Peugeot UO8
 

I am looking at a what I think is a Peugeot UO8, and I have found some inconsistencies. It looks as though it has been upgraded, with a different crankset, wheelset, and derailleurs. Is it actually a UO8?

What would your thoughts on this bike be? I have not had a french bike since the fourth grade and that one ended with a broken collarbone (hardly the bike's fault.)

I am looking for a bike to ride in the winter, and equip with fenders. Musts for this are: steel, downtube shifters, and rack/fender mounts.

I don't want a bike that will just be a pile of problems, and I have heard mixed opinions on peugeots.

Thanks a lot

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...g?t=1254785593

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...g?t=1254785748

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...g?t=1254785860

Actually, I think that is a BMX that has seen everything but the pedals upgraded.

j

Thats it!
Do you think I could piece a working bike out of everything but the pedals?

I have some touring pedals and steel clips that would go on ASAP, and a spare b17 as well.

Most definitely a UO-8, probably around 72-73. It already seems to have all the upgrades so you shouldn't need to worry about the dreaded "French parts availability" (looks like the only french stuff left is the headset and the brakes....).

Seems to me to be a great winter bike, and you might like it enough to ride it in the summer too.

Mark

Someone has upgraded the crank, derailleurs and pedals, all for the better. You don't have to worry about replacement French cotter pins and plastic derailleurs. I especially like how the BMX pedal color matches the bike, almost.

The saddle. I like the saddle.

You can compare it to this nearly original UO8, complete with components list:

http://backroom.hardsdisk.net/uo8.html

I just put this page up and it's not linked from my home page yet. You'll have to forgive that it's a rough draft but I thought it might be timely. I plan on getting back to it shortly.

I'd place it a bit newer, 1975-1976, as it does not have the pump pegs, has the square headbadge and the down tube decal with angled ends.

Just make sure that seat post is the right size. The UO8 used an odd sized post, so hopefully someone got the right size and did not put one on the wrong size.

The other upgrades are ones you typically would want to do, so the owner saved you a lot of headaches. Replace the stem (prone to failure), the handlebars with an alloy version, and some aero levers, and you should be ready to go.

Agree about the pump pegs (missed that!) but I thought by 76 it was a plastic headbadge.....

Mark

The '75-'76 models had pump mounts but folks routinely cut them off. They also had plastic headbadges. I concur that this frame is a '71-'74 model.

The thing I'd worry about is were the "upgrades" done properly or did somebody just put some worn out spare parts on this frame? I'd check the chainline and feel for roughness in the bearings. The wheels don't appear to be original, which might be a good thing if the rims are alloy and they're not bent. I'd replace the flexible plastic shifters which might be problematic if you want to use the original braze-on. However since this isn't a vintage restoration, you could cut it off.

The way the brake levers are mounted makes me wonder if the crank swap was done by someone that knows what he's doing.

Upgrades or no upgrades, I'd be all over that one! The thing about 60's and 70's Peugeots (apart from the great ride they all offer) is they were all finished in these amazing colours and this one's is not only gorgeous but pretty rare too - very special bike and all paintwork apparently in good condition; lovely! I'd lose the pedals and saddle though!

Joseph

Rare and UO8 are not words I use together. But this is a nice one.

+1 My 1975 UO8 (I bought it new in late 1975) had pump pegs and a plastic head badge, so I put this one prior to that period.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2674/...effb6f2812.jpg

Perhaps more rare than grains of sand on a Pacific beach but not much more.

I'd be curious to know if the Safety/Suicide levers came standard on your UO8. My wife's '75-'76 UO18C has them but my '73-'74 UO8 does not and has no provision for them.

The only catalog picture (Dutch) of a '75 UO8 I've seen, showed the bike without them but it may be a recycled image from a previous year.

It would be a nice piece of useless trivia to know for sure.

Probably a '74. In the US market I think the '73 and ealier used squared ends on the gold downtube decals while '74 and later used those angled ends like this bike has and '74 and later UO-8s had the plastic riveted head badge like wrk101's bike shown above. It should pump pegs either way so maybe somebody removed them.

As I recall, I had the shop swap brake levers to get turkey levers. Back then, turkey levers were considered an upgrade (at least to me at that time, moving "up" from a Schwinn Continental that got stolen).

That stem is not prone to failure. It's a Pivo, not an AVA.

I like the crank and derailleurs on the bike. I love the color. You are really going to enjoy this bike.

My advice:

Move the brake levers to where they belong. Run a straightedge along the bottom of the drops. The tips of the levers should reach that straightedge or overreach it slightly. Then rotate the bar down just a tad.

Tape the handlebars.

Change the pedals to something better. I happen to be in love with these pedals, since you can use an SPD-equipped shoe or a regular shoe. Or get toe clips or Power Grips.

I think I see you now have alloy rims. Excellent. And some nice tires!

The bike will definitely accept fenders and a rack.

It's the making of a very nice all-purpose bike.

Definitely U08. Get it. Ride it. Enjoy it.

I have probably 30-50,000 miles on Mimi, my '69 U08. Still have the original plastic Simplex rear derailuer. Some mods to pedals, 7-speed freewheel, and especially wheels, have been good upgrades.

Nice ride, even if she is a bit pudgy. She's always ready for some fun.

TysonB

I know, I may not have been clear enough; I meant to say it's pretty rare in this particular colour. They made these bikes in a lot of colours, but this purple's got to be the least common by far.

And while UO8's are definitely not rare, when will you be able to get a UO8 in that color again? Grab it!

You're quite lucky that the crank and wheels have already been upgraded properly.

Wheelset looks like an upgrade, as well. Frankly, everything on this bike looks properly redone.

Seat post shouldn't be a problem. It should be a 25.4 at this age, IIRC. It's the later carbolite framed bikes that have the 24.0 post. The post on the pictured bike is not original.

The only problem area for replacements is the headset, and the HS on these old uo8s, while not absolutely indestructible, are as close as bike components have ever come to that unlikely goal.

They're great urban commuter/beaters, when properly redone-- as this one looks to be.

The downtube decal with angled ends overlapped with the tall rectangular headtube decal for ~2 years from '75-'76. There's nothing on the OP's bike to indicate its any newer than 1974.

1974-ish sounds about right.

Well, it's nice to see that at least one other person agrees with me.