Peugeot UO-18C Mixte: Lots Of Questions

[ColonelJLloyd]

Ah, I got you. I wasn't reading very carefully (late night flight last night, early breakfast for my son's 3rd-grade class this morning). I agree the Constructeur rack or something along those lines would be good. I actually have a fitting made by Weinmann that fits in those vertically drilled bridges and allows you to mount a standard brake. I suppose you could use it to mount a rack with one of those brake-bridge brackets if you had to. That would look nicer than P-clamps, but probably not ideal.

Neal

I'd like to see that piece. I'll probably spring for the Constructeur. She wouldn't know any difference, but she's been good to me. Nothing but the best for moms! I can see her showing it off to anyone who'll listen. "Thanks! My son built it for me. It's from France."

[dck]

[QUOTE=Grand Bois;12792559]I believe the the seatpost size without the shim is 25.4 mm. That's what I'm using on my PA10 and it's the same tubing. It's a snug fit. There's no way a 25.6 will go in.QUOTE]

GB,

You sure?

I measured the seatpost on my PA-10 at 25.8 mm. I'm pretty sure it's a '73 vintage.

When I get home I'll measure it again. Better yet, I'll try and jamb it onto a UO-8 and see if it works.

[Grand Bois]

Mine's a '74 and the post is marked 25.4 and the ears are not pinched. Maybe yours was honed. The only thing I have that takes a 25.8 is a Bridgestone Submariner.

[markk900]

Colonel: if those photos are of your real frame there is no shim in it.....the shim looks like this:



and that photo certainly hasn't got one!

[jimmuller]

....the shim looks like this:

That's what I remember. It isn't very long which means that there isn't much contact between the post and the ST.

[Grand Bois]

I read on this site that the reason for the shim is that there is a welded seam on the inside of the tube that interferes with the seatpost. The split in the shim is where the seam goes. I don't know if it's true, I've never owned one of those. All someone would have to do to prove or disprove it is stick a finger down the tube.

[ColonelJLloyd]

Ah. I see, Mark. No, this seat tube doesn't look like that. There is no seam within the first four inches of the seat tube. The crude caliper method measures ~21.5mm. So, a 22.0mm straight post is what I need, yes?





Thanks for the help, all! This bike is going to be sweet. An NOS French chain guard is en route.

[stronglight]

"... on the seatpost diameter, I thought it was the case that some Peugeot tubing is seamed and that the shim allows you to clear those seams. That's at least the case on my PHX-50. See any seams down there in the seat tube?"

Neal

I'm with Neal on this one. They definitely used seamed tubing and adding a shim was likely an easy way to avoid a lot of careful reaming and cleaning of the seat tube interiors. But, on the Mixte bikes it was not the seams which present problems for finding nicer seatposts today.

The "normal" diameter of many mid-range Peugeots of the 1980s (the Carbolite tubed ones with the pinched tubing and a thick welded binder ring around the top of the seat tube) was 24.0mm. All such Peugeots I've seen came with crude looking straight posts and steel saddle clamps. Some more expensive models came with more fancy looking alloy straight posts with fluting... but again, still with the removable steel saddle clamps.

That is what you see here on my P-18c Mixte from 1985:

For some earlier (as in pre-1980s) Peugeot bikes of a similar range level there is both good and bad news...

The nicer bikes of this level during the 1970s often used shims. And, for what it's worth, the tubing was less aggressively seamed on the inside than on later bikes I've seen. The "Men's" bikes had standard seat lugs to support the tops of the seat tubes. This meant they were not pinched at the tops of the tubes (as on the Mixte above) and that means they can more easily be reamed smooth.

Here is an example of one of my bikes of this type:

This bike came to me in near perfect condition and with all original components. This included a factory installed removable steel shim (around 1.9 mm.) and steel straight post which measures 23.95 mm. (= 24 mm.) in diameter. The inner diameter of this seat tube measures around 25.6 mm. So, if I were to clean up the inside of the seat tube, I could certainly use a 25.4 or a 25.6 mm seatpost. And the 25.4 size would be fairly easy to find in a decent vintage or modern micro-adjustable model. [Yeah, I really need take the time to do this...]

