Hello, I'm new to this site and could use some help identifying my vintage Peugeot. I am the original owner of the Peugeot that was bought for me by my wife as an anniversary gift in June of 1971. The serial number is 2215401, but I do not remember if it is an A08 or a U08. It has not been ridden in a couple of years and is all original. Has been stored on a covered porch and has some surface rust on the crank, handle bars and some of the spokes. Tires are dry rotted. It has some sentimental value to me, but I'm unsure if it pays to refurbish it enough to get it into reliable condition so I can ride it, or just get a new bike. I would like to ride for exercise, and as I am older do not plan on long rides. Any suggestions would be welcome. Thanks in advance.

One obvious difference between the AO-8 and UO-8 is that the AO-8 doesn't have any chrome on the fork. The bottom half of a UO-8 fork is chrome.

They make comfy riders, but have some drawbacks. You'll have to weigh the pros and cons, among them:

• Considering the age of the bike, the original bearing grease isn't in any condition to lubricate anything anymore. You'll want to clean and re-grease all the bearings -- bottom bracket (crank), hubs, and headset.
• Removing and reinstalling a cottered crankset (which you'd need to do to service the bottom bracket bearings) can be a little bit of a challenge for the 99.99999% of us who don't have access to a cotter press.
• The delrin (plastic) Simplex derailleurs Peugeot used on these bikes have earned a reputation for cracking -- especially the clamp on the front derailleur. The pulleys on the rear crack easily, too.
• 40-year-old brake pads are likely past their shelf life and could stand to be replaced.
• The stock chromed steel rims are notoriously bad for braking, especially when wet.
• The infamous Ava "Death Stem" that has a reputation for cracking and failing.

...but with all that said, my UO-8 (with a few modifications) is one of my most-ridden bikes.

Thank you SkyDog75. Good advice and from your description, I've identified the bike as a U0-8. I'm planning on bringing it into a bike shop today that upon speaking with them claim they can work on a vintage Puegeot bike. Plan on getting a full tune up (not sure what that includes yet), but I will follow your advice on getting all bearings re-greased, brakes serviced and adjusted, and full inspection of the derailleurs. I need to find out if there is a replacement for the Simplex plastic derailleur (yes it does have one, and has rust on the adjustment screws, so I don't know if it is still ok), and if so, how much it will cost to change it out. You mentioned the wheels. As it needs new tires and tubes, are there replacement new style wheels that will fit? Also, the Ava "Death Stem". Never heard of that one before. They break off? That would mean serious crash. Better replacement available? I guess that's what you meant "with a few modifications" it's an ok bike. Cost is going to be a big factor. If this is going to cost more than a few hundred to fix, it's probably not worth it to me. We will see. Thanks again for your help.

Floridarog, welcomd aboard the C&V Forum, from another Florida guy. Not any type of Pug expert, the knowledgeable members for them have, or will chime in about yours, I feel certain.

One thing to offer up, get some of the many good maintenance manuals available, and check out the numerous videos about how to accomplish the various tasks, on YouTube(sp?).

Doing the work yourself is a big part of the enjoyment of bicycles, learning how isn't anything difficult either. Plenty of great advice within the forum, as well, so search around some when you have the time.

Bill

Thanks for the welcome Bill. I'm certainly capable of learning to do some work on the old Pug, but first I want a bike mechanic to access it to see if it's worthwhile bringing it back. If so, I want it gone over by the expert, then I'll take it from there. We have a bike trail less than a 1/4 mile from my house. I live in central Florida and the West Orange trail is right there! I used to ride quite a bit, and actually in my younger days commuted to work on it. As I lived in a congested city then, it was far faster than taking my car. I'm retired now and have the time to get back into riding. I'm not in too bad a shape, but I'm not in riding shape. Will have to work into it. Looking around the site, there seems to be a wealth of info on everything related to bikes and riding. I'm looking forward being on the site and taking up my old hobby again!

Same here -- I built my A/UO-8 from a bare frame (no forks, so no difference in the frame itself) using Japanese derailleurs, cotterless cranks, road quill pedals, aluminum rims, and KoolStop brake pads. With a period-correct Bellwether handlebar bag up front and a period-correct Pletscher mousetrap rack with Rudy Project paniers in back, it is my go-to bike, as well.

I used to live across Lake Apopka from you back when it was so overrun with fertilizer runoff from the nearby groves that the only thing living in the water was gizzard shad.

Anyway, pics of the bike would be super helpful to see what you're up against. There are a lot of very easy solutions to dealing with rust that would blow your mind and save you a vat of elbow grease.

AO8 would look like this, no chrome fork: https://bikeboompeugeot.com/Brochures...20Page%206.jpg
UO8 like this, with chrome fork: https://bikeboompeugeot.com/Brochures...20Page%208.jpg

If it has fenders/lights change that "O" to an "E" in the model name. There were a couple of other models in the early 70s your bike could be, pics would help rule those out.

It would be difficult to say how much it would cost to fix up or give advice without pics. Can you upload some to Imgur: The most awesome images on the Internet and share the album link with us?

A basic tune up typically includes air up tires, adjustment of brakes and shifter/derailleurs, lube cables = $50-$75
An overhaul includes tune up plus cleaning chain and regreasing the 4 main bearing groups = $150-$200

Any parts such as cables, housing, tires, tubes, etc. are extra. An RD and FD to replace the worn out rear (bad jockey wheels) and subject to cracking front RD, add another $75.

