Classic & Vintage - 1952 Peugeot PH 8

Hey everyone,

I recently found what I believe to be a 1952 PH 8 at a local value village, and I had a few questions about it.
First of all...is this indeed a PH 8 from 1952? What is the frame made of, I cannot find a sticker like in the later 70's models like Tube Allege Peugeot/Carbolite 103/Reynolds or anything of the sorts.

The components are a mix of Suntour and Motobecane, which I don't get...I am guessing the motobecane compenents were put on later, doesn't seem like peugeot would use a competitors components. Does anyone know what the original components for a 1952 PH 8 were?

Also, the fork is all chrome, was it stripped? All the catalogue pictures I can find of the PH 8 show a painted fork.

And finally, the headbadge is a sticker that appears newish and is peeling off a little. Is this original? Thank you very much!

Pictures:

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y82/Alexskichambe/P1010240.jpg
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y82/Alexskichambe/P1010233.jpg
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y82/Alexskichambe/P1010234.jpg
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y82/Alexskichambe/P1010235.jpg
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y82/Alexskichambe/P1010238.jpg

Well,
the "52" is part of the serial number, I'd place it in the '79 or '80 era. For the U.S. Market it would have been a P8.


It would most likely have had a Carbolite 103 decal, and I believe the fork is a replacement.

Ok, that makes sense, I guess the 52 in the serial number is just a coincidence, but what I dont understand is that I cannot find a PH8 model in any of the catalogues for the 70s or 80s, only PH10 or PH12.

I believe you have an upgraded, '81 Era PH8, neat bike.


From Tom's "RetroPeugeot " page

http://mysite.verizon.net/imagelib/sitebuilder/misc/show_image.html?linkedwidth=actual&linkpath=http://mysite.verizon.net/vzerndgo/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/Peugeot_1981_USA_PH8.jpg&target=tlx_picyusd&title=PH8

Yours might have been built with a Cottered crank and upgraded later.


Check out,

http://www.retropeugeot.com/

And,

http://cyclespeugeot.com/index.html

Both are the work of forum members.

Wow, thanks for the great info. So...how do I tell if the crank has been upgraded? Also, any info on what the original components were?

Also - the bike doesnt actually have a headbadge, its just a decal that is starting to peal off...is this normal for a lower end bike?

For that time in the 80's the decal "head badge" was another way for Peugeot (a very practical company) to save $. The whole bike practically says "made for recreational cyclist". Absolutely nothing wrong with it, but it is neither a racing bike, nor is it particularly collectable. Perfect for just riding around. :)

Alex, I'm in agreement with what been posted so far but....

1. Where do you live? Location is very important for ID-ing Peugeots
2. What bike store was it purchsed at? Decal is below front derailleur.
3. There appears to be stamping next to the paper ID tag. Can you get a better picture of it?
3. What does the 'other' serial number say? Its stamped somewhere. check the rear dropout.
4. By 1983 that decal scheme was history
5. Date codes. There should be some on the center of the hubs and possibly the rims and stem
6. Peugeots didnt come with 'motobecane' cranksets
7. The fork...either its been stripped. look for paint traces under fork crown. Its been replaced as noted by Wes or its 'undocumented'. I've never seen a low end Peugeot with a full chrome fork but then again this is the second one I've seen. The front whell appears tp be original so it may not be a replacement.

At the moment there's a small gap in the Peugeot timeline. We, Tom Simmons and myself, are missing a 2 key catalogs from 1979 and 1980 or 1981. Some of the current catalogs arent dated so without the others its a guess as to what 1 or 2 of them may be.

I'll ad a 'date code' page today..

Jim

It is absolutely NOT a 1952 bicycle. I think that is obvious just by looking at it. I think it is from around 1980-1985. I have seen these with chrome forks, but it may be a replacement.

Alex, I'm in agreement with what been posted so far but....

1. Where do you live? Location is very important for ID-ing Peugeots
2. What bike store was it purchsed at? Decal is below front derailleur.
3. There appears to be stamping next to the paper ID tag. Can you get a better picture of it?
3. What does the 'other' serial number say? Its stamped somewhere. check the rear dropout.
4. By 1983 that decal scheme was history
5. Date codes. There should be some on the center of the hubs and possibly the rims and stem
6. Peugeots didnt come with 'motobecane' cranksets
7. The fork...either its been stripped. look for paint traces under fork crown. Its been replaced as noted by Wes or its 'undocumented'. I've never seen a low end Peugeot with a full chrome fork but then again this is the second one I've seen. The front whell appears tp be original so it may not be a replacement.

At the moment there's a small gap in the Peugeot timeline. We, Tom Simmons and myself, are missing a 2 key catalogs from 1979 and 1980 or 1981. Some of the current catalogs arent dated so without the others its a guess as to what 1 or 2 of them may be.

I'll ad a 'date code' page today..

Jim

1) I live in Seattle
2) Bike was purchased at: "The Bike Way" San Bernardino, California.
3) Not sure what stamping you are talking about, there is none next to the paper id tag
4) The serial number on the rear dropout is Y002 26149
5) I believe I found one date stamp on the rims:

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y82/Alexskichambe/P1010251.jpg


The Hubs are Normandy hubs with a '78' stamp.

So 1978 hubs and 1980 rims?

6)I checked the fork, didnt see any traces of paint under the crown whatsoever.

Thanks Jim,
Alex

Alex,

More than likely a 1980 model. I think Y002 is February of 1980 but that just a guess.

Jim

Does the CE in PH8CE mean anything? Maybe the upgraded fork? Or do you think this was upgraded at the shop or later?

Does the CE in PH8CE mean anything? Maybe the upgraded fork? Or do you think this was upgraded at the shop or later?

Because I've seen a couple of early 80's Peugeots that have chrome forks when they shouldnt I'm beginning to think it may have come that way from France. I wouldnt call it an upgrade because its the same old fork without paint. CE is probably/may be a paint code. I'm still working on that.

Jim