80s Peugeot... hard to find parts?
 

I found an 80's Peugeot bike, don't know what model it is... going to drive down and check it out, maybe buy it today.
Attachment 24118
Just for aesthetics I am in love with this bike... but I don't know if the components are in good enough condition to ride as-is.

The description of the parts is:
Reynolds 501 lugged frame, Mavic 700cc wheels/rims with tube/tires. Shimano 105 headset. Specialized stem, cinelli bar. Weinman 405 front/rear brakes. Heliomatic rear hub, malliard front hub, sachs rear der. Sachs/huret crank and leather seat.

I know nothing about old bikes. I know this is a steel frame, and that it's around my size, and I like the paintjob. Do these older components hold up? I know the french bikes use a lot of nonstandard sizes and the parts are hard to come by... I've also heard nasty things about the Heliomatic hub. Any help identifying the bike would be great too... I looked around a lot and couldn't find out much based on the paint/decals... it looks an awful lot like a bike listed as a PG10/ID on this 1988 peugeot catalog
http://home.wanadoo.nl/peugeotshow/images/1988_1.jpg

Is this a keeper or garbage? He's asking $125 for it...

not all that hard. Just expect to fork over some seirous $$$$

The Weinmann brakes are probably original as I had one identical to this. They are date stamped and that should give you a pretty close year of manufacture.

I also have most of the original parts to this. If you are in need, PM me.

Why?

Nice machine - not a bargain at $125, but worth it if you can't find anything else.

For that price though, insist that the handlebar stem and seatpost binders be loosened, and both stem and post be spun to make sure neither are stuck in the frame.

If either are stuck, don't bother with it, or attempt to offer an extremely low price.

-Kurt

Edit: Rewording for clarity

It's a good match for a mid-1980s PGN10, with the exception of the bar and stem which are probably replacements. I don't think it's as modern as 1988, based on the decals. And if you're going to check for pieces stuck in the frame, check the seat post, as that is even more critical.

Oops forgot to address the other parts of your query! In my opinion, the reliability on the listed French parts is as good as comparable parts from the era, with the excpetion of the Maillard Helicometic hub, which do have a poor reputation. To make things worse, replacement parts for the hub are hard to come by. So I'd remove the wheels and make sure the axles spins smoothly.

As for price, that varies so much depending on the local market conditions, that it's very hard to judge. Then there is question of mechanical and cosmetic condition. Assuming it is a mid 1980s PGN10, original price would have been around $400-$450 US.

If one is willing to replace the rear wheel, the only parts in short supply are bottom bracket cups and possibly seat posts. It is no big trick to sand an ISO 22.2mm handlebar stem to 22.0mm. Sheldon has a great article on how to adapt old French bikes for continued service.

thanks
 

Thanks everybody! Much appreciated. The bike turned out to be a little too large for me, if anyone needs a 60cm bike in San Jose, it's on Craigslist!

Hopefully another one will come up in my size...

Very wise move. Keep looking, and good luck with the hunt!

I don't think the poor reputation of the Maillard Helicometic hub is deserved. I'm 175lbs and I often ride one of these ---with my child in her seat behind me, on 10-20mile journeys and have had no problems.

OK, but you still have the problem of being unable to find ANY replacement parts, including cogs for a simple re-gearing. I'll stick with something more mainstream, like a SunTour freewheel, for which I have a pegboard full of spare cogs in most sizes.

For replacement parts with the Helicomatic hub, try Yellow Jersey in Madison, Wisconsin. They are on the web. They don't have every Helicomatic part; it depends on the model. But I was able to get extra cogs for this hub through them. I have a PGN10 and love the ride, and I am over 200LBs.

The Helicomatic hubs have a bad reputation, but there seems to be a lot of them still on the road.