I recently found and bought a 57cm Peugeot PH11.

The guy I bought it from was the original owner; his wife bought the bike for him, new, in Luxembourg in 1985. He never got used to the road bike style, and gave up riding it soon after. It sat in his garage for 22yrs until he put new tires on it and tried again 3 years ago, still to no avail. He figures the bike has less than 50 miles on it.

He finally put it up on ebay, where I found it.

Everything is original (besides the tires and lost-cause handle bar tape).
The bike weighs 24lbs

(more and higher-res photos can be found here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/2386908...7624488168329/)























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I ended up paying $300 for the bike, which I figure is considered overpriced, especially here at "look at this PX10 I found in the dumpster" Bike Forums, but I really liked this model, it is rare on this side of the pond, it's the right size (I'm a lanky 5'9), was within driving distance, and I sorta got into a bidding war after I had become... intellectually invested in the bike. Tisk tisk, I know.

Anyway, the bike cleaned up nice and I am in the process of testing and tuning it.

A few questions:

Will I be able to get replacement brake pad inserts, or should I just buy some high quality modern brake shoes?

What are my brake hood options? Are there replacement gum/rubber hoods for these CLB brake levers?

Can I just lube the chain/gears and start riding, or do I need to do some serious internal cleaning/greasing before I start putting long miles on the bearings/derailleurs?

The brake and shifter cables seem to be really smooth and free, should I still think about replacing them?

How long do I have before I start running into the dreaded Helicomatic issues?


If anyone is curious about anything else, I can give more details and photos, just ask. I look forward to becoming a non-lurking member of this thriving community you have here!



-kurt