old bike identification
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old bike identification
found this old bike in the barn and wanted to know what kind it was. there are a few things that are recognizable (pictures of all). it has plates instead of bars to mount the rear brake and kickstand. it has no spot for a nameplate on the front, but there appears to be one on each side of the fork. the rear brake cable goes through the top tube (inside). i have photos of the lugs as well. on a lot of the bikes I have seen, the top of the rear triangle (by the seat post) is flat at an angle, but on this bike it dents in. there is also a serial number on the underside of the bottom bracket that appears to be 503.474440
(internal brake cable)
(lugs)
(top of rear triangle)
(serial number on bottom bracket)
(kickstand mounting plate)
(brake mounting plate)
(rivets on fork where there appears to have been a nameplate)
(internal brake cable)
(lugs)
(top of rear triangle)
(serial number on bottom bracket)
(kickstand mounting plate)
(brake mounting plate)
(rivets on fork where there appears to have been a nameplate)
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Puch? That's what the indents at the top of the seatstays remind me of.
The rivets on the fork might have held reflectors.
The rivets on the fork might have held reflectors.
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[EDIT: the bike itself is HUGE the crank arms alone are 171 mm]
Last edited by taanneth; 12-30-12 at 04:45 PM. Reason: new information
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I have seen those stay tops before, but can't find any pictures of them, at the moment. Also...
The bicycle is entry level, at best, probably made in Japan and sports a bent (damaged) top and down tube. If you plan on building or buying this bike, chances are you will regret it.
The bicycle is entry level, at best, probably made in Japan and sports a bent (damaged) top and down tube. If you plan on building or buying this bike, chances are you will regret it.
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"98% of the bikes I buy are projects".
"98% of the bikes I buy are projects".
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You may be right about the derailleurs being changed. The frame is pretty well bent in the front from a collision.
It looks a japanese bike to me. The plate mounted brake is usually not a good sign but your components are pretty decent. The brakes may have been upgraded also as the stem bolt is usually not exposed on bikes with brake lever extensions. Does the stem have a name on it? Any print or tag on the underside of the saddle? (grab a flashlight)
The water bottle cage is a nice French TA unit. Don't lose that.
It looks a japanese bike to me. The plate mounted brake is usually not a good sign but your components are pretty decent. The brakes may have been upgraded also as the stem bolt is usually not exposed on bikes with brake lever extensions. Does the stem have a name on it? Any print or tag on the underside of the saddle? (grab a flashlight)
The water bottle cage is a nice French TA unit. Don't lose that.
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the water bottle cage was added by me, taken off an old peugeot. I am not planning on building it or buying it. I am aware of the bend as well. the stem is a french AVA. the underside of the seat says "MOLDED BY MATEX" and
"TAIHEI UNITE"
"MATERIAL NYLON"
"JAPAN"
the seat also looks to have had a red sticker that's been taken off.
"TAIHEI UNITE"
"MATERIAL NYLON"
"JAPAN"
the seat also looks to have had a red sticker that's been taken off.
Last edited by taanneth; 12-30-12 at 04:33 PM.
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Boom era, upper entry components. The Weinmann brakeset in conjunction with the SunTour derailleurs and Sugino crankset suggest a USA origin (at least for assembly), unless some are non-original. The frame does appear to be of a Puch origin and overdressed, so I wonder if this may have started out as a Sears Free Spirit model.
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Just be aware that you may run into a lot of compatibility issues if it's an older Peugeot with French threading and metric sized tubing. Things such as bottom bracket threading, front derailleur clamp size, shifter clamp size, stem diameter, post diameter, etc.
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it seems to be a newer peugeot, late 70's so that shouldn't be an issue
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It's a Puch Bergmeister. Most components have been changed, but I recognize the lugs, fork, seat stay ends and rear brake cable routing. Mine was purchased new by my parents in 1960 from John's in Pasadena, CA.