carly

I'm looking for a bike to learn how to wrench on. I also have a friend coming in town this summer and would like to have a bike for her so we can ride around town casually (so I'm just looking for something rideable, not performance). I found the bike below for $100 on craigslist. Would this be too difficult for a beginner mechanic or to find upgrade parts? I've emailed the seller to get some more pictures if there's not enough detail for yall to answer.

The women's bike at the link below
1973 Peugot white project bikes

oddjob2

That is a clean Peugeot Mixte that is well priced. Some members will chime in and say "meh, chrome rims eek!, it's difficult to find parts, and French threading, oyy."

Hogwash!

The Peugeot U-18's ride very sweetly, 27" tires are easy to find, and the consumable parts, bearings, brake pads, cables, cable housing are generic. I've bought and sold more than 10, and frankly most are so lightly ridden, there is no need to modernize. If you don't ride in the rain, chrome rims are fine. The only part that may fail in time is the front derailleur, as the plastic ages, but virtually any substitute can work. Also, if you decide to have the bottom bracket overhauled, if it has pins and is cottered, that is best left to the LBS, probably a $30 charge +/-.

Wilfred Laurier

Those are nice looking vintage bikes, but a lot of the parts are likely incompatible with anything modern. Like oddjob2 said, the cranks use cotter pins rather than press fit square taper (last gen) or press fit and/or clamped splines (current gen). IMHO, those would make a good project for a vintage bike enthusiast, but maybe not for learning mechanics.

folkform

I got that exact same mixte for my girlfriend. She loves riding it, but we are in a hilly area and it is a pretty heavy bike. If you are in a flat area or not going around very far, it is a great ride. Or if your friend wants a good workout if not.

I will repeat what others have said that working on cotter pins are a huge pain so be aware.

zukahn1 

I would say it is a good price for a Mixte in what looks to be in very good condition for a bike being sold as project bike. It will likely need and overhaul and new cosnumables, so figure on putting another $150 or so into the bike into when making a decision.

CliffordK

They may be rideable as-is, although it never hurts to update all the grease in the bearings if that hasn't been done in quite some time.

If you do your own "tuning", you should be able to do most of it for quite cheap. Then it all depends on the condition of things like tires.

RoadGuy

I gotta echo what's already been said. As a mount for a pleasure/not hardcore rider, at $100 or less, this would be a nice bike as long as it's as nice as it appears in the photo.

For learning how to wrench on a vintage bike, not so bad, you will counter the challenges that you typically meet when working on quirky vintage bikes..

As a training bike to learn how to wrench on a modern bike, not so good, as much of the components and threading on the bike are obsolete.

wrk101

If you have the time/tools/aptitude/space/interest and will do all the work yourself, sure, that mixte is a winner.

Notice the seller states that they are negotiable. Go get it.

The mixte is newer than the men's bike, does not matter on value.

Now if you are looking for something to customize/first project/etc., not such a good choice due to the french parts. Replacements are available but they tend to sell for quite a bit more than standard sized stuff. I keep a box full of oddball french stuff just for this purpose.

FastJake

If you're only interested in the mixte, IGNORE everyone's advice above about UO-8s, steel rims, and cottered cranks. Fortunately for you the mixte is a newer Carbolite model that appears to have aluminum rims and aluminum cotterless cranks. Both are huge upgrades.

$100 is a good price for a nice mixte like that. Go for it!

oddjob2

The ad says 1973, but I had that question if the mixte was more like a 1983. The photo resolution wasn't good enough to make a determination.

FastJake

The men's bike is definitely an older 1970s model. But the mixte has newer graphics and (what I believe to be) a Carbolite seat tube decal.

bargainguy

The mixte looks like an '85 P10LS: https://www.re-cycle.com/images/Peuge...ch/1985_07.jpg

Grand Bois

They're both perfect for casual rides around town.