Classic & Vintage - Another mystery Peugeot

I bought this green Peugeot for $40 and was thinking of using it as a street beater. I did a google search and discovered this amazing forum. I've already learned alot from reading the posts and I did see the site with all the Peogeot brochures. The bike I have seems to my untrained eye to resemble the green bike in the 1969 ad with the number P8E. Is that what this is and can anyone tell me more specifics? Apologies if I offend classic purists but I've been thinking of changing the handle bars to a straight mtb bar and perhaps removing the rear trap but after reading some of the posts, it seems like it may be a sacrilege to those who love their classics. The bike feels pretty heavy. Oh, there are numbers stamped on the rear reading 341074 (attached image may be too blurry).

Not a bad street-beater. Seems like you got a fair deal. This one isn't a museum piece, plus it's yours, so don't worry about making it suit your needs. Looks like you need new tires, have to adjust the derailleur(s), and if you weren't going to change the handle bars anyway - fix the brake handles.

If you want to defray some of your costs, you could pick up some used Dia Compe or Weinmann brakes and sell off those Mafacs.

Early 70s based on chainguard and saf-T brake levers. Prob. a U08. I'd keep the Mafac brakes - personal choice but it might be hard to get pads and parts - and replace the wheels w/ new alloy rims. I'd go with upright bars, too, myself. Those fenders are nice, someone wants them...A lot of people turn these bikes into fixies and single speeds. Looks like the bike needs new rubber and a good overhaul, too. Good luck!

Based on the fittings for the rack, generator and cable harness, it's a UE8.

Welcome! I have a 1977 Peugeot UO-10, bought new. I turned mine into a "bike with the kids bike". I replaced the drop bars with straight, and changed the brake levers to ones that fit a straight bar, but otherwise it's original.
You don't have to replace anything, except for tires and brake pads.
You'll want to get the widest tire you can, I've used 27" x 1 3/8" and that made a nice ride. A standard brake pad works fine.
I can't recommend replacing much else, it doesn't make fiscal sense. Your bike is fine just the way it is, it will give you years of trouble-free riding.

It will make a nice beater. I would have placed it a bit later based on color and decal (around 1973), but a six digit number suggests 60's. I've not seen many UEs in the metal; it's brother the UO is more common. You might check the underside of the bottom bracket shell and see if another number is there; they are usually on a metal plate.

My advice is to keep it overhauled. Cared for, it may run forever. Do what you feel is necessary to make it a comfortable rider for you. If that means switching the bars out, do so. But be warned: the French bars on this bike are a slightly different diameter than today's bars, so you may run into difficulties. You may want to read this for a primer on working on old French bikes:

http://sheldonbrown.com/velos.html

It is likely the bike has steel rims. If you are making it a rider, switch them out for alloy-- you will notice a marked increase in braking power. You might also consider changing the cottered crank to a cotterless. This will ease over haul.

I would also stick the brake levers on the right way.

An aside: applecart's UO-10 is very similar to your bike, but came with a Stronglight cotterless crank and alloy rims. Basically, the UO10 is a slightly gussied up UO/UE8.

I would also stick the brake levers on the right way..


Why would some one find this an applicable braking set up? (If i hit something, Im sure to stop?) lmao

Why would some one find this an applicable braking set up? (If i hit something, Im sure to stop?) lmao

The bars were probably rotated back 90 degrees at one time, so that the rider gets a more upright riding position. Then the lever position makes sense. It's a horrible way to ghettofy a classic bicycle. I've seen, and heard the squealing of a dead chain/bottom bracket, this sort of handlebar/brake setup all over various inner cities. Occasionally a bike will show up on e-bay with that "ultra-rare" setup and a reserve of $200, which blows my mind.

Nice bike. I have a thing for fenders.

Lose the 'death stem' when you swap out the bars :)

Lose the 'death stem' when you swap out the bars :)

Ok..I have been able to keep up with a lot of slang items but death stem??? Can some enlighten me on this one.

Thanks :o

Ok..I have been able to keep up with a lot of slang items but death stem??? Can some enlighten me on this one.

Thanks :o


Its a popular, albiet somewhat dramatic refrence to the AVA bars and stems of the 1970's that seemed to come on every french import bike for some reason. They're flimsy and has a notorious habit of breaking, even when new.

They're designed that way -- so in a collision it breaks away instead of impaling your little friend. :D

They're designed that way -- so in a collision it breaks away instead of impaling your little friend. :D


oh ok, I get it: Its designed kind of like an airbag.

...except an airbag dosn't leave jagged pieces of metal behind...

:eek:

It will make a nice beater. I would have placed it a bit later based on color and decal (around 1973), but a six digit number suggests 60's. I've not seen many UEs in the metal; it's brother the UO is more common. You might check the underside of the bottom bracket shell and see if another number is there; they are usually on a metal plate.

