A few years ago a friend of mine retired and moved. One night he was talking lovingly about his old bicycle and wanted to give it away. I wasn't sure I wanted a friction shift ten speed but it sounded like a nice bike so I took it. As I researched it, I found I had become the happy owner of a 1970 or 1971 PX10. I contacted him and asked if he would like to sell it since it still had worth. He asked me to ride it instead and then pass it to my kids to ride. I recently took it out to begin the process of getting road worthy again. At first I thought it all original but I have found period modifications. He bought it a few years used and said the original owner changed the brakes. The calipers are universal and the levers dia compe. The deraileurs are the original simplex, the crank stronglite. I thought the hubs were Normandy but as I was trying to find how to pull the bearings this week I found 'Phil' on the hubs. He bought a clincher front so I think the original owner purchased a Phil wood wheel set. I would appreciate any advice on how to service these. Even though it was cared for they are 45 years old. The freewheel looks original. The pedals are French but don't appear original. They are labeled with the English 'L' and 'R' rather than 'G' and 'D'. If some one knows how I confirm English or French thread I'd appreciate the tip. I thought the stem was the original troubled stem but I'm not certain. It's currently stuck. WD40 and some persuasion did not free it. Persuading the bolt broke free the wedge but the stem is still stuck. I'm going to resort to vinegar once I figure out how to pull the wood plug In the bottom and find out whether I need to pull the brakes. I'd hoped to recover the stem but we will see after I extract it. My career is in materials so I have metallurgist friends who can help evaluate it if needed. The shifters and bike pump are campy. The seat is the original brooks. I was pleasantly surprised the seat post was easy to extract and the lube looked new. It was well cared for before hanging up a decade or two. I will probably have to find a shop to pull the crank. The budget didn't stretch far enough to get the crank tool this year.

Those are neat bikes. A few pics esp. of the drive side will help people figure out what you have and how to help you fix up the bike.

I have plenty of pics but am having trouble finding where to upload. I get on through the mobile site.

ended up using the full site.

WHen you hit reply, there is an icon that lets you load pics. The pics cannot be too high a quality though. Phil hubs are sealed cartridge hubs and can and do last a long time before needing servicing. Someone will come along who knows how to service them or you can just contact Phil directly for instructions (and parts),

https://www.philwood.com/support/faqsbearings.php

They're really fine hubs.

A few more pics

You must both be tall guys. If you're not, I know somebody who would love to be given a PX10.

But seriously, you have one sweet bike. You have some nice replacement equipment as mentioned. The Campy shifters are much better than the plastic Simplex ones they may have replaced. I'm guessing that you now have an English threaded Phil hub based on the Suntour freewheel. It's not out of the realm of possibility, but not likely that it's French threaded.

Be aware that the bottom bracket will likely be French thread. That means both cups are right hand thread. Check Sheldon Brown's website for more info.

This is a very nice bike and deserves to be ridden. Try some 700x32 Panaracer Paselas for a reasonably priced, very comfortable ride. You might even get away with 35's and have yourself a bike that will be comfortable on the road or on gravel.

Jealous!

Cool old PX10! It's nice to see one with vintage hotrodding and upgrades.

Those Phil Wood hubs were expensive then, and they are expensive now. It wouldn't surprise me if they are perfectly fine. Spin the wheels off the bike to see if they are smooth. If they are not rough, you could probably get away with doing nothing. If rough, Phil will pop in new sealed bearings for a fee, or you can do it yourself. The pedals are Lyotard platform pedals. They were great for touring. I had a pair once, wish I would have kept them. I sold them to a small manufacturer who shall remain nameless. It's possible that the pedals were retapped to english threads, but they could still be french. Those pedals were sold with both types of threads. I can't remember if they were labeled differently, you'd have to measure with a caliper to confirm. Or pull them and test thread a std english pedal. If it goes in without trouble the crank has been re-tapped.

https://www.philwood.com/philpdfs/FSAinstructions.pdf

Both about 6 foot which is average around here.

I didn't know what I was getting until after researching. I felt obligated to talk to him about it afterwards in case he didn't know what he had. He wasn't surprised. He paid well for it as a college student. It still has a 1975 university of Houston sticker on it which I've decided to leave on.

The wheels are smooth and true. I didn't put a dial indicator on them yet but Visually running through the brakes they look good. The pedals were not smooth. Greece dried up so I have them apart to clean, regrease and change bearings. I think you are right on the freewheel. I bought a French freewheel tool but I see two tabs instead. I have a tool for that (only other in the box). I'll service it as well. The stem is the current challenge. I'll update on that after trying the vinegar. There isn't much rust everywhere else and it was well lubed but aluminum and steel joints don't take much to corrode. I suspect it's seized with light corrosion.

Very cool bike! Phil hubs are great. They will last a long time. Your simplex rear derailleur looks in great condition. I have had to change them (front and rear) because they broke. The plastic they are made of gets brittle with time. The Stronglite crankset is really cool.