Some LBS cater to racers, others to older family bikes like above. In either event if the quote goes north of $150-$175, you're beyond the value of the bike.

Thanks oddjob2. Just got back from the bike store and you were right on with your pricing. I've decided to to ahead with refurbing the old Peugeot. All in all the basic mechanics of it are in good shape. No play in the crank and the wheels are true. Priced out at $250, but that includes all that you listed in overhaul (including all bearings replaced and greased) plus new cables, replacement of both derailleurs (front one is cracked which may be a problem finding, anyone know of a replacement that works?), some rust removal from handlebars etc, new brake covers, grips and tape, new seat, new tires and tubes. All in all not bad and for better or worse, I get my old bike back ready to ride. I know it's north of what the bike is worth, but is within the budget I had in mind. I'll let you know how it goes, and post a photo or two when I get it back. Point of interest, the bike mechanic's last name if Peugeot. Karma maybe.

If they can handle a cottered crankset, the rest ought to be easy.

Rusty limit screws won't hurt anything. If the plastic body of the derailleur isn't cracked, and if the rear derailleur's jockey wheels are intact, you don't need to replace them. If they're broken (or when they eventually break), replacements are easy enough to source. 1970s-era SunTour derailleurs are cheap, plentiful, reliable, and work great. The only downside is that they're not French, if you care about your parts being geographically correct.

Yes, you can buy new wheels that'll fit, but the cost of new wheels ($115 from Velomine) will approach the cost of a decent used bike . If you don't plan on riding in wet weather, maybe try the original wheels for now and see if the braking performance is tolerable.

They have a reputation for cracking and sudden failure, but it's debatable exactly how well-deserved that reputation is. You can find more info on them at Sheldon Brown's web site and at The Headbadge.

Personally, I think some people might be overstating the odds of failure, but I replaced mine anyway. Even if failure is unlikely, a snapped stem is just about the worst possible failure you can have. Replacing the stem is cheap insurance against emergency dental work. But then again, simply inspecting the stem periodically is even cheaper and probably sufficient.

Here's hoping that you get the ol' bike in working order, get back on the road, and enjoy it!

Thanks francophile. Lake Apopka has been pretty much cleaned up. Farming around the immediate shoreline was banned some years ago, and a lot of the goo was dredged out. Believe it or not, they opened a new 11 mile trail around it last year that is a birders paradise. There are now birders excursions booked in to see them as it on the main north south migration route and it can get quite busy especially in winter. I've live here long enough to remember the way it was, and it is nice to see the change. Still plenty of gators though, and it's not unusual to see 13 footers. Thanks for the links to the brochures. My bike is definitely a U-08. Chromed fork, no fenders, light weight (for that time) "special tubing". Weighs in at about 25 pounds. Still have the original seat (too uncomfortable for me) tool kit, mouse trap rack (all sitting in a box in the garage), and generator light which was bought as an add on.

Thank you SkyDog75. Took your advice and am sticking with the original wheels for now. Don't plan to ride much in the rain, but living in Florida rain can appear anytime anywhere. I'll see how it goes. Passed along the "Death Stem" info to the bike mechanic as well as SunTour for replacement of the derailleurs (he is very familiar with them). Front one is cracked and don't know how long the 45 year old plastic will last on the rear, so they must go. I have to say I am very thankful for all the useful information I have received from the members in just the past day. You guys are awesome!

There are plenty of people who would like the derailleurs for parts on eBay, especially the rear jockey wheels (cogs) if the teeth are all intact. Post them for a start price of $10 and a typical shipping rate. You'll probably recoup at least $10-$25 towards your rebuild. There are a few moving parts on both which can be re-used - the spring, cogs, bushings, cages on the rear. The cage, set screws and hardware on the front if not too hellaciously rusty.

Great idea! I'll be sure to get back the old parts and see if I can sell anything still serviceable.

Not doubting your abilities at all, just wanted to throw that out for consideration. I do not blame you for having a qualified mechanic go over everything. Those prices that Oddjob, and that the shop, quoted you are pretty good, especially if it includes the front and rear derailleurs being replaced. If you don't mind my asking, what are they using as your replacements for the originals? Build a good relationship with the shop, it can be a good source for lots if things.

Have a blast with your getting back into the sport, its my personal stress relief therapy to get the daily 25 in.

Bill

Hi Bill. No offense taken. I'm a retired mechanical engineer (also I see you were USMC, I was an Army Ranger in Vietnam), I've kind of turned to the old bike because I recently sold my Porsche 944 that I wrenched on and occasionally raced for many years. Needed a new project and something that will help keep me in shape at the same time. At 69 I don't think I'll be doing a daily 25 anytime soon or maybe ever (I'm in awe), but for my age I'm still in pretty good shape and think getting back to riding would be fun, and as you said, great stress relief. To answer your question, SkyDog75 turned me on to SunTour derailleurs. Called the bike shop this afternoon to ask them to check SunTour as a source. Turns out, the tech was already on it and was ordering from them. Yes, the shops prices seem very fair. As the techs last name is Peugeot, I guess he thought it's Karma that I came in with this old namesake. Or maybe not, but he seems to be very helpful in wanting to get my old bike back on the road. Also, on the upside, I can pick his brain on maintenance and learn some things. Between my military and engineering training, I've learned to fix a lot of things. Like to know what I'm doing though before I dive in. I plan on doing much of the maintenance once the Peugeot is back on the road. I'll be checking in on this site a lot I'm sure. It's a wealth of info. Thanks again for your help.