plonz 

You know the story... a co-worker tells me about a Peugeot road bike he's got in his trash bin. I tell him to bring it to work and I'll gladly buy him lunch for it, all the while thinking I'm going to get lucky like the rest of you guys who share these stories. PX10, PZ10, PSN10... I'm thinking anything with 10!

Well, what I got in exchange for a plate of enchiladas was a 1985 P6, complete with carbolite tubing, no RD hanger, stem shifters and turkey levers. 29.5lbs of pure low-end goodness. I feigned excitement knowing that he was pretty proud of this bike when he bought it and proceeded to bring it home with me.

After looking at it, I think I could clean it up pretty nice but it will need all the requisite consumables. Not to mention, at 29.5lbs this bike really isn't my thing. My inclination is to scavenge the usable hardware from it, give away the frameset and trash the rest.

Before I do this, figured I'd run it by you guys to make sure I'm on the right track with dismantling and trashing. WWBFD?

vinnyvincent

If the whole thing is "low end junk" why not give the whole thing away to someone in need of a bike who maybe can't afford one?

jetboy 

clean it up and stick a basket and a rack on it and use it to go on picnics and shopping - great because you can park it anywhere without worrying.

and if you dont like it, sell it cheap or give it away to someone who will use it as such.

vinnyvincent

Exactly just sell it for the price of the enchiladas or whatever. Maybe track five bucks on got your troubles and free yourself of the clutter while feeling like you did a good deed.

lasauge 

Another vote for fixing it up and then giving it away or selling it cheap - it may not be an appealing road bike for spirited riding, but there are plenty of people for whom getting a bike, any bike, would be a blessing.

Dave Cutter

The missing derailleur hanger is the killer. It's too heavy to make a good fixie (MHO). If you can find a new DR hanger... I'd put it back together and make some CL shopper the happy owner of a bicycle made in France.

jetboy 

depending upon where you live, you can do a single speed shopper. amazing amounts of people do not ever shift gears anyway.

Falcon3

+1 on single speed-
a $10 freewheel, a $10 redish, and a $2 chain master link and you're looking at a single speed you can sell to a college student for $150. or keep it and enjoy the simplicity of one gear with no derailleur monkey business.

CannedPakes

I'd be happy to have that low end bike, especially FOR FREE.

I've been watching craigslist, thrift stores, yard sales, and everything else for the past 2 years for at least one decent, reasonably priced road bike. I still haven't found one. People list Varsities for $400 here. Any non-garbage road bike under $200 gets snatched up instantly and resold.

How about you sell it at a decent price to someone like me rather than tearing it apart and trashing it.

Lascauxcaveman 

I'm really surprised it weighs that much. My (Carbolite) PH10LE was just under 25lbs. I guess there's Carbolite and then there's Carbolite.

I'd clean it up with $Zero input and give it away, or sell it cheap. $50 maybe 75 if I could get it looking fairly nice.

jetboy 

this is pretty much true of many places. I have also seen varsities for $400 around here as well. madness. I gave a varsity to one of my students as I was just happy to see it actually used.

bikemig 

That's a decent bike. Give it away to the bike co-op and they'll find a good home for it.

francophile 

I've seen worse. I paid $100 for a P8 of the same year recently, all shimano, and paint in about the same shape. FYI, fairly good paint match for that color blue is Testors 1176TT "Fluorescent Blue".

I'd go the SS route, I see them rehabbed SS on CL all the time for $150-$250. Once you get all the extra crap off them, you'll drop a few pounds off, and what you can get for the cleaned up parts on fleabay should net you enough to cover some of the rehab cost.

If you don't want to put the effort into building it up, please find and take the bike to your local bike co-op and donate it for a tax writeoff.

Fahrenheit531 

fify

francophile 

clubman 

Agree with the cool but he should still try to write off a plate of enchiladas just to make the tax guys crazy.

eschlwc

full overhaul. japanese pedals. regular brake levers. gum hoods. orange cotton tape. beautiful pics. sell for $320 (plus) in spring.

plonz 

Sorry for the misleading description. By no RD hanger I meant the RD uses a claw and that there is no hanger on the frame. From what I can tell, the bike is complete and could be rideable with new consumables.

clubman 

I think he meant that. What I want is a video of you riding it while trying to take a tall water bottle out of the cage.

brianinc-ville

Y'all can sneer all you like, but I love my '84 P-whatever (same paint job as plonz's, even, though mine does have a RD hanger). It's my tried-and-true all-around bike for commuting, shopping, hauling a cargo trailer, and touring. I've been riding this one, and an identical previous one that I totaled, pretty much continually since 1998. There's something about the combination of geometry (long top tube) and tube material that just clicks for me. The parts that came on it aren't great, but that frame is. Personally, I'd either A) put upright bars and fenders on it and use it for a city bike (maybe with a dynamo front hub, or even an internal-gear hub), or B) get it in good working order and sell it.

[with the original crankset:]



[with a triple crankset, dynamo hub, and trailer, touring around Lake Champlain:]

Fahrenheit531 

@brianinc-ville: Now that is getting the most out of a bike. Well played.

devinfan

I like low end junk, particularly if it's French. I think your bike would make a great fixed gear. Mine is lower end than that and it ended up very light with a tubular fixed wheelset. My every day rider this Winter.

jetboy 

this guy is living life proper

Darth Lefty 

I don't know anything in particular about this model but after enjoying the heck out of a 30+ lb Super Sport, I'm not going to tell anyone that a steamroller has a poor ride.

Dave Cutter

Well then... I'd make it pretty (scrubbed and polished) with new inexpensive consumables (chain/bell cable kit/tires?) and list it on CL come spring. But... that's just me.