Not plastic, Delrin. It actually is very tough stuff.

I've actually never seen a broken rear simplex, despite something like 12 years as a pro mechanic. Then again I haven't wrenched in 20 years and that's a lot of additional aging time. The fronts do tend to crack eventually due to the stress of the clamping bolt.

I'd worry somewhat more about the AVA stem. If it can't be taken out non-destructively, no great loss. A lot of PX10's had 3T or Cinelli stems as an upgrade. 3T would often fit in without sanding.

Thanks for the info. It did look like plastic to me. It might be the area that the Delrin is. It's very dry over here and I've seen many broken ones. The picture is from my Goricke (sp?). It just snapped as I was wheeling it.

Does anyone know how I pull the wood dowel in the headset? Is it Pinned in by the brake mounting hardware?

I'm a bit late here, but I do agree that you have a lovely machine there. A bit of work, but very well worth it.

The Stronglight crank is one of my absolute favorites, BUT it has unique threads. To remove it requires using the right tool OR you ruin it. You may need to find an older bike shop that has the proper crank puller.

As for the pedal threads, look at the back side of the crank arms. The threading should be stamped on the arms along with the length (likely 170). If they are French, as we suspect, that does not guarantee that someone hasn't tapped them to English, but it's a start.

Someone suggested 32mm tires. Be careful that they fit. That might be about the maximum or just over.

Otherwise, just a bit of patience and you have a very, very fine riding machine.

Congratulations!

Why pull it? They came on some older bikes; it's a nice touch and it won't stop you from overhauling the bike. As others have pointed out, the crank, headset, and pedals need attention. Hopefully the bearing surfaces are in good shape. The hubs are probably fine.

32c might not fit but 28c should.

You'll need to do a general cleaning and replace all the consumables: chain, ball bearings, housing, and cables.

https://www.bikeforums.net/classic-vi...dowel-not.html

The plug comes out with a bit of persuasion from the top, but you are correct, remove the brake caliper first.

Also be careful woth the saddle, even though I hit mine with quite a few applications of snow seal, mine tore (after getting stuck in a july thunderstorm in San Diego)


Love the bike, you have a keeper

I found out recently that the wooden plug was put there to strengthen the steerer/fork. Leave it there. I took mine out when I painted my frame and now I' fretting about putting it back with the hole lined up for the brake. For the stuck stem, try PB blaster and let it soak. If the headset is not stiff or gritty, and the reach is ok for now, ride it as is while you contemplate more drastic measures. All the while, try the stem every few days/ weeks. Cool bike. Lucky for you and your kids. Best wall hanger ever if your kids don't ride.

Jeff

The Universal side pulls are a downgrade from the original MAFACs, in my opinion.

The brake cables would look much better if they were routed behind the bars.

Yep. Never could understand the fascination with Universal brakes. I've used MAFAC Racers, Competitions and Raids and find them to be the best-performing C&V brakes, period.

SP
OC, OR

Side pulls from that era are not as effective as center pulls. After all, center pulls are dual pivot brakes.

I have questioned the effectiveness of CP as well but found the Mod 61 on the Bottecchia with KoolStops are equal to the DA 7400 on the 91 Pinarello.

Hate to say it, but unless you are all legs and no torso its too big for you. What size is it? Looks like 62cm or 24in? I'm 6'1" and ride 56cm and 57cm bikes. But my inseam might be a little shorter than average. Its an awsome bike and I can understand if you wanted to ride it for a bit.

+1
I'm certain that is a 64cm/25" frame. I'm ~6'2" with long legs and that's my size in a traditional fit. 6' people are usually going to fit a 23" frame. If you can't stand over it with approximately 1" clearance for your crotch, it's too big.

Mafacs are great brakes and we appreciate them now, but they used to be seen as somewhat utilitarian. Universals were lighter. The perception was they were much more trick and cooler. Brakes just slow you down anyway...

I was joking about Delrin not being plastic. Of course it is plastic. Peugeot salepeople were encouraged to say it was Delrin and not plastic. In fairness, delrin is acetal resin and is probably closer to aluminum in many ways than the usual cheap ABS plastic we normally think of a plastic. Plastics/polymers are a rather broad category.

I should clarify my tire suggestion, my wife's Pasela 35's actually measure out to about 32mm. But certainly check. I removed the axle stops in the rear dropouts and "adjusted" the front fork to get a good fit on her Gitane. Peugeot forks may have more clearance. An LBS might let you try before you buy.

Try Kool Stop pads before you swap brakes, if you still want center pulls, you can reuse the pads. You will need cable hangers front and rear for center pulls. I just happen to have a set of Weinmanns for if you decide to go that route.

+2 I'm ~6'2" (Although I may be shrinking, according to my 6'4" daughter) and I am most comfortable w/ 24.5" to 25" frames. I have long legs & long arms. Height is just one variable. Proportion is a lot more important.