rui.mesquita

Hi Guys,

I recently bought a old bicycle with the goal of restoring it to the original look (using as much as i can from original parts).

After a search on several websites i think i have Peugeot Uo8 but im not 100% as i cant figure out the serial number Only says D7 then a big gap and 57, i tough it should have 6 or 7 digits (meaning 6 would be from the 60ies and 7 from the 70ies.

Can anyone help me finding out a bit more about this bike so i can try to find the exact parts online for it.

Picture attached

Regards,

Aubergine 

It looks like there is no chrome on the fork. If that is right, you have a mid-70s AO-8. If there is a chrome sock at the bottom of the fork, it is a UO-8.

The brakes (calipers and levers) should be Mafac Racers. I can’t tell for sure from the pics, but the existing levers and calipers don’t look like Mafac to me. The saddle would have been an Idéale 39 or clone.

jj1091

Yes, it's a (roughly) 1974-1976 AO-8, as Aubergine noted. The front and rear derailleurs are correct for the bike. The shifters appear to be an upgraded Simplex version, or at least the lever handles are replaced; the original would have had a band that fits over a shifter boss on the drive side only, like this one:
https://www.ebay.com/i/192419867105?chn=ps

The brakes, as noted, should be Mafac Racers, and the cable guide you have which is mounted on the front brake caliper, should be mounted on the steerer tube with a bracket that looks like this:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/MAFAC-Front...kAAOSwb3laIKHf

Here's a catalog scan from 1974 from Bikeboompeugeot:

https://www.bikeboompeugeot.com/Broch...20Page%206.jpg

jj1091

Forgot to mention that you can often find the date of the bike from the wheels. The wheel rim sometimes has a date code on it, like <74>, or the wheel hub may show a date like "11 74".

rustystrings61 

No, this is something more interesting than a standard A0-8. Those are Nervex Professional lugs, not the "Aztec" pattern used on A0 and U0 series bikes. I think this is a PA-10 variant. It's unusual, though, because the PA-10s I've seen usually have Bocama model 14 type II lugs. Can we see a photo of the BB? Is the serial number a nice machine-stamped number, or does it look hand-stamped? Are there any traces of a serial number plate or its mounts?

My memory is that Peugeot sold the PA-10 series bikes in the 60s with Nervex pro lugs, generic Peugeot steel tubing, stamped ends and brazed-on brake cable stops. It's the same frame tubing as the U0 and A0 series bikes, same cable fittings, but nicer lugs and possibly steeper angles. Out of the box, I think they came with tubulars and were competing with Gitane's Interclub as a teenager's intro racing bike.

Aubergine 

Dang, you are right. Shame on me for not noticing!

Bianchigirll 

Hello and welcome to the forums. That is great bike to learn the basics of repair and maintenance and with a little elbow grease it should make a great rider. It is however, as pointed out a very basic bike. I agree I would keep it like it is and just fix what needs fixed to make it a rider.
S

rui.mesquita

Tks Guys, ill upload more detailed pictures tomorrow to see if it helps to decipher the exact model.

My goal is to enjoy myself restoring this bike so i can ride it and try to keep it as close to the original as i can, without spending too much money.

Tks again

rui.mesquita

MORE Pictures attached,

1. on the wheel in fact says RIGIDA 73 made in France(maybe the year as someone mentioned);
2. On the bottom the serial number has D7 57


What do you guys think.

THANKS FOR THE HELP GUYS

rui.mesquita

A few more pics

TugaDude

Not an AO8 due to the lugs as mentioned above. Your bike has Nervex Professional lugs. My guess is a PA 10 from 1973 or possibly a little later. Your FD is toast. Suggest you look for an all-metal replacement.

juvela

-----

Someone has mounted the stop washers on the Simplex Criterium shift levers upside down.

The Altenburger Synchron rear brake caliper is original. The front sidepull caliper is not.

The Eclair pedals represent yet another irregularity from what one might expect. Normally we would expect to see the Lyotard 36R.

It is possible the bicycle may be slightly later than the date on the Rigida wheel rims date marking. You can get a confirmation date by looking at the inner side of the Simplex Prestige rear derailleur.



Reason for the apparent contradictions such as the NERVEX Professional lugset and Altenburger Synchron brake caliper may be due to the bicycle being one not manufactured for the North American market.

-----

rui.mesquita

Yes indeed this bike is most probably not from the US, i got it in South Africa, so it can easily be from here (i doubt it) or from the Netherlands, France or Germany (countries of origin of a lot of Afrikaans) or even Japan.

Thanks for all the tips, it helps me a lot to start looking for spare parts online.

im attaching another 2 pics of the rear derailleur... no numbers unfortunately. Tks again. its going to be fun to this bike back on the road.

rui.mesquita

Thanks for all the tips, it helps me a lot to start looking for spare parts online.

I too think that is from the family of a P10, just wanted to be 100% sure, just for fun and yes the FD is completely toasted, the wheels are from 1973, the rest probably the same but still looking form more info on the bike.

Tks again. TugaDude, is Tuga because youre from Portugal, if so im portuguese as well Tks

Bianchigirll 

I would go to your local bike shop (LBS) and see if they have used front derailleur (FD) you don't need anything fancy and I bet you can get something nice for next to nothing. you can probably pick up a nice used or take off saddle to.

