I just got an 80's Peugeot Corbier, it is in amazing stock shape!

New cables, tires, wraps et al.

I want to upgrade the rims, and rear cassette/derailluer to a clicking gear setup as opposed to the levers on the gooseneck. I think you all get the idea. Side pull brakes as good as center pulls? are they worth changing?

What have you done in the past to your steel oldies?

AFter this I want a Paramount like I had as a kid.

Chuck

Welcome to Bikeforums!

I also had a Paramount as a teenager. The love for cycling never goes away.

If you have steel rims, upgrading to aluminum ones would be a nice upgrade, especially as far as braking is concerned.

If your original rims are 27", you've got a few things to think about...

27" rims haven't been offered on new bikes since the '80s, so new ones aren't plentiful. They are still available if you look for them, though. You can pick up a 27" wheelset from a place like Niagara Cycle for a little over $100. Used sets are an option, too. (I happen to have a spare set in good shape. I'll probably never use them and would be happy to ship them to a buyer who'd put them to use.)

Switching from 27" to the more ubiquitous (and slightly smaller) 700c size is possible and increases your replacement options, but it requires that your brakes be able to reach 4 mm further. If you can't adjust your pads down 4 mm, you'd need to replace your brake calipers to accommodate 700c rims.

This could get more complicated. If you want indexed shifting (one click per gear), you'll need shifters, derailleurs, and a cassette or freewheel that are designed to work together. And a hub on the rear wheel that will take said cassette or freewheel. And a clamp that'll fit your frame and the shifters if you want downtube shifters. And frame dropouts that are spaced to 126 or 130 mm. There are a number of variables here, and it'll take a bit of knowledge and/or experience to sort it out. It's definitely doable, but might be cost prohibitive if you don't have a convenient source of used parts.

Depends a lot on the particular brake, the setup, and the type and condition of pads. There are decent brakes of both types.

Thanks for the info! I probably will go with 700x28 rims, the side pull brakes have enough pad adjustment to drop at least 1 cm. To open the rear frame 2mm per side seems doable. If I can get a 6 speed cassette with the same or similar high gear great or just upgrade a new 5 speed cassette? The brakes have no id marks on them, probably stock. Can go with anything save for cantilevered brakes. Just want to make it mine. Its black with chrome rims now, want maybe black anodized rims? new shifter/brake index shifters, we will see. Thanks again
Chuck

down tube shifters!

and ... sun m13ii rims, sapim race spokes, panaracer paselas, an ird freewheel, sram pc830 chain, kool-stop brake pads for mafac, fizik tape, gyes gs17 saddle, the best simplex derailleurs you can find.

Just be careful you do not go overboard with modding up a Corbier, because to cost of the components can easily overtake the value of the entry level bike....
I'd just keep the mods to just the wheels (aluminum rims) tires (High pressure/narrower/lighter) and the shifters (Clamp-on, Down tube) and just tune the existing brakeset to make it work best.
Anything over that might justify just buying a better whole bike with all the goodies on it already.....

Had a nice chat with my local wrench! I have decided on upgrading the rims to alloy 700x25, new tubes and rubber, readjust brakes and new alloy handlebars. That should be plenty. It seems anything more would be real expensive and Frankensteinish. that should be plenty. As it is the Corbier is lighter than my xcal-7 mtb!

Oh btw, I appreciate good positive input from those who wish to help. I thank you. I am completely independent of the input of others good or bad.

eschlwc, you are funny.

Chuck

Well I have had the bike for a little over a month, put Shimano half clip pedals on it and promptly forgot and fell over down an embankment! Lots of scratches and bruises, but nothing serious. My Bell MIPS helmet worked like a champ!

I am getting use to its limitations of only 10 gears. It will be my workout beast to get me down to 195 and a new Trek road bike!

be safe
chuck

We all fall when learning clipless pedals! I fell 3X.

I don't see any pics. That means it didn't happen.

Sorry about the fall! It's part of the learning curve. I usually fall at least once each year. It happens to the best of us in funky situations we can never anticipate.

Are you forgetting something from your opening post? Forget the Trek! Go after that Paramount from when you were a teenager!

BTW, when were you a teen? We'll help track down the appropriate vintage Paramount! I have one from my early teens ('71) and one from my mid 20s ('83). They would be the last bikes to go if I went bankrupt.

Well I do want the Schwinn Paramount it would be a 72-75 era bike, BUT I also want a new Trek Domane. In due time I will have both atleast.

I cannot forget the Trek! it is my inspiration to strive for and get back into shape! Down 10lbs, only 23 to go!

Chuck

Great work on the weight loss!

