Originally Posted by
greg3rd48
Firstly I think that I dated this bike incorrectly For the sake of originality and also since the cottered cranks are in fine condition I think I may stick with them. The pins came out quite easily...
If my UO-8's cotters were in good shape after removal, I might've kept my cottered crankset, too. It may be heavy, but it looks right and you don't have to fuss with the possibility of component incompatibility if you're reusing the original parts.
Originally Posted by
greg3rd48
I do love the idea of keeping as much of the bike in its original state. I am going to try out the original plastic Simplex that came with the bike first since it seems to be in fine condition after cleaning it thoroughly. If not the Suntours or metal Simplex is what I will look for.
If your original derailleurs are in functional shape, go right ahead and use them, but don't ride far from home and be prepared for those derailleurs to break at some point. Keep an eye out for good, inexpensive replacement derailleurs so you have parts ready when they fail.
Originally Posted by
greg3rd48
The shifters on this bike are on the handlebar stem, not the downtube. The other Peugeot I have awaiting restoration has the downtube shifters. This indicates that the bike is post 1975 correct?
Your stem shifters don't necessarily help date this bike, for two reasons...
1) I don't think your bike's shifters are original. They don't look like the plastic Simplex levers with plastic friction wingnut I'm used to seeing. Also, UO-8's that came with stem shifters wouldn't normally have a shifter boss and band on the downtube.
2) Not all stem-shifter-equipped UO-8's were post-1975. The date code on my UO-8's rear derailleur indicates 1972, leading me to believe it's probably a '72 or '73 model, and my bike was originally equipped with stem shifters.
Speaking of date codes... The decal scheme gets you in the ballpark for aging (roughly '70-'76), but component date codes might be your best resource to date your bike. Sometimes you'll find a date code stamped into the rims or hubs. Your Simplex rear derailleur probably has a small date code stamped into its metal cage between the pulleys.
Originally Posted by
greg3rd48
What are the opinions regarding these shifters? Or are barcons the much better option.
I've got Suntour barcons on my own UO-8 and love 'em. But our bikes are very slightly different. My bike doesn't have a downtube shifter boss since it was originally equipped with stem shifters. If I did have a downtube boss, I'd probably go with downtube levers just so I didn't have an unused shifter boss sitting there and aggravating my OCD-ness.