jonwvara

Well, it's in good hands with you. I enjoyed that bike a lot, but it was time for a significant thinning of the herd. But if I saw another PX-10 at a yard sale, I very much doubt that I'd be able to resist snapping it up, whether it was my size or not. They're a hard bike to turn down.

ascherer 

Thanks, Jon. I'm grateful that we connected on it. I spent a bunch of thime over the last month cleaning it up and it's looking great:


I too, look every time I see one. We're of that era.

USAZorro

You've been handed a rare opportunity - a great bicycle that NEEDs to be repainted. Consider your options before diving in. White is iconic, but if you shoot for a recreation of the "like-new" look and fall short, you'll have nothing to hide behind. Be creative. Boldly embrace vivid colors, or be more subtle by using a white pearl finish. The possibilities are nearly limitless.

ehcoplex 

I've got some time to stew on it- finishing up a Holdsworth first, then a bunch of major home projects, and it's getting into (good/comfortable) riding season..... It may not be until next fall/winter that I get to the PX-10!

ehcoplex 

That one looks just great! I wish both of mine were that size (24"?).. What are the wheels/tires you're running on it?

USAZorro

Looks like 32mm Compass (now Rene Herse)

ascherer 

Thanks! I did a bunch of touchup work and it cleaned up really nicely. Rims are 700c Weinmanns - not sure what model, they have a raised center ridge. Laced to Campagnolo Tipos and the tires are Compass/ RH, I'm pretty sure they're Stampede Pass 32 width. It could take a bit wider tire but these are more than good enough. Again, Jon gets credit for a very thoughtful setup. I've changed the contact points: saddle, bars, stem and pedals and the big ring.

As an aside, @jonwvara, do you remember if the Technomics you had on that bike had been machined to fit the French steerer? That is one long stem! Maybe a 120?

ascherer 

Plenty of time to consider your options - aka obsess over C&V PX10 posts

ehcoplex 

Exactly....! In spite of swearing I'd never 'hand' strip a frame again after the Valgan I did last year I ended up spending most of today hand stripping my Holdsworth. My plan is to tung (or linseed) oil it and build it back up to ride this summer (nice days only) and think about paint next year. But it looks really cool in bare steel, which has me wondering what the PX-10, with the lovely 'fancy' Nervex lugs would look like 'raw'....... But I'll probably stick to classic/original..... probably....

ascherer 

I get you. Last spring I hand stripped and repainted my Falcon. Went through a similar choosing over how to finish it but I decided to keep it period correct. I won't say I'll never strip another but the likelihood feels low. I'll spend more time looking for someone to media blast if a repaint comes up.

ehcoplex 

If you find someone in the general area who you'd trust to blast a frame, let me know! One place near me just plain said 'no' to a bike frame (but apparently a motorcycle frame would've been OK.....), another said 'maybe....' but wouldn't/couldn't give a ballpark price. The Holdsworth stripping today actually was easier than the last frame- brush on the stripper, wait a while, then I used steel wool to remove the stripper & paint. Definitely want heavy duty solvent-proof gloves, glasses, etc etc. Then some time spent with a dremel wire brush to get the crannies. Not exactly 'fun', but it was kinda satisfying!

ascherer 

What stripper did you use? I used Citrasolve on the Falcon and it required multiple coats and a lot of scribbing. I think the old finish had a top layer, a metallic undercoat and a surprisingly stubborn primer.

ehcoplex 

I used something called 2 Minute Stripper. It seems more powerful (and probably more toxic..) than the citrus stuff, which I used on the Valgan. But the Holdsworth was semi-stripped already. It had been repainted at some point in the past with a very thick, plastic-y glossy black paint that kind of just peeled off with a paint scraper. But the primer underneath it was really tenacious- I tried a patch a while back with the citrus stripper and it didn't do much. The 2 minute stuff did better, but I think using the steel wool with it helped a lot. If the weather isn't terrible tomorrow I might get started on the PX-10....

AdventureManCO 

I think finding a super unique color would be a great way to have a standout bike - and you can even play around with a two-tone thing with the lugs.

Maybe a metallic orange, or purple. That green-ish vintage teal looks really nice, or even a mint/surf green??? Options abound!

Andy_K 

I'll pass on a tip I got from @bulgie -- look for a cork in the middle of the downtube. It collects moisture and causes the frame to rust, right around the "inoxidable" decal ironically enough. This may be especially important if you're going to have the frame media blasted.

XxHaimBondxX

Didn't know these were so popular or I wouldn't give it away last summer.

ehcoplex 

Luckily no cork in the DT, but it does still have the wood plug in the steerer tube...



I had to take the one in the steerer tube of my '72 out to fit a daruama and it wasn't easy!

ehcoplex 

That's actually a UO-8 (regularly confused for a PX-10), a decent and extremely popular bike 'back-in-the-day', but not quite on the level of the PX-10. I hope whoever took it cleaned it up and is giving it some use!

jonwvara

Yes, I think it it a 120 stem. I sanded it down to 22.0, using medium-grit emery cloth and turning, wrapping the cloth around the stem and turning the stem around and around. The secret to a neat job is to mask off the area above where you plan to sand with tape, so you get a clean line.

sbarner 

When I was in elementary school, they started out Maths every year with Set Theory. It seemed so painfully obvious to me that I recall wondering why they kept reviewing it year after year. I supposed is was because it is so fundamental to logic. Anyway, here is today's lesson:Notice that two of the circles do not overlap. Think Chevette and Corvette. They are both Chevrolets, they both have four wheels, but from there on they have little in common. You did the right thing in giving away your UO-8. You didn't lose anything and the person who got it didn't pay too much.

sbarner 

I'm totally with you on this. It's the perfect solution to the "Do I paint this and marvel in its aesthetics, or keep it original and make excuses for it" dilemma. I have a Motobecane Le Champion frame that was mostly stripped of paint when I got it. This provides not only the opportunity to dress it up with a like-new paint job, but it has also allowed me to go in and do the lug filing that they didn't take the time to do at the factory. The PX-10s with Nervex Pro lugs hide their lack of finishing well in the already complex curves of the lug outline. Factory bikes that had Italian-style lugs don't benefit from this and the unfiled lumps in the otherwise smooth curves stand out like a pimple on a cheerleader. It might be different if it were a Cinelli, but this is your opportunity to make it even better than new.

ehcoplex 

Ha, no kidding. The 70s Valgan I did last year was rather amazing in the sloppy brazing/filing that was revealed when I stripped the frame! I contrast that with the Holdsworth pictured above that I just stripped- very neat and clean. It will be interesting so see the '69 stripped. I've already noticed there's a void in the brazing on one side of the chain stay bridge- my OCD may require me to get it re-brazed. If this were a 24" frame I'd absolutely be considering some 'Gugification'- braze-on posts for the Mafacs, at least....

P.L.Jensen

As a builder of wooden surfboards, and having used a lot of cork in them for decades and having visited cork farms in Portugal, and visiting a cork manufacturing factory in France, I have some experience with cork and it’s properties… A Google search would also show that cork does not absorb water, or any other liquid… There might be moisture trapped between the cork and the tube, but as for the cork itself holding moisture, no…

The Golden Boy 

What the world needs now
is another
folk singer
...

P.L.Jensen

(above) My1970 PX-10… Bought it used in 1970… My daily driver here in our small border town… I had it powder coated black for simplicity… The nostalgia of the original paint job to me, wasn’t a consideration… I bought the bike, kept it forever, and ride it daily for the frame (and components) ride quality… Keep your Peugeot whatever finish quality you prefer, but above all else, ride it and enjoy it…!!!…