jmaxwel8

I've ridden road and mountain bikes for many years, but recently I've become more interested in learning more and getting a vintage bike that I could get in good working order to tinker around with (basically the N+1 strategy). I bought this bike the other day and was hopeful that the forum could give me as much information as possible. What are the pitfalls when getting this type of bike in "riding" condition? I will go through it completely mechanically but anything else would be helpful (i.e what year, what looks original to the bike, best place to source parts ect). Literally any information or thoughts would be great and appreciated. Here is a couple poor pictures, but they are all I have right now on the computer.

merziac

Fortunately your example appears to be quite original and hopefully all in working order. That being said you did pick the venerable PX-10 which being French can be more "fun" with the french threading, not that big of a deal if you already know your way around bottom brackets and headsets as well as being aware of stem, bar, seatpost sizing and such. The main thing will be if the bearings, spindle, cups and races are serviceable. Inspect those Simplex derailleurs closely for cracks as well.

3alarmer 

...I don't think those saddles were around when the Nervex lugged PX-10's were being made, but otherwise all that stuff looks authentic, even if it's not all original to that particular bike. The stem looks like one of the more solid ones you see on PX-10's of that era, so that's a plus. Mostly, they are a little idiosyncratic in threading (as already stated) and in the metric frame tubing diameters.

If you need to pull the crank arms, it's larger than the current standard puller diameter for that crank.




Here's one I have, that has some modifications to make it more of a rider, like clincher rims and a water bottle cage moved to the bars.

Amazon France and Ebay in France are some good places to look for parts, but it looks like you don't need many.

jmaxwel8

jmaxwel8

bikemig 

This bike will look beautiful once you've finished it. It's clean and the parts are there other than the saddle. A brooks will fix that problem.

jmaxwel8

Any tips on cleaning would be appreciated as well.

Classtime 

bertinjim 

jmaxwel8 -

Looks like a good one. You will need to clean it with white polishing compound and then wax, of course. Replace the old brake cables with lined stainless ones and stainless derailleur cables. Replace the old, hard Mafac brake pads with new ones, preferably Kool Stops. You need a special Stronglight or J.A. Stein 23.35 mm crank extractor for that Stronglight 93. Be aware that only those will work as others will strip the threads. looking at the crankset, you may want a lower gear option as your inner chainring looks quite large.Red Clover sells a 37 T inner ring which might help.Lube everything with new grease and good to go.

bertinjim 

if the front derailleur is not cracked, DO NOT TIGHTEN THE CLAMP WHEN YOU REINSTALL IT. The mechanism doesn't require the same torque on the clamp as modern bottom pull derailleurs.

+1 on that from Classtime. The older rod type front derailleurs were notorious for cracking with age and excessive torque but the newer type will crack as well at the left side pivot near the cage if over tightened.

bikemig 

I would take the bike apart--other than the headset and bottom bracket--to clean it properly. Ideally you'd also shoot some frame saver into the tubes but then you would need to at least pull out the adjustable cup, spindle and bearings (which is not a bad idea). The frame can likely be cleaned up nicely with any of the commercial bike cleaners and polishers. The flat white rust oleum paint is an almost perfect match for this paint if you need to do small touch ups. Rust on the metal parts can be dealt with easily with evapo rust. I'd wax the frame before putting it back together. I'd replace all the ball bearings with new grade 25 ball bearings (check out wheels manufacturing) and all the consumables (i.e., cables, cable housing, tires, tape, etc.) One of the fun things of an old French bike is that nothing is standard; the brake cable ferrules are likely 4 mm which is narrower than what you are likely to find. Fun. When you rebuild it, grease all the bits that need greasing (anything threaded, seatpost, bar, and stem).

This is the build thread on my mid 70s Peugeot PR 10 (one model below this):

'71 Peugeot PR 10: the good and the ugly

The cool thing is you can avoid all my mistakes and make new ones of your own,

CO_Hoya 

jmaxwel8

jmaxwel8

merziac

Well the original seat could have been a Brooks, Ideale or AGDA possibly and would be a find if in good shape but you got a usable seat so its all good.

Your example is a fine one and should clean up well.

Peugeotlover

Seat tube 531 Decal. Order from Cyclomondo, Greg Softley in Australia. Inexpensive & fast delivery. Also: 2 tire savers and tubular tires & glue (I order from Yellow Jersey- great owner & service)


Fork 531 decals. From: https://cyclomondo.net/page27.htm


Crank bolt/crank puller/replacement tool-special tool size; 14 & 15mm cone wrenches; Mafac brake tools; spoke wrench; Freewheel remover to re-pack rear hub; bearing grease(- I am still running on my original bearings- no problem); chain link remover not shown.

jmaxwel8

Salamandrine 

Period correct would be a Zefal Lapize. Fortunately for you, they make a reissue. I don't know how good they are. The originals were pretty meh, to be honest. Looks good though. The Zefal HP came out a couple years after that bike was made, and is perhaps the best frame pump ever made. Ugly as sin though. Still, I would not hesitate to buy a vintage one. It will still work great. Alternatively, you could be a real racer guy and get a vintage Silca. These were the standard racer pump at that time. Lighter than a zefal, and pumps faster. It does take some arm strength as well as skill to use. There's a specific technique and most people need to be shown how to do it. Work best with a steel campy head.

Lastly, the modern Lezyne HP road drive pumps look kind of retro, like a mini Lapize. I think they can be attached to the frame with pump pegs. You might have to improvise something. Small enough to go on a seat stay. Has the same PITA screw on hose as a Lapize, plus the added bonus of taking 43,027 strokes to fill a tire.

Original saddle was almost always a Brooks Professional. Sometimes a Brooks B17 Special, or an Ideale. Whatever was cheaper that month.

Chombi1 

A new Ideale 90 saddle will be perfect for this bike!
Yes, a Brooks Pro would work, but why not make it all French with an Ideale saddle instead.

jmaxwel8

jmaxwel8

Did the rims have any decals that came on them originally?

jj1091

There could have been any number of clincher rims put on those hubs, which are Normandy Luxe Competition hubs. Most likely they would have been Super Champions: VeloBase.com - Component: Super Champion Mod. 58

John E

Wow!

You have received some great advice.

My $0.02 worth as a former (much less valuable) 1980 PKN-10 owner:
1) Do obtain or borrow the proper unique Stronglight crank puller. I have one, if you are based anywhere near north coastal San Diego County.
2) The OEM frame pump is dreadful. It does look cool, and it would be great if the bike is to be a hanger queen, but it is not adequate for a rider. I love the Zefal HP-X, and although almost all of them are all-black, I do have one with a white body and one with a silver body, either of which would look a little better on your PX-10. I prefer a seat tube placement, although this would cover the beautiful seat tube decals and would look less authentic than under the top tube, which is the classic PX-10 pump location. Another option is to put a genuine OEM-looking pump under the top tube and carry a useful compact pump in your backpack.
3) All of the PX-10s we sold in the early 1970s at Bikecology came through with Brooks Pro saddles. (I still have one of the originals from the 1973 PX-10 the shop owner bought for himself and gave up trying to break in.)

Peugeotlover

1972 original Mavic tubular rim from PX-10. Shows original decals.

natterberry