Peugeot U08
 

Hi guys,

I'm not a bike guy really, so I'm at a loss for some of the general terms and understanding. Please don't hesitate to set me straight. I'm a mechanically inclined person and this will be the second bike I'm building. I'm very into building a bike on the cheap... there's more fun in that for me...so please keep that in mind.

Ultimately, I'd like one of the sleek, stripped down fixed-gear (or single-speed) track bikes I see speeding by me.

I found a trashed bianchi frame awhile ago
and a friend left an old peugeot u08 (I think.... it looks like this bike here: http://www.geocities.com/randyjawa/F...rtRearHalf.jpg) bike at my house, which I stripped down... I moved the crank (its nice and light) from the bianchi to
the peugeot and bought a nice aluminum flip-flop back wheel... its a pretty nice bike and
not too heavy either too. There is trouble though with the front forks. They
seem to be slightly bent upward (as if a very heavy person had ridden
it forever) I can't get a good brake mounted in there...and they have
a granny look to them... or like a chopper motorcycle. Not the sleek look I'm looking for... The bianchi
forks won't fit because the bianchi head tube (just looked that term
up) is shorter than on the peugeot.. that should be a problem right?

I want to get some new and sportier (straighter) forks on there, but I
don't know what specs to search for to find the right forks. Is
threading different between brands, also, how is a "sportier" set of
forks specified, is it just by observation?

Should I just ditch this frame and get a better one? What would be a recommended one that would fit a 700 size wheel?

I'm hoping for some junky old forks, but i'll buy new if necessary.
The wheel sizes are 700.

UO-8 Fixed Gear Conversion
 

You may want to look at Pete Geurds' mid-1970's UO-8 fixed gear conversion on the http://www.retropeugeot.com/ website to see what's possible.

You can put a different fork on it and this will allow you to used a different stem and bars if you want. In fact your headset and bars are french sized to match the fork and if you change the fork you will have to change the stem and bars. You will need one with a long enough steerer (the part of the fork that goes into the frame) and if it's too long you'll have to cut it down. If there aren't enough threads, you'll need to have it threaded down far enough to get the headset on all the way.

Oh and I don't think your forks are bent, that's just how they are...

The UO8s have substantial fork rake. To replace a fork on an old Pug, you'll probably not only be replcaing the fork, but the headset, bars and stem as well. This is due to Frecnh sizing and threading.

See SheldonBrown.com for some great tips on French bikes. Changing the fork will permit you to use ISO/standard diameter and thread stem and headset and will probably result in quicker, more nimble steering than the long-raked original. However, check it out for toe-to-tire overlap (my UO-8, with an aftermarket short-rake fork, has a bit of this), and make sure you are comfortable with this (I am; the CPSC is not).

Hey guys,
Thanks for the wealth of info and links. I've been clicking thru some of these pages and discovered that my bike is actually a UE-8. The head tube is quite short. I'm going to keep clicking thru these sites and see what i discover.

I have perhaps a dumb question, but I don't know where else to ask.

Say I wanted to scrap this Peugeot frame but reuse my new 700 back wheel, chain and crank (from the Bianchi) on a new bicycle. What frame size will fit this wheel?

Short answer is most any bike built for 700 or 27" wheels.

The real answer is this depends on a confluence of factors. Some bikes are designed with more tire clearance, so as to fit fenders or wider tires. Some have minimal clearance. Often, the deciding factor is brake reach (can the pads reach the rim?). On some bikes designed for 27" wheels, this can be a loooong reach.

The other major factor is rear drop out spacing, which varies according to age of bike. If the hub is spaced at 130mm, and your rear drops at 120mm, it isn't going to work. Unless you cold set the frame, and that I wouldn't do over that wide a difference. You can't cold set anything but steel, so the frame has to be steel for this to work.

One thing in working with older bikes: there are a mess of "standards" and you need to familiarize yourself with them. This is helpfull when you're planning a hack.

Poquemahone,
thanks for the info... This is very helpful! I'm going to investigate a smaller, sportier frame next.

-bb