But how can the two even compare!?!



At least it comes in orange.



Don't mind my teasing. Just keep riding and enjoying life!

My commuter/utility bike is a 1970 UO-8 with:
1. ultra-spaced 6-speed freewheel, 13-26T
2. Sugino aluminum crankset with 45-42 half-step chainrings
3. SunTour Cyclone II rear derailleur
4. Shimano Titlist front derailleur
5. aluminum rims (best single improvement over a stock UO-8)
6. KoolStop brake pads (ranks close to the aluminum rims)
7. MKS road quill pedals
8. SunTour non-index ratcheting barcons
9. Weinmann brake handles with new rubber hoods
10. "mousetrap" Pletscher rear rack
11. cylindrical Bellwether front bag

As other Peugeot owners will testify, it can certainly be a worthy upgrade, YES. Limited myself to this or that, I usually focus on one part(s) or category of parts at a time. As crucial and consequential as wheels can be, the financial effect can be equally as imposing or impactful. Despite what some LBS workers might say, a used rim or wheel can provide fine service for a season or multiple seasons, assuming it is re-trued and the bearings, replaced and re-packed.

Make sure your inner wire is stainless and not galvanized. You have a freewheel, right? If you have a cassette in back, yeah, you may need to replace it... if it is SunRace, absolutely replace it. The rear derailleur doesn't require replacement on a regular basis so if you're just upgrading to get better performance/results, don't expect too much from a derailleur change (presumably you're replacing one with something lighter, or faster).

The Schwinn will be a nod to the past, and a great ride! I could even go for a newer Paramount 80's? maybe one with more gears? The Peugeot is my workhorse for now. The Trek Xcal7 is more gears than I have ever seen on a bike! The Trek Domane is just the carrot I need to justify buying a really cool but pricey bike. I really like this new hobby.

y'all be safe
Chuck

Borrow from Peugeot of the same era - some were using the Shimano SIS stuff. Not prohibitively expensive to buy aftermarket. To pull from recent projects for example, the 87 or 88 Peugeot Nice is all Shimano A350. It'll give you the index-based stuff you want without the excessive cost.

If you want some extra $$ to purchase stuff by getting rid of the stock parts, keep me in mind. I go out of my way to restore bikes to stock, so I'm always looking out for stock stuff.

That looks sharp, Bob!

Thank you! It is a great bike and was the right decision for me to "down size" from the 25" to the 24" Paramount several years ago. I ride it all the time, and the new light weight tubular wheels just took the ride to a really sweet new level.

No worries, no teasing, its all good.

It would be kinda weird having bikes that were all the same. The Peugeot is not my Trek xcal7, and my Trek xcal 7 won't be like my Schwinn or like my new Trek Road bike when I get thinner! in fact all my 1911's are a little bit different!

Time to go farther than last time! Seeya, gotta go!

be safe
chuck

Take this with a grain of salt this is the C&V Forum after all but don't be too quick to run out and buy that nice and shiny new plastic bike. I was in the same situation returning to cycling after many years of not cycling. I was forced to quit running after developing a chronic injury to my left foot and switched to biking. I now had the disposable income to buy whichever bike I chose at the LBS. I had just gone to watch Iron Man in Hilo and was pumped on getting a fancy new hi-tech bike. I bought a Giant Defy with a composite frame and Tiagra 10 speed group. I quickly found what I liked about the bike was the dual control shifters not so much the frame. I also should have gotten a bike with a compact double crankset instead of the standard crank the bike came with. I quickly grew frustrated with fit and comfort problems and went back to riding my old Motobecane hybrid. I would suggest riding the Puegoet until you can say definitively what you do and don't like about it and then you will be ready to get a new bike. If you go to buy a new bike before you really know what you want you will most likely buy what the salesman wants you to buy and not what is best for you.

The number of gears isn't nearly as important as what those gears are. If you need lower gear ratios, like for climbing hills, you may be able to find a freewheel with bigger cogs, or you can change to a smaller inner chainring up front.

Oh now that was a good ride! Went out for about 2 hours and put in about 20 miles. Now, I am understanding about gears, and about how and where to spend my money. I was an amazing polevaulter and runner in my youth, which was in the early 70's.I'm now almost 60,I have no delusion about doing Iron Man competitions on Kona. (They dont even have good sand beaches there. Its all lava or coral. ) I have set my goal for 195lbs. That should happen around spring next year. But If I keep eating amazing BBQ like I did today, it might be a little longer. Hell I might move on to something else!

Bottom line, know what your buying and what your getting into. Then with all your knowledge amassed make your choices and get out there and have a ball!

I am. be safe
Chuck