Skipjack2001

Hi all,

I figured I'd consolidate my Peugeot project here instead of posting all over the place...

Backstory: I rode this bike all over the place back in the '80s when I was in highschool/college. It's been on quite a few organized rides across Wisconsin, Iowa, Kansas, and Nebraska. Then... I got a job and started working for a living.. and the bike got pushed to the back of the garage. It's spent a good 20 years being moved around the garage and providing a home for spiders.

Fast Forward: In the past few years, I've taken up road biking again and, even though I have a new aluminum Trek roadie to ride, I'd like to bring the ol' steel frame Peugeot out of retirement and use it as a commuter/touring bike.

Here's a pic of it last Summer:



I haven't got much done in the past 7 months other than to disassemble it and clean the frame.. what can I say? I'm a professional procrastinator!

I did manage to clean and repack the bottom bracket this past weekend. It took a lot of scrubbing to get the sprockets clean. But, I've got some weird tarnish on the aluminum that I can't seem to get off. Perhaps a gentle sanding will do the trick:




I'm not above updating components.. so I'm not sure how permanent this crankset will be anyway. If I do update, I'd like to stay with the original aluminum/silver look of the components, but it seems black is in style these days... at least for my price range.

Things I know I need to replace:


Wheelset - Current rims are pretty banged up and rusty...looking at THESE

Brake levers - the "suicide levers" have got to go.

Shift levers - Not a fan of the stem mount... plus they're pretty worn... bar-end? DT? I've become spoiled by my integrated shifters on my Trek.. but to incorporate a set on here would involve updating the whole drivetrain (wouldn't it?)... then we start getting into the realm of "what the hell am I spending all this money on this old bike for?!?" Retroshift levers seem like a pretty happy medium.. but they're kind of pricey.


So, that's where I'm at. I'll try to post more pictures... I'm bad at taking them as I usually just start tinkering as I'm walking past my bike stand on my way to the laundry room.

Lascauxcaveman 

Does your bike have 700c or 27" rims? A Peugeot of that vintage could have either one. It can make a difference, as some brake calipers set up for the latter don't reach down far enough to brake the former.

You might want to consider getting some bar-end shifters (barcons). You've got the shift cable brazeons to run them on there already. Just about any old brake levers will work on this bike, though it's be nice to get something that more or less matches the age of the rest of the bike.

Try some Mothers metal polish on those chainrings, that might get the old varnish off them.

Skipjack2001

Thanks Lascauxcaveman, I've been leaning toward the 700c since that's the size of every other bike in my garage.

Yeah, I was thinking about bar-end shifters... I've never used them.. but I do like the look of them.

I'm also wondering if THUMB SHIFTERS would be possible... the front is a friction shifter for a 2 or 3 ring, the rear is a 7 speed indexed... My stays are measuring 124mm.. and I'm wondering if I could squeeze a 7 speed freewheel in there... and then whether my derailleur would be able to reach all cogs.

John E

You will need to spread the rear triangle a few mm -- not a big deal.
You can try thumbies if you like, but I recommend barcons.

Skipjack2001

Well... I've ditched the idea of thumb shifters... however, I've discovered that 7x2 bar-end shifters are a rare animal.

Grand Bois

Eight speed Ultegra bar end shifters will work fine and are not rare.

SkyDog75

7x2 indexed barcons may by rare, but you could use friction shifters. Suntour friction bar end shifters are really nice and good used ones can be found at reasonable prices. I just picked up a set on eBay for $25.

I bet a Scotch-Brite pad and Bar Keepers Friend would clean up your tarnished chainrings. Give it a shot before scratching them up with sandpaper.

As for the Weinmann LP18 wheels from Niagara Cycle, I bought a set of those for my own Peugeot, although I stuck with 27" instead of 700c. (Basically because they were cheaper at the time.). They've been good, but if I had to do it again, I'd spend just a few dollars more and get wheels built with Sun CR18 rims instead. The Sun CR18's are a bit wider and can comfortably take 28 mm tires or even bigger, which can be handy on a touring bike. The LP18's practical max is about 28 mm.

Skipjack2001

So, I was going To pull the old freewheel off the Hub... But I see it's an old Maillard.

I was just going to remove it and clean it up... for posterity... Or to make a paperweight out of it... or maybe a windchime.

However, the tool to remove it costs more than the freewheel. Is there any other way to remove these?

Skipjack2001

Worked like a charm:

SkyDog75

Looks good!

Jimsl78

if you don't care about saving it, remove the lock ring with a pin punch and take the freewheel mechanism apart, all the ball bearings and possibly the pawls will fall out but once you get the outer shell off, you should be able grab it with a pipe wrench or put it in a vise and turn it off. check this link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WsVL1XqZve8

Paramount1973 

You can buy a pair of bar end pods from Rivendell, also Shimano indexing spacers, and source 6 or 7 speed indexed 105 or Exage down tube shifters from Ebay to make a set of 6 or 7 speed indexed bar end shifters.

Skipjack2001

Just had to get the red dust caps...