Don't be afraid to buy stuff at your LBS. if you take the bike in they will help you find a seat post that fits it the first time around. If your shopping there they will be more inclined to give you advice and help you with things you can't figure out.

Just where are you and the bike? Are you in or near a larger city? there may be a co-op that sells used parts and will rent you a work space.

TugaDude

Tugadude is a nickname my wife gave me. Kind of a play on tortuga and dude.

juvela

-----

Thanks very much for the additional photos.

The 27" wheels, if original to bicycle, rule out France, Germany and The Netherlands as possible markets for which it was constructed.

It would have been produced for somewhere in the english speaking world. Is the official language of S.A. Afrikaans or is it English?, or both?

-----

rui.mesquita

Hi there. Yes the main language is English (there are around 11 official languages in South Africa, where Afrikaans, English and Zulu are the most used)

But there´s a big and historical connection to the British.

So its likely to have been produce for the UK market and then brought to South Africa or imported to South Africa. OK we are getting somewhere. Tks for this.

i already order a few very affordable parts on ebay (will wait for a frind to bring it down to Mozambique), after the tips that i received here.

Questions:

1. Any guess on the exact model. i guess is in the family of the P10´s but is it possible to know the exact one??

I found this thread here on the forum from a previous similar case and they say its a PX10, check here: bikeforums.net/classic-vintage/1120753-1973-vintage-peugeot-recognition-help-needed.html

2. Attached some brochure i found on line, which lead me to think that ITS NOT A PX10, because of the chromed fork (that mine doesn't have).

3. Any ideas about the serial number has D7 57 ? Can find anything on that.

Regards and thanks.

rui.mesquita

Hi there, theres no bicycle shops around me, i live in Maputo, Mozambique. So i will have to find everything online and bring it down.

Tks

rui.mesquita

Hi there,

Do these pictures help a bit more to fund the exact model?

Rgds,

rui.mesquita

Heres what i know till know about my bike (with the help from people on the forum):

- i think its from the PA family just dont know the exact one??.
- WHEELS RIGIDAS from 1973 (clintchers), that were mainly sold to the brish market (which makes sense since i bought it South Africa) so its not an US, French, Dutch or German model;
- Nervex Professional lugs, not the "Aztec" pattern used on A0 and U0 series bikes. I think this is a PA-10 variant. It's unusual, though, because the PA-10s I've seen usually have Bocama model 14 type II lugs.
- Attached some brochure i found on line, which lead me to think that ITS NOT A PX10, because of the chromed fork (that mine doesn't have).
- Serial number has D7 57 ? Can find anything on that, Any ideas about this?
- Simplex Criterium shift levers;
- Altenburger Synchron rear brake caliper is original. The front sidepull caliper is not.
- Has Eclair pedals which represents an irregularity from what one might expect. Normally we would expect to see the Lyotard 36R.
- The Simplex Prestige rear derailleur doesn't have a date, like a lot had.
- Do you know the correct measurement of the seat post, since mine didnt have it.

juvela

-----

Good researching there!

Your bicycle is not in the PX10, PR10, PA10 family of models.

One feature of the bicycle I forgot to mention earlier is its vertically drilled brake bridge. Most Peugeot models have a brake bridge with the brake caliper mounting hole cut perpendicular to the seat stays. On your model it is cut parallel to the seat stays. When this feature is present the machine is usually one of the "utility" models. Some of these models were fitted with the Altenburger Synchron brakes we see on your cycle rather than the more commonly found MAFAC centrepull model brakes.



Think it unlikely you will discover a catalogue or brochure showing your exact bicycle. The forum has had several Peugeot bicycles posted which matched a specific model save for one small feature or fitting. If you imagine the situation of a production line where one ingredient in the recipe runs out of stock the first instinct is to keep things going via a substitution. In the case of your bicycle this one striking substitution is the presence of the NERVEX Professional lug set.

As regards possible production line substitutions -

The 1973 date shown in the wheel rim image below places the bicycle squarely in the middle of the "bike boom" which went on in the U.S. during the early 1970's. Many bicycle manufacturers had to scramble for parts to keep their production going and substitutions were commonplace. This could easily have affected your example even though it was not intended for the U.S. market. Hence the NERVEX lugset. Most bicycle catalogues & brochures feature a fine print disclaimer stating something to the effect of "specifications subject to change without notice."



Here are two images showing what the bicycle's Simplex Criterium shift lever set should look like when correctly assembled:




-----

rui.mesquita

Thanks for this. On a good note if I cannot find the exact model I can at least say that I have an unique model ahaha.

juvela

-----



All best wishes to Lusitania.

The lower portion of this Simplex catalogue page illustrates the parts for the bicycle's shift lever set. The illustration shows a slightly later version than yours which differs only cosmetically. All parts interchange.






-----

zukahn1

The bike looks to be an American market UE 8 or 9 from 1973/74 on these Pugeot didn't have enough UO-8's to meet US orders at the time so they modified the UE Euro series bikes which were a bit nicer by adding safety levers and 27 inch wheels to meet demand. While not as common as the UO-8 not really rare and worth about the same or a bit more value wise. I would say $100 or so as is and $175-200 nicely fixed up and ready to ride.