I've got what I'm pretty sure is a '73 or '74 Peugout UO8 with the cottered crankset. I'd like to convert to a cotterless crank, but with the french bb I'm wondering if, with an appropriate spindle, I could replace the cottered set with any three piece crankset or if I must stick to the french threads. Yes, I know the U08 is probably not worth the expense and effort, but its still, to me, a cool old bike and I'd like to get it roadworthy again. And, no, at this time I don't know what shape the bb is in. The bike has been an intended project sitting in my shed for a couple of years and I haven't yet started taking it apart. What do you recommend?

Velo Orange has a BB that bypasses the threads completely .. they also stock a French thread BB

French =35mm both RH thread, Swiss , 35mm Rt cup LH thread
Italy , 36mm both RH .. British falls between them in size.. 1.370"

My similar vintage UO8 is my favorite workout ride (in SS). I replaced with french threaded cartridge BB and regular cranks. Love it.

Thanks. I was hoping someone had used regular cranks successfully.

[QUOTE=ticwanos;15137822]I've got what I'm pretty sure is a '73 or '74 Peugout UO8 with the cottered crankset. I'd like to convert to a cotterless crank, but with the french bb I'm wondering if, with an appropriate spindle, I could replace the cottered set with any three piece crankset or if I must stick to the french threads. Yes, I know the U08 is probably not worth the expense and effort, but its still, to me, a cool old bike and I'd like to get it roadworthy again. And, no, at this time I don't know what shape the bb is in. The bike has been an intended project sitting in my shed for a couple of years and I haven't yet started taking it apart. What do you recommend? /QUOTE]

Yes, this should be relatively easy to do. A French thread BB set isn't hard to find no expensive or as mentioned by others, a newer type of replacement BB that doesn't use the threading is available too. Once you have the spindle installed, then the crank is generic modern. If you look on ebay or amazon you will find nice triple or double Shimano cranks from $20 up. I have owned and ridden a number of old cottered French bikes (and tandems) and converted many of them to modern non-cottered cranks with good success. The improvement is a nice boost. Go for it! But keep the old parts as they can be essential to restoring the bike if you even decide to go V&C with it.