My advice is to keep it overhauled. Cared for, it may run forever. Do what you feel is necessary to make it a comfortable rider for you. If that means switching the bars out, do so. But be warned: the French bars on this bike are a slightly different diameter than today's bars, so you may run into difficulties. You may want to read this for a primer on working on old French bikes:

http://sheldonbrown.com/velos.html

It is likely the bike has steel rims. If you are making it a rider, switch them out for alloy-- you will notice a marked increase in braking power. You might also consider changing the cottered crank to a cotterless. This will ease over haul.



What is a cottered or cotterless crank?

Thanks everyone for all the great information and suggestions. This forum is exactly what I need to get into bike culture.

PS My house is right on the bike route in Vancouver.
:D

Converting to the original steel components to aluminum will shave about 8 lbs from the bike.
Enjoy

oh ok, I get it: Its designed kind of like an airbag.

...except an airbag dosn't leave jagged pieces of metal behind...

:eek:

Well, this is French engineering we're talking about...

What is a cottered or cotterless crank?


There's something that looks like a bolt that goes through the crank arms that serves to hold them on. This style would be "cottered". There are other cranksets that are more integrated, and do not require this pin-and-bolt arrangement. That style is called "cotterless". There is a nearly universal correlation between inexpensive, heavy and cottered. If you have a cottered crankset, it is almost certainly heavy and inexpensive. Cotterless, doesn't guarantee any such correlation either positively or negatively.

Well, this is French engineering we're talking about...

Expostulating on such vagueries as French Engineering on your Birthday? :bday: You must have started celebrating already. :beer:

Its a popular, albiet somewhat dramatic refrence to the AVA bars and stems of the 1970's that seemed to come on every french import bike for some reason. They're flimsy and has a notorious habit of breaking, even when new.

Actually, given that aluminum has no endurance/fatigue limit, one could argue that all vintage stems, handlebars, seatposts, cranksets and brakests that are made from alumumin should be replaced for safety reasons.



Converting to the original steel components to aluminum will shave about 8 lbs from the bike.

Actually, that's what the UO10 was all about, replacing all the steel components with aluminum. It probably actually saved only about 3-4 lbs. Even the advertised difference between a Peugeot UO8 and the PX10 with tubulars and Reynolds 531 butted tubing, was only 7 lbs.




What is a cottered or cotterless crank?

Cottered cranks are held on the spindle (axle) using a cotter pin. This is a pin with a tapered flat on one side and a theaded stud on one end. It fits into a hole that is drilled through the crankarm at right angles to, and intersecting with, the spindle hole. The flat on the pin mates with a flat milled on the spindle. Once driven into the hole, the pin wedges intself between the spindle and crankarm, and is retained with a nut. This holds the crankarm onto the spindle. All cottered cranks are steel, with the notable exception of one SR model.

Cotterless cranks cranks have a spindle with a stud or threaded holes on the ends. The crankarms slip onto the spindle and are held in place with a nut or bolt. Most vintage, cotterless spindles have tapered, square ends. The crankarms have a mating taper and tightening the bolt drives the crankarm onto the soindle taper, wedging it in place. Modern cotterless spindles may have splined ends. In general, if the crankarm is made from aluminum, it is cotterless. However, the opposite is not true. There are many inexpensive, steel, cotterless cranksets.

I had a UO8 from the same era - same green color. Love the aluminum pump - broke mine hitting a dog!

Doesn't have the little black Mafac tool kit with it, does it?

I hated my Peugeot cottered cranks. The cotters never fit right and either I was pounding them out with a drift punch, or filing new ones down to fit. :(

Doesn't have the little black Mafac tool kit with it, does it?[/QUOTE]


Nope, no toolkit.

I took it to My Community Bikes today, a cooperative in Vancouver...really cool place where people can work on their bikes using the tools they have and/or get help for a reasonable price.
I got the short straight handlebars I was thinking about as well as new brakes, cables, housing, front innertube, a used front tire still in good shape as well as use of their equipment and knowledge for $47CAN, about $36US. Getting closer to the goal. I had to hold on to the AVA stem because none of the ones they had in stock would fit. Hope I don't end up regretting it.

wow! a simplex rear derailleur!
kinda looks like an el-cheapo peugeot though. those are kinda dime a dozen, esp around university campuses. the reason i say el-cheapo is bc the rear dropouts look like they're just stamped out of sheetmetal, and the brakes have those ridiculous lever extensions, which won't stop your bike when you really need it to. my suggestion would be to redo all your brake and shifting cables, and while you're doing that, if you decide to keep the drop bars take off those brake lever extensions and if you need to brake from the top of the bar position install a set of those tektro interruptor levers that use the same cable as the drop bar levers; or you might also want to put a flat bar with mountain bike brake levers too.

aloha,
matt

Given the age of the bike, the suicide levers may be a later add on. I'd ditch them too; suicide levers are the additional brake levers that lie horizonatally. I believe this bike has down tube shifters, and Peugeot introduced suicide levers at about the same time as gutripper shifters, thus combining two of the finer innovations of the bike boom in one sterling package. Cottered and cotterless photos follow. The cotterless crank is the second. Look at the bolt in the first photo that attatches the crank to the bottom bracket spindle. That's the cotter. They are, in my experience, easiest to remove and install with the proper tool, other methods tend towards inexact, IME.