Back to the original question... Unfortunately... even the earlier Mixte versions did have pinch-toped seat tubes. This was probably considered a necessary expedient to allow welding on a very thick external binder ring by which to adequately brace the otherwise unsupported seat tube tops. Like the later Carbolite bikes, these would be the ones which would only accept much narrower seatposts. I would suspect the 1960s-70s bike (without a shim) would also take a 24.0 seatpost. A 22.2 mm post was a commonly available BMX/freestyle/cruiser style straight post. So, with a suitable shim these were often used... back in the day... (especially if someone wanted one with a shiny chrome or gold finish). That unavoidably narrow diameter would be the big problem if hoping to fit a more modern style seatpost to the original poster's UO-18c. The only option I can imagine would be to buy an available 25.4 mm. modern post (such as the nice Kalloy post from Velo-Orange) and then pay a machine shop to mill down the outer diameter on a lathe.

Regarding the rear rack...

The last photo above shows a later version of the proprietary Peugeot rear rack which ColonelJLloyd is seeking. In place of a spring loaded clamp they used a bungee cord laced through two loops in a simple chromed steel wire bracket which then hooks onto the rear of the rack and lifts off to release it. The forward ends of the cord are just crimped into L-shaped metal end pieces. These are attached with the same bolts which fasten the rack to the stays and so this additional feature of the rack is easy to remove. I had replaced the stretched-out original old cord on my bike [c'mon, the bike was sitting in storage for 30 years] with a virtually identical looking length of cord which I bought at a local REI Outfitters store.

[badmother]

.... I had replaced the stretched-out original old cord on my bike [c'mon, the bike was sitting in storage for 30 years] with a virtually identical looking length of cord which I bought at a local REI Outfitters store.

I`d like to know how to "undo" that crimping. Have had lots of them on my hand and has got a beautiful Moto mixte on my hands now w rack attached to the fenders to make a wery sturdy construction.

[Italuminium]

I fixed up one exactly like this for my sister, it's a perfect fit for her. Hers has porteur bars though. The only embarassing thing is she nearly outsprinted me on our first ride together

[Lenton58]

This is going to be a great bike! What size do you think it comes out to in terms of a diamond frame?

For once I'd love to see someone put a 700c tubular wheel-set on one of these. Go full out sports!

And as a request for posterity (and a selfish, personal dream) ... is there anyway you can put the frame set on the level and shoot a pic dead side on? It would be great to have all the geometry and angles preserved in case interested parties wanna get a custom frame built up. It's been on my wish-list for some time.

[ColonelJLloyd]

This is going to be a great bike! What size do you think it comes out to in terms of a diamond frame?

For once I'd love to see someone put a 700c tubular wheel-set on one of these. Go full out sports!

And as a request for posterity (and a selfish, personal dream) ... is there anyway you can put the frame set on the level and shoot a pic dead side on? It would be great to have all the geometry and angles preserved in case interested parties wanna get a custom frame built up. It's been on my wish-list for some time.

Lenton, hope things are on the up for you. Still thinking about you and yours.

If a diamond frame, it'd be a 53cm ST and 56cm TT. I'll have all sorts of pics as the build progresses. I'll try and snap a good horizontal pic with it in the stand this weekend and post it. Tubulars for my non-cyclist mom? Here's how that's gonna go down. First flat: call from my Dad (they live 3.5 hours away in a decidedly non cycling community). "What the hell kind of tires did you put on your mother's bike? A patch kit? Glue? I've got better things to do, son."

I should be able to fit 700c x 35mm tires and fenders. These Soma Xpress Terra Cotta tires are sharp!



Italuminum, I'm just looking for a big "woo hoo!" as she bombs down a hill.

Stronglight, my wife has a 1985 P18C. Carbolite 103. Indeed, a 24.0mm aluminum alloy fluted post with a clamp on top. I'm no longer looking for that rack as this bike does not have the corresponding braze on tabs. I'll probably order the VO Constructeur. I admire your bikes and really appreciate all of your Flickr captions.

This particular mixte I'm building up for my mom would seem to take a 22.0mm straight post.

Thanks again everyone!

[Sixty Fiver]

Looks like it will be a beautiful bike and decals appear to be 74-ish... much prefer the rack without the trap and have one fitted to my lady's UE19 Supersport without the bungee / clip and also use this rack on several of my other vintage rides as they are so elegant and nicely built.

You can run a fairly large 700c and even with 27's these bikes have abundant fender clearance.

And they do ride beautifully.

[Daveyates]

Sorry but i couldn't find a rack but message me your address and i'll send you the Peugeot bell.

