cradduck

I am going to attempt to convert my girlfriends recently aquired Peugot Cadre Allege women's bike to a single speed over the next couple of days. Is there anything I should be aware of beyond redishing the wheel? I would like to keep the rims if possible but from what I have learned (and felt) they are super heavy...what a bummer.



You can find pics of the bike in this thread:

https://www.bikeforums.net/commuting/315543-possible-commuter.html

vpiuva

If you're reusing the old wheel and not messing with changing the crank or spindle - who knows? you might get lucky and not redish either.

First, spin your selected SS freewheel on the hub as is. Measure the chainline and see if it happens to match up with either your crank's inner or outer ring position. If it does, use that ring position and no redishing required. If oit doesn't, then you get to move washers from one end of the axle to the other and redish.

You'll need single stack height chainring bolts.

Of course, this chainline may not match up with a standard 42mm if you swap out the rear wheel later, but I doubt that you will want to dump a lot of upgrade money into this bike.

Grand Bois

I don't know what it means, but Cadre Allege is not the model name.

All you'll accomplish by single speeding it is to make it slightly lighter and way less versatile. If she doesn't like to shift, why not pick a gear and leave it there? I wouldn't want to have a single speed as my only bike.

tellyho

Those rims look super scary to me. I'd replace, if at all possible. If not, as stated above, you might get lucky and not have to redish.

C_LOGAN

When I first saw them I said to myself 'what the hell happened to those rims' - What brand are they?

It looks quite interesting... Do the pads looked chewed out?.... does it make the bike stop more or less efficiently?

cradduck

Cadre Allege is the only information listed on the bike other than having various "Peugeot" decals and badges. I agree that this is most likely not the true name of the bike but it is how the bike is commonly refered to throughout most of the searches I have done through Google. It seems there is a similar model with drop bars I have found pictures of as well. I completely disagree with your statements about riding a single speed but every person has to deal with different riding situations that would dictate their needs/wants.

It is extremely hard to see the engraving on the rim but it says Rigida Chrolomax (not 100% sure on the second word). The wheels are heavier than other 27"ers that I have held. Replacements are definately an option if I can find a set at a decent price. I don't know how much the bike has been ridden since the last time the pads were replaced but they do not look chewed up. The bike does stop very fast so I imagine that the extra friction could wear the pads quicker than a smooth surface would.

Grand Bois

The rims are heavy because they're chrome plated steel. The lower end Peugeots all had them. The biggest problem is not the weight, but that the brakes don't work well because chromeplated steel is too slick.

I like single speeds. My avatar is my '59 Carlton single speed. I'm just saying that they're not as practical as a geared bike. Your Peugeot has an especially nice drivetrain for a Peugeot. Those SX series rear derailers work very well. I have one on my Gitane. The long cage version you have is hard to find.

Iowegian

The only thing I would add is that if you do go ahead with the single speed idea, save all the parts you remove in case you ever want to 'go back'. You could probably fit all the removed parts in a shoe box somewhere so they don't get lost. Mixtes are sorta stylish and that bike will probably hold its value very well. You'll get a lot more for the bike if it has all its original parts - even those uber-heavy textured steel rims.

If lightness is the goal, you would be best served by replacing the rims/wheels. Finding good quality (alloy) 27" wheels isn't that easy, though, since many people are in the same boat as you. You could always switch to 700C wheels but then you need to get new tires and possibly new brakes.