Classic & Vintage - Peugeot Grand Sport Question

Just bought a Peugeot "Grand Sport" 12 road bike during the holidays. It has a sticker with "103 Tube Special" Since then, I've fixed it up and is in now in good order.

I tried to Google the bike to find some info on it but with no luck. Could anyone give me some info on the history of the bike or anything at all.

Thanks in advance

Sounds like an eighties model. I'm unfamiliar with the "Grand Sport" model, and sometimes Peugeot would give the same name to two entirely different bikes (e.g. the "course" model). In other words, I don't know exactly.

Check your bottom bracket and see if there's a serial number there. I can help you decipher it or you can look here:

http://www.classicrendezvous.com/France/PX10_history.htm

This site is largely about higher end Peugeots, and the carbolite 103 tubing, a straight guage Peugeot propriatary product, is generally indicative of the lower end of the Peugeot line. However, there is helpfull info about reading a serial number there.

Here are some Peugeot catalogs, albeit not in English:

http://home.wanadoo.nl/peugeotshow/

Off the top of my head, I'm guessing you've got a mid-eighties bike, but this is purely, completely a guess. It'll be a good urban rider, much like my UO10, which is likely a similar bike, although earlier, I believe. Do you well in the fan and beyond. If none of these links give you any added info, I can look at the bike and probably narrow it down some as to date of manufacture by lugging (or lack thereof) and decal scheme.

Hey, thanks for the links. I looked on that PX-10 History page.

I have a 7 digit number with a UO8M under the number.

Yeah, I live on Broad St. and go to VCU. I ride though the fan to avoid busy Harrision St.

You've got a seventies UO8, probably post 1975 (if the cranks are cottered as opposed to cotterless, it's earlier). The carbolite 103 tubing indicates post 75, however. The UO8 is a very good utilitarian bike.

Buy a decent lock and lock it to real secure things when you're inside at school.

I ride down Meadow thru the fan on an almost daily basis.

Thanks man. I really appreciate it. Did you get that info off that page (PX10 History)?

Maybe I'll see you around. What are you riding? You a student here?

What exactly is cottered and cotterless?

My grasp of English fails me in describing the difference between the crank types. When in doubt, I'll let someone else explain:
http://www.sheldonbrown.com/gloss_cn-z.html#cotter
Once you see the difference, it's easy to understand. The sheldon brown site is a good one for bike arcana.

I dropped out of VCU in the eighties and teach classes at the Hand Workshop art center.

I ride all my bikes, although not at the same time. Right now, it's mostly the PX10E fixie and the PFN10E. If the weather gets nasty, it's the UO10 and the Surly.

well, I took some pics last night. Not the greatest since they were in my apt with barely any light.

http://www.marcobrien.net/bike/1.JPG
http://www.marcobrien.net/bike/2.JPG
http://www.marcobrien.net/bike/3.JPG
http://www.marcobrien.net/bike/4.JPG
http://www.marcobrien.net/bike/5.JPG

Also, my friend just told me he saw something online about the "Grand Sports" and he said that they made them from '77-'81 but they only made the Blue frames in '77 & '78.

You've got cottered cranks, BTW. The frame looks to be from the 76-80 period, by the lugging and frame stickers, though most UO8's I've seen from that period have lower end stronglight cotterless cranks.

Pretty bike. I'd get rid of the "gutripper" shifters on the stem, put on some down tube or bar end shifters instead. That's about it.

Thanks for all your help man. Yeah, from me searching the web last night and seeing all those pics of Peugeots through the years, I was suprised to find my shifters in a different location then any other shifters from those pics on those sites. Could that have been something the old owner changed/modified?

Thanks again for all your help. Ill see you around.

Peugeot changed the UO-8 from downtube shift levers to stem-mounted in 1973. Another good option for you would be barcons.

My black Peugeot has "Carbolite 103" tubing and a Stronglight (or cheap knockoff) cotterless crank that I built up for commuting. I think mine's from the early eighties. The bike is surprisingly light (23 lbs) despite it's six pound frame.