[ColonelJLloyd]

I finally got around to finishing this build for my mom. A few things changed from my original ideas. It's sporting Nitto Dove bars, PDW "Bourbon" grips, VO Touring pedals and a sharp looking Stronglight 93. I broke my own aesthetic guideline of no single chainrings smaller than 44t, but it was necessary to give my mom more appropriate gearing for her area. It's a 42t chainring with a 21t cog. I put the Soma terra cotta tires on my dad's bike (which is off white) and didn't want this bike to look too similar so I went with 35mm Pasela TGs. I also decided to install Tektro dual pivot brakes as they're just so much better than centerpulls. I like centerpulls fine, but there's a lot of hills around my parents' house and I feel better putting my mom on a bike with this setup.

The Spanninga Micro FF isn't working. I'll come up with a replacement for her soon. It would be nice to find a proper-sized chrome or aluminum pump for the pegs.

In talking with my mom we decided fenders and racks weren't really necessary, but will be easy to add if she finds she might put them to use. I'm delivering the bike to her this evening; she's excited.

Thanks so much to Daveyates for the classy Peugeot bell. It's perfect!

[lostarchitect]

Great looking bike. I'm sure your mom will love it.

[wrk101]

+1 Fantastic work! That's the first time I have seen a modern dual pivot on the rear in place of the center pull. That looks like a nice upgrade (I have two Peugeot mixtes in the project queue right now, working on the 1974, got the 1985 to do later..)

[ColonelJLloyd]

Thanks, guys!

Bill, they look a bit out of place, but this build was never to be a restore and the functional improvement of the dual pivot calipers was worth any loss of style points. This bike feels great. Were it 10cm bigger I might have one!

[gaucho777]

Well done. If I were building a bike for my mom, in terms of brake selection, I'd sacrifice safety for style, too. But this bike is plenty stylish as it is. And very clean, too! I think it's really cool that you've given both your folks such beautiful and functional bikes. (I have a hard time just getting my mom to walk around the block. I have a vague recollection that my mom owned a bike when I was very young, but I don't think I've ever seen her riding one.)

[noglider]

Oh man, another of the colonel's masterpieces. For some reason, I couldn't load these images until today.

[photogravity]

That project turned out looking great and I'm sure it rides as good as it looks. Should you decide to add mudguards, if you keep the 35-700 tires, you'll find that it will necessitate going to a smaller tire for clearance sake. On my PX-8, I was unable to even put the tires on the bike without deflating them first and then upon inflation, the clearances were too tight. Of course, if this bike originally came with 27" wheels instead of 700c, it might be a different story but I doubt it.

What kind of brake levers did you use for the build? They don't look familiar and I can't read any of the text.

[LeicaLad]

A very fine build. We'll be waiting for a ride report from your Mom!

Thanks for the update.

I especially liked your opening post when you show this image:

I thought "Oh, how nice. That looks just like my Mom's old bike." Then I realized that WAS my Mom's old bike.!

Thanks for the memory tug. At 86, she decided it was time to sell it. I placed it in good hands.

[kiwigem]

What a great build, and a really neat example of making it what you need it to be while keeping the original spirit. Your mom must love it.

[bikemig]

This is one seriously cool looking bike. I worked in a bike shop in the 80s that sold mainly Peugeots and Treks. I worked on a lot of bikes like this and owned a few myself. They rode great. This retrofit (I really like the stronglight 93 crank btw, that's a nice touch on the bike) has me thinking I may need to pick one up for my daughter who wants a "new" commuter.

[ColonelJLloyd]

Aw, thanks so much for the kind words, everyone! My mom loves her bike! She is so stoked. Mom grew up so poor she never really had the typical bicycle experiences most of us did as children. It's like all that bike joy was pent up for 54 years. She found it really comfortable and it fits her well. I'm happy.

Mom, dad and I rode for nearly two hours yesterday. It was great.

That project turned out looking great and I'm sure it rides as good as it looks. Should you decide to add mudguards, if you keep the 35-700 tires, you'll find that it will necessitate going to a smaller tire for clearance sake. On my PX-8, I was unable to even put the tires on the bike without deflating them first and then upon inflation, the clearances were too tight. Of course, if this bike originally came with 27" wheels instead of 700c, it might be a different story but I doubt it.

What kind of brake levers did you use for the build? They don't look familiar and I can't read any of the text.

While toe overlap might be an issue, this frame has gobs of clearance should we add fenders. Some bending of the fender at the chainstays might be necessary, but it wouldn't be bad.

The levers, Dallas, are Tektro FL750 levers purchased from Velo Orange about a year ago.

I thought "Oh, how nice. That looks just like my Mom's old bike." Then I realized that WAS my Mom's old bike.!

Thanks for the memory tug. At 86, she decided it was time to sell it. I placed it in good hands.

Ha! That's pretty funny.