for my Peugeot PS 28 ?

Kurt,
That might be the fault of My Generation, a lot of us late 20's early 30's guys came up in the 80's and early 90's riding crap pile Huffy's

Guilty.

I started out with a Huffy BMX bike that I used to try to imitate the freestyle moves at the beginning of the movie 'Rad.'

Then I graduated to a Huffy 10-speed which is still hanging in my parent's garage. (Uh..so how much money are you getting for these, Kurt?)

Funny thing is, I seem to remember that, amongst my peers, Huffies were considered the "good bikes" while Murrays were the cheap, crappy ones. In reality both brands were probably made in the same factory in Taiwan.

I'm riding my '69 U08 100 miles Saturday in Wichita Falls, Hotter 'n Hell 100. My wife got the bike second hand while a freshman in college and we've had it ever since. I started doing tri's on her in 1980 or so and never gave it back. (That has costs me in more ways than the bike is actually worth!!!!:eek:)

"Mimi" is an honest ride, comfortable (even with 700 x 23's at 120 psi), fast on the flats and downhills, and twitchy as hell to ride. I like her a lot.

Tyson

Funny thing is, I seem to remember that, amongst my peers, Huffies were considered the "good bikes" while Murrays were the cheap, crappy ones. In reality both brands were probably made in the same factory in Taiwan.

yep, I remember thinking that as well.

Guilty.

I started out with a Huffy BMX bike that I used to try to imitate the freestyle moves at the beginning of the movie 'Rad.'

Then I graduated to a Huffy 10-speed which is still hanging in my parent's garage. (Uh..so how much money are you getting for these, Kurt?)


I'm even guiltier. My first machine was a Kent (ducks for tomatoes!)

Well, the last Huffy I sold was a Windsprint. Cheap-o 10 speed model w/special seat post binder. Went for $85 as a hot-rodded and modified upright-bar commuter.

-Kurt

I read here a while ago that "you could sell a turd on craigslist as long as it had a Peugeot or SCHWINN (major obsession with SCHWINN must use caps,forgive me) label on it.Case in point has been proven since there have been no responses to an add for a Kabuki in better shape than a Pegwit which recieved hits in the first day of posting.I don't think the two inch taller frame on the Kabuki has anything to do with it.Just the stylish decals and notoriety on the Pegwit.

Honestly, I haven't noticed that Peugeot's are demanding more than average around here. But the Schwinn desirablity is true enough. I've also noticed that anything that's older with a Raleigh emblem is very popular bringing higher than expected dollars.

I recently started a similar thread: http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=329105

I provide bicycles for my son's friends to use - young teen boys of all ages come and go. They can choose from a large group of bicycles of all types and brands. Their choices are revealing because they do not have brand identity like some of us older riders have who longed for these bicycles as youths.

The very most popular is the Schwinn Le Tour. In fact, the boys are always on the look-out for LeTours at garage sales and in their own garages.

The second choice are the Peugeot bicycles. They say that the Peugeot has a smooth reliable ride. Something about the Frenchies has the boys yelling as they charge toward the door en route to adventures at the mall, "I get the Peugeot!"

So I think that there is more to the demand mystique of the Peugeot than just nostalgia by middle-aged bicyclists.

I provide bicycles for my son's friends to use - young teen boys of all ages come and go. They can choose from a large group of bicycles of all types and brands. Their choices are revealing because they do not have brand identity like some of us older riders have who longed for these bicycles as youths.

The very most popular is the Schwinn Le Tour. In fact, the boys are always on the look-out for LeTours at garage sales and in their own garages.

The second choice are the Peugeot bicycles. They say that the Peugeot has a smooth reliable ride. Something about the Frenchies has the boys yelling as they charge toward the door en route to adventures at the mall, "I get the Peugeot!"

So I think that there is more to the demand mystique of the Peugeot than just nostalgia by middle-aged bicyclists.

Interesting "experiment." Middle-aged guys like me originally were attracted to these bikes for the same reasons as these youngsters (above). Also, Schwinn, Raleigh and Peugeot made some attractive bikes.

I'm riding my '69 U08 100 miles Saturday in Wichita Falls, Hotter 'n Hell 100. My wife got the bike second hand while a freshman in college and we've had it ever since. I started doing tri's on her in 1980 or so and never gave it back. (That has costs me in more ways than the bike is actually worth!!!!:eek:)

"Mimi" is an honest ride, comfortable (even with 700 x 23's at 120 psi), fast on the flats and downhills, and twitchy as hell to ride. I like her a lot.

Tyson

Bravo! My story is similar, in the sense that I bought a bare 1970 UO-8 frame at the end of 1973 and built it up for my wife, with Normandy Luxe Competition hubs, Araya aluminum rims, TA Professional crankset, SunTour rear derailleur, Shimano Titlist front derailleur, and UO-18 style flat handlebars. Since she now rides mostly on trails and paths on mountain bikes, I converted the UO-8 a few years ago into my commuter, with drop bars, barcons, toeclips, and a much tighter range of gear ratios. Mine has aftermarket forks with a shorter rake than the OEM units, which makes for quicker steering, albeit with a bit of toe-to-tire overlap. For long distance rides, this thing is almost as comfortable as my Capo, which has Reynolds 531 instead of plain carbon steel, but a similar geometry, with long stays and 72-degree parallel angles.

Hey, I saw a mixte frame with no derailleur hanger and said, "Wow! What a cool fixie project that would be" and dropped the hammer on it pronto. Doesn't high tensile steel seem so much more romantic when it's in French? (Haute Limite Elastique)

For a funny read about the Iseran mixte, go HERE (http://www.suchthat.com/archive/000026.php)


Anyways, here are the Before pictures of "Operation Death Trap"

http://gallery.mac.com/bbattle/100013/100_0229/web.jpg
http://gallery.mac.com/bbattle/100013/100_0230/web.jpg
http://gallery.mac.com/bbattle/100013/100_0231/web.jpg
http://gallery.mac.com/bbattle/100013/100_0232/web.jpg
http://gallery.mac.com/bbattle/100013/100_0233/web.jpg

My peugeot mixte was stolen before I ever got it home. I was also going to build it up as a "fixte".

Whoa! Check this out! Rare Peugeot frame.

"This is a UNIQUE Peugeot MIXTE frame. As you can see in the photo, Mixte frames have two cross bars that extend to the rear wheel. This unique shape makes for a sturdier frame. I haven't seen another like it and I have been told they are relatively rare."

http://i24.ebayimg.com/02/i/000/af/44/9625_1.JPG


http://cgi.ebay.com/UNIQUE-Peugeot-MIXTE-frame-in-EXCELLENT-CONDITION_W0QQitemZ250157810183QQihZ015QQcategoryZ98084QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

And now,in the center ring the Mc Peugeot!It is a 73 breeze frame that was painted crappily now..c'est magnifique! Eh deucement!:eek:

Operation "Death Trap" progresses. check http://gallery.mac.com/bbattle#100013

The aptly named Death Trap frame is getting a different fork on account of a suspicious bulge in the steerer of the original. It